Highland High School seniors Kronk, Barton sign letters of intent in virtual ceremony
It was a ceremony that played out the way no one ever envisioned it it happening but Highland girls basketball player Megan Kronk and senior tennis player Connor Barton got to realize a goal they have had in mind since they were in grade school.
On April 15, Kronk and Barton signed national letters of intent to play basketball at Kaskaskia College and tennis at Illinois College, respectively, by means of a virtual signing ceremony.
The ceremony, which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic school shutdown mandated by Governor J.B Pritzker, included Highland Athletic Director Amy Boscolo, Bulldogs boys tennis coach Matt Pellock, Barton, Lady Bulldogs basketball coach Clint Hamilton, Kronk, and Highland High School Principal Dr. Chris Becker.
Kronk, although she would have liked to have had a more traditional signing ceremony, was thrilled with the virtual ceremony Boscolo pulled together.
“It was really a cool way to do it with us not being able to be in school and I really wanted to thank Ms. B (Boscolo) for that, she really did an awesome job with it,” Kronk said. “It’s not ideal for us to not be with our people for that big day but making the most of the situation is what we did. It was a really good night for both of us.”
Being able to move onto the next level, go to school and play tennis was the ultimate goal for Barton and an accomplishment he is really proud of.
“I’m actually very proud of myself because that was one of the main goals (I had) when I was playing in high school,” Barton said. “I love the sport and I wanted to continue to (to play) just a little longer.”
Kronk, who averaged 9.2 points per game as a senior for Highland and set a school record with 61 made 3-pointers, said she traveled to Centralia to visit Kaskaskia College in the first week of February and then made her decision to attend there a week after before the IHSA Class 3A playoffs began.
“It was just kind of one of the those things where you go and you just get this feeling kind of that you want to be there,” Kronk said. “I really like the coach (Jay Jenkins) ... he was really cool and I really love the campus and it was a little bit of a smaller school which I felt a little bit more comfortable at and educational, they could provide everything I’m looking to work towards.”
Barton, who made his decision in March, said Illinois College was the perfect fit for him academically and he was very partial to the size of the campus.
“They don’t have like a management degree, but I talked with one of the professors up there on my visit and I could tell he knew a lot about the field; plus he’s had years of experience in the field,” Barton said. “Plus the campus is nice. It’s not big but it’s big enough to where it’s a change from Highland.”
Barton, who went 16-8 last spring as a junior, said Illinois College coach Tyler Linscott has been talking with him about him having a definite chance to contribute next year.
“They have talked to me a little bit about going in as possibly a four or five seed (in singles),” Barton said.
Highland duo enjoy recruiting process
Kronk said her recruiting experience was an excellent one and she relished being able to pretty much call the shots with each step of the process.
“The best thing was going around to different schools and meeting different college athletes and coaches,” Kronk said. “Most of the athletes showed me around campus and talked to me a little bit. I‘m glad I did it (the recruiting experience) and I did a lot of it on my own and being able to talk to the coaches via phone and then visiting them and watching the teams was good for me because I got to see them play and see for myself what was best for me.”
Barton echoed those sentiments.
“I thought it went really well,” Barton said. “I can’t see anything that I would change right now.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 12:21 PM.