Jordyn Breitbarth has been getting a geography lesson all her life, so it was no surprise that she ended up in Minnesota for college.
Jordyn Breitbarth has been getting a geography lesson all her life, so it was no surprise that she ended up in Minnesota for college.
The 2014 Hilo High graduate is playing softball and soccer at Dakota County Tech, a junior college in Rosemount, Minn., about 30 minutes from Minneapolis.
She and her family – parents Brian and Lori Breitbarth and younger brothers Josh and Jyson – take a summer trip to the mainland every other year.
Just like Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold character in the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies, the Breitbarth crew jumps in a car and drives all over the place.
They’ve been to 26 states, and had a blast in 2010, when they visited the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Mount Rushmore.
Here’s a quick geography and presidential trivia quiz: Where is each national park located and who are the four guys carved in granite?
The trip was about 5,500 miles and a relatively inexpensive $800 in gas. Likewise, the Blue Knight freshman’s grocery and gas bill is insanely cheap.
Breitbarth’s parents are from Iowa. The family landed in Las Vegas, drove to Arizona, Wyoming and then to South Dakota to admire Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
The Breitbarth caravan visited the folks in Iowa, drove back to Vegas, and flew to Hilo, where gas prices are almost double Minnesota’s $2.80 per gallon fuel costs.
At Dakota Tech, it snowed for the first time on Monday, when Breitbarth, who has a 3.5 grade-point average and is majoring in kinesiology, made her first snowman.
The soccer season recently finished and the Blue Knights went 7-9-2. At goalie, Breitbarth posted five shutouts.
In the playoffs, Dakota Tech won its first-round game, but fell to No. 1 Iowa Western in the next game.
She’s got a part-time job at Papa John’s and when she isn’t working or studying, Breitbarth is conditioning with the Dakota Tech softball team, which starts its season in March.
How Breitbarth found a college home is another geographical adventure.
She had a profile on ncsasports.org and got accepted to play softball at Concordia Seward, an NAIA school in Nebraska. Despite a merit scholarship for academics and one for softball, the private school’s costs were still expensive.
Breitbarth reached out one morning to another contact, Dakota Tech softball coach Tom Cross, who called back five minutes later.
At the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I state tournament in May, Hilo had a two-game exit, but Breitbarth, a center fielder, batted 2 for 6.
Taft (Calif.) College then offered her a full-ride. The Blue Knights increased their scholarship package, and let her play two sports.
It’s no surprise Jordyn and Josh, a junior catcher for the Vikings, are playing ball. Lori played softball as a shortstop and catcher at Westmar University in Iowa.
Jyson, a seventh grader at Hilo intermediate, is a soccer player. Jordyn was a late bloomer, joining the sport as a Viking senior.
Breitbarth had a memorable senior year. The soccer team was the BIIF runner-up, and reached states for the first time since 2011. The softball squad won its third straight BIIF title.
“Growing up, the kids were always in the yard, playing catch with a baseball, softball, football, or Frisbee,” Lori said. “The favorite sport was stickball with a broken broom handle and a taped ball.
“She’s having the time of her life up there. She wanted to see the four seasons. It snowed for the first time Monday night, and she said, ‘Mom, I’ll do just fine with the cold weather.’ She went to the Iowa-Minnesota college football game with all her friends from Minnesota, and dressed up in paint.”
Unfortunately for mom, her old hometown college team got drilled. The Golden Gophers pulverized the Hawkeyes 51-14. Her daughter won bragging rights for at least a year.
And to show that aloha is never far from home, two other 2014 Hilo grads are also attending college in the state with three nicknames: Land of the 10,000 Lakes, North Star State, and The Gopher State.
Carmen Garson-Shumway is running cross country, and track at Macalester College in Minneapolis, and Lolly Higa is playing soccer at Hamline University in Saint Paul. Both Division III schools are in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The Blue Knight (Breitbarth), Scot (Garson-Shumway) and Piper (Higa) all went to the Minnesota State Festival in September and ate the fair’s staple food, deep-friend pickles.
“It tasted pretty good,” Jordyn said. “It’s like a combination of tempura and a mozzarella stick.”
Last week, Higa’s grandparents visited and took the girls out for a bite. In October, Carmen’s mom flew up and the girls had a meal. Lori Breitbarth, who works at Keaau elementary’s counseling department (Brian works for Time Warner), plans to go in the spring to watch softball, and continue the aloha meal tradition.
Jordyn and Josh Breitbarth have been to the Hershey’s Track and Field Games in Hershey, Pa., where they competed in the softball throw.
They both went in the fifth grade while Josh also qualified again in the seventh grade, when he took first in the North American division.
He had a memorable experience the first time. The day before the competition, Josh broke his collarbone playing football with some California participants. But two years, later he won and trumped his sister.
“Hershey, Pennsylvania, was a great and awesome experience,” Jordyn said. “I got third place and I thought that was the most awesome thing ever. I was only 10 years old. I flew to the other side of the country by myself.
“They had these cell phones you could borrow and I went straight to the booth to call my mom, and told her I got third place. Of course, Josh later showed me up.”
Someday soon, Dakota Tech may replace the Land of the Delicious Chocolate Bar as Breitbarth’s favorite location.
“It might. We’ll see how softball season goes and what I do after junior college,” she said. “I just love all the different seasons. During the fall, the leaves change colors and now it’s snowing. I’m definitely having fun and a good time.”
Monster honors
Eastern Arizona sophomore Chelzie-Kristina Ulu (Hilo, 2013) made the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference volleyball second team, and the All-Region first team.
Ulu, who holds a 4.0 GPA, led the conference with 1.28 blocks per set.
Angel Alameda (Hilo, 2014) received honorable mention on the All-Conference team.
The freshman libero led the conference with 5.34 digs per set and a total of 577 digs.
Ombac’s history
Last Friday, Skye Ombac (Waiakea, 2014) and the University of Jamestown won the NAIA school’s first North Star Athletic Association cross country championship.
Ombac finished the three-mile course in 17th place with a time of 23 minutes and 1 second at Billings, Mont.
Shaw’s title shot
On Saturday, Pacific trounced No. 25 Williamette 41-24, and clinched a share of the Northwest Conference championship, its first since 1952.
The Boxers (6-2, 6-0 NWC) play at No. 10 Linfield (7-1, 5-1) on Saturday for the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Warner Shaw (Kamehameha, 2012) was 19 of 28 for 218 yards with one touchdown for the Boxers, who trailed 7-0 and scored 24 points in the second quarter.
A win over Linfield would give Pacific its first outright conference title since 1939, and first postseason appearance since the 1951 Pearl Bowl.
To submit a candidate for the Big Island College Report, email kjakahi@hawaiitribune-herald.com.