West Ottawa鈥檚 Bonnemas triplets all headed for collegiate athletics
HOLLAND, Mich. — One in 10,000. The odds of having triplets. One in 2,197. The odds of three random high school athletes all going on to play collegiate athletics. Combining these statistics, there鈥檚 only a one in 21,970,000 chance that triplets all play college sports. So the Bonnemas aren鈥檛 just one in a million. They鈥檙e one in 21.9 million.
West Ottawa High School seniors Sophie, Abby, and Noah Bonnema will each compete in college. Sophie will run cross country and track at Michigan State University. Abby will run cross country and track at the University of Michigan. Noah will聽play baseball at Hope College.
Sophie鈥檚 passion for running has undoubtedly grown over the years. 鈥淚鈥檝e been running since elementary school when my mom forced me to do Girls on the Run,鈥� she said. 鈥淩unning in college is something I never would have expected as a freshman or sophomore, and honestly running for MSU is something that even junior Sophie would be surprised about.鈥�
Sophie fell in love with Michigan State during her tour of the campus and running facilities. 鈥淚 had a really good first impression of the coaches at MSU, so going there was always an idea in the back of my mind,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I visited campus and got to meet some of the team, I almost immediately knew that that was where I wanted to be next year.鈥�
Commonly seen running right beside Sophie is her sister Abby, who will be continuing her academic and athletic career at the University of Michigan where she will run cross country and track as well. 鈥淚鈥檝e been running since 3rd grade, if you count Girls on the Run in elementary school, but I started running year-round in 7th grade,鈥� she said.
After switching to full-time running, the rest is history for Abby. She set the record for the fastest senior 5K time in WO history, as well as the third-fastest 5K PR overall (for all 聽grades) in WO history. The high weekly mileage and rigorous training schedule of WO track and cross country have prepared her for running at U of M, a campus she loves, with a welcoming team that she met and ran with during her visit.
Finally, Noah will be continuing his athletic and academic career at Hope College, where he will play baseball.
鈥淲hen I was 11, I was a very mediocre baseball player and I did not enjoy playing poorly,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat inspired me to work harder to earn more playing time.鈥� Now, Noah is West Ottawa鈥檚 ace pitcher and the starting shortstop off the mound.
His accomplishments include OK Red All-Conference, District 6+7 All-Area, and the Most Valuable Player Award. He had a 37-hit season last year while pitching 50.1 innings with an ERA of 2.57.聽In addition, playing for travel organizations such as the Lakeshore Warriors and the West Michigan Flames allowed Noah to hone his skills, ultimately leading him to commit to Hope.
Ultimately, the Bonnemas are a great representation of West Ottawa鈥檚 athletic excellence. Their individual hard work and dedication has paid off and led them to collegiate-level athletics鈥攚here it鈥檚 a safe bet this trio will continue to beat the odds.
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