Wawasee senior Aundreya Wegener has chosen Trine University and its new Acrobatics and Tumbling program. (Photo provided)

SYRACUSE – Aundreya Wegener has spent a good part of her athletic career taking chances. The Wawasee senior is taking another one which she feels will give her best chance to succeed in life after announcing she will sign with Trine University to continue her gymnastics career.

Wegener has been a gymnast virtually her entire life, but is looking to step into a new world with Trine, which is starting its Acrobatics and Tumbling program this fall. Coach Kati Horstmann is overseeing the program as it begins, which is a floor-based competition program that caters to gymnasts and competitive cheerleaders. The program at Trine, per Horstmann, will bring in 18 girls the first year, most from Indiana but also a pair from Texas.

“I scouted Drey at the Huntington Gymnastics Regional and was really impressed with her floor routine,” Horstmann said. “You could really tell, though, that she was a sweet, bubbly and fun personality from the moment I met her. Once we exchanged a little information, I knew I had a really great athlete on my hands. She checks all the boxes of what we are looking for. She is the positive type we want in the program.”

Wegener was a standout for Wawasee as a senior. She finished sixth on floor at the Wawasee Sectional, then 12th at the Huntington North Regional. Wegener was later picked up as a floor base scorer for the IHSAA State Finals. The final performance capped a career that had Wegener qualify for regionals her freshman and sophomore seasons and help Wawasee to a pair of team regional appearances.

Wegener also has the distinction of being the first athlete in Wawasee head coach Nika Prather’s long coaching career to ever make an NCAA program out of high school.

“The coach (Horstmann) actually approached me after I competed at the regional gymnastics meet last month, which was super cool because I had never considered being an athlete in college, or really thought that it was possible,” Wegener said.

“This decision was easy to make after really looking into the program and the university itself,” continued Wegener. “I had completely planned to attend Ball State in the fall, I even had a roommate. But after I was presented with this opportunity I could not stop thinking about getting the chance to be a college athlete as well as building this program. With everything going on right now thinking about school is stressful, but after getting to know the coach and visiting the campus I knew that I was making the right decision.”

Wegener will study elementary education at Trine. While at Wawasee, Wegener has carried a 9.5 GPA (12 scale) and is ranked 43rd in her senior class of 195.

Wawasee senior Aundreya Wegener embraces Wawasee assistant coach and mom, Sarah Wegener, during her final high school home meet in February. (File photo by Mike Deak)