Riley Swanson of Stonewall Collegiate has been named a Dairy Farmers of Manitoba Athlete of the Week by the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association.
Swanson, a Grade 11 student at Stonewall Collegiate, has turned heads over the past few weeks with her impressive play for the Rams varsity girls softball team.
This season, she is batting .632 with a .650 on-base percentage, recording 24 hits, 27 RBIs and three home runs through just 13 games.
In the classroom, she has also excelled, maintaining a 95 per cent average.
Last week, Swanson and the Rams competed at the provincial championships in Pilot Mound, where she starred behind the plate and at third base. In between games, she could often be found studying for final exams, which begin this week.
“Whenever we have breaks I’ll quickly do some studying, or I’ll do some work,” said Swanson. “As soon as I get home, because I have a spare last period, I do work. I just try to get projects done, not as quickly as I can, but when I have time. The little time periods that I have, I’ll do work then just to get things done and study as much as I could for tests and exams coming up.”
Swanson also balances volleyball, basketball, badminton and hockey throughout the school year. Her primary focus, however, is softball, which she also plays at the AAA level with the U17 AAA Interlake Phillies.
She said playing for the Rams under head coach Curtis Grieve has helped her round out her game for both high school competition and the summer season with the Phillies.
“He really pushes me to be my best,” said Swanson. “Although he could be hard on us, I like when he does that because it really pushes us to our limits and makes us do what we usually do so we can be our best. He always believes in us and makes sure that we’re always trying our hardest.”
Swanson added that extra batting practice on her own time has helped translate into success on the field.
Like some of her older teammates before her, Swanson hopes to continue her softball career at the collegiate level after graduating from high school.
“I want to go to the (United) States and play ball, hopefully pursue somewhere out there,” said Swanson. “Probably closer to home, not too far, but hopefully start with the junior college, and maybe later, if I make it there, go Division I if I really can.”
