Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(written by Student Sports Information Assistant Emily Zadny)

May 1, 2017 – Looking back on her time at North Central College, senior women's track and field athlete Reba Wermeling has had quite the experience. She has embraced the student-athlete experience both on the field and in the classroom, truly reaping the benefits of the campus' resources.  

Her athletic journey began in middle school. When her neighbor started playing lacrosse, Wermeling decided to pick up the sport as well so that her friend would have someone to play with. Lacrosse soon became something she wanted to seriously pursue, motivating Wermeling to join the club team at the local park district. Her high school added lacrosse as a varsity sport her sophomore year and because of her prior experience, she was one of two underclassmen to make the team.  

Being a part of the inaugural teams, both at the park district and at school made the sport that much more special.  Wermeling could not fathom giving it up when she went to college and luckily, she wouldn't have to. 

"I had never heard of North Central even though I live close by," said the Elmhurst native. "The lacrosse coach at the time, Jenni Kapanen, reached out to me about playing in college. It was the first school I applied and got accepted to, and while I was still looking at other colleges, North Central was the right fit at the time." 

But after her first year on campus, Wermeling made the difficult decision to leave the sport she loved and try something new. She knew she wanted to be a part of a team and continue to compete, but she was not sure where to go. She soon got involved with the track and field team, participating in multiple events, before discovering that her lacrosse experience best translated to throws. 

"It was surprisingly easy," she said on her athletic transition. "I feel like once you have an athletic base, you can utilize those skills in different ways. Even though I had never thrown in a track event before, I was able to implement skills from lacrosse. I had to rely on my teammates since we did not have a throws coach at the time and they helped me figure it out. That was a cool experience starting out to have that team bond. 

"I love the team spirit and friendships I've made. Everyone is so athletic that they can do amazing things and I am always impressed with their abilities. You can also tell the coaches really care about you and want you to succeed. They want to see you do the best that you can do."  

That bond has stayed with Wermeling for her past three years on the team and tops the list of why she enjoys being a part of the program. Her teammates and coaches have supported her through success and learning. 

"My favorite memory is probably my most embarrassing moment, too," she said, recounting her first season. "It was my first track meet and I didn't know all the rules. I was the first person in the first flight to take a throw. After I threw, I was so glad to get it over with that but also so nervous I moon-walked out of the front of the ring and that resulted in a scratch because you have to exit out of the ring.  With throws, you have to leave the sector in a certain way to have your throw count. In the moment, it was embarrassing but looking back on that, it was pretty funny!" 

Wermeling has come a long way since her first meet. She achieved a career-best this past indoor season in the weight throw with a distance of 30 feet, 9.25 inches. This outdoor season, she achieved another personal best in the hammer throw at the Benedictine Invitational on April 14.  

Wermeling admits that even though it's her senior year, there is still a lot she is learning in regards to technique. Her goals for her final outdoor season is to improve as an athlete and as a teammate, hoping to give back the support she received over the past three years. 

"My teammates are my role models," she said. "They are the ones supporting you, teaching you, and inspiring you to make yourself better so that the team can do the best it can do." 

Similarly to her athletic career, Wermeling did not have a traditional academic experience either. It took a great deal of trial and error—and perhaps a bit of soul searching--to find her way to a psychology major and art minor.  

"I initially wanted to be a dentist and my freshman year, I took biology, chemistry, and calculus, but I came in to those classes with no prior experience. I hadn't even taken precalculus in high school," she said with a laugh. "My first fall term didn't go so hot, so in the winter I took classes I knew I would do well in. I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to help people and do something I enjoyed, so I took psychology and art classes, which in turn improved my grades and mentality at school." 

Her passion for art extends beyond the classroom and has been something she has enjoyed for much of her life. During the winter term, she had her work on display in the Stream of Consciousness showcase at the Mieley- Swallow Hall Gallery. 

Throughout her college career, Wermeling has kept herself busy. She works on campus for the Fine Arts Department in the box office and has also interned at Brookfield Zoo, the Morton Arboretum, DuPage Children's Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. She also took on multiple research projects with Assistant Psychology Professor, Dr. Nicole Rivera. Just like many of North Central's student athletes, her schedule is packed full with class, work, and athletics, and Wermeling admits it can be a challenge to keep it all together. 

"I don't know—I just kind of do it because you have to," she said on time management. "I am not the best at life balancing—I procrastinate because I thrive under that pressure—but I make it work. I like to be busy and have things going on because that motivates me." 

Though she laughs, it appears this strategy worked for her as she recently accepted a position at the Shedd Aquarium following graduation. 

"While I'm still in the works of figuring out exactly what I'll do after graduation, right now I work in the marketing and research department with the customer experience and the exhibits," she said. "Basically, when there is a new exhibit and they want feedback, they send me out to do that and get visitor's opinions. That can include different environmental topics, their experiences, or what they would like to see at the Shedd." 

Before she can think much more about life beyond graduation, Wermeling has the outdoor season at hand. The Cardinals compete at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Outdoor Championship, hosted by Augustana College, on Friday and Saturday. Multi-events begin at 10 a.m on Friday with running events to follow at 2:30 p.m.