Many student-athletes stray from home to attend college and participate in athletics.

However, traveling to an unfamiliar place for school was not the decision sophomore Morgan Buechele, a swimmer on the Illinois State swimming and diving team, made.

Buechele attended Normal Community High School, where ISU head coach Steve Paska was able to keep a close eye on her performances.

“I always keep track of the Bloomington-Normal area kids here, and Morgan’s name kept coming up in freestyle, breaststroke and so forth,” Paska said. “One of my former swimmers, Heather Budak, is the coach at Normal Community High School and we discussed Morgan and her recruitment, before she eventually signed here in the fall of 2008.”

Buechele relishes the opportunity to stay close to home and swim by being active in the Bloomington-Normal community, on behalf of Illinois State athletics.

“Morgan really enjoys being a part of Bloomington-Normal and helping Illinois State Athletics throughout the community,” Paska said. “She hosted two young ladies that are going to be future Redbirds starting next fall: Megan Boebinger, a girl that is going to graduate from Normal Community in May and also Cecilia Holmes from Normal West.”  

He added, “Morgan’s personality, communication skills and sense of humor really painted a picture to Megan and Cecilia that it is OK to stay at home and attend a fine institution and be part of a successful program. I am grateful for what Morgan has done in this recruitment process as well the time she has spent hosting recruits the past couple years. She has definitely done a fantastic job for us as a member of this team, as well as being an ambassador for this program.”

Buechele is also a very diligent student in the classroom, where she has excelled as a therapeutic recreation major.

“Morgan is a sound student for us, which contributes to the team’s success as well because we try to achieve the highest grade point average that we can and she has been a definite part of that,” Paska said.

Buechele had a terrific freshman year as a Redbird swimmer as well as a great fall 2010 campaign thus far, and she looks to continue her success throughout the rest of her ISU career.

“Morgan has made a splash here at Illinois State,” Paska said. “She came in and has earned her spot as one of our top sprint breaststrokers and sprint freestylers on the team, and she performed career-best times as a freshman last year in the 50 free, 100 breast, 200 breast and 100 free. She is on course to do the same thing now in her sophomore year.”

He added, “Morgan had a terrific fall season for us and really is getting into the year-round swimming that is typical for collegiate swimmers. I believe emphatically her future is a bright one and she will contribute to the team’s success at the conference meet as well as in her junior and senior years.”

Buechele and the rest of the Redbird swimming and diving squad get 10 days off, before heading off to Tempe, Ariz., for the team’s winter break trip.

However, those 10 days off are not much of a break for the ISU swimmers and divers, as they are still expected to train on their own during this time.

“[Paska] will give us workouts that we are supposed to be doing on our own for those 10 days we have off,” Buechele said.

Buechele, along with all of her ISU swimming and diving teammates, will be back in action on the campus of Arizona State University from Dec. 29 to Jan. 7, 2011.