Earlier this year, senior athlete Kristina Kokot signed her National Letter of Intent (NLI) and committed to the Indiana University D1 Rowing team                                                                                

Kokot, a member of the Chesterton girls basketball team and the CHS track and field team, was incredibly excited to hear from IU, seeing as she has family and friends who attend IU and because she and her family are avid fans of IU basketball. She is not the first Chesterton rowing commit to Indiana University. Currently, Chesterton alumni Madison Callaway, a senior at IU, is on their rowing team and travels all around the country to compete with her teammates. Kokot took an official visit in February and had the opportunity to spend the day with members of the team. She notes that in her experience, the recruiting process was a lot different than she had expected.

Kokot shared that the rowing novice coach found her on a recruiting site and emailed her, explaining that based on her height that she would be a good fit for the team. She took an unofficial visit, walked through the facilities, and decided that what they were offering was exactly what she was looking for. Following her visit, she signed her NLI and in February, took an official visit, sealing the deal.  

There were a number of factors that went into Kokot’s commitment to IU, and she had applied to several different schools before making her final decision. She had applied to a few schools in Maine including Vincennes, Thomas College, the University of Maine at Augusta, and the University of Maine at Fort Kent. None of these schools had offered Kokot the opportunity to become an athlete at the collegiate level, so she was incredibly excited when the IU coaching staff had reached out to her. She loved the facilities and academic resources they were able to offer her. She is eager to travel with her new teammates, take advantage of all of the academic resources they offer and is ready for a “change of pace”. Kokot recognizes the major differences between college and high school and is ready to get down to Bloomington to experience a new environment. 

Throughout her many years competing at Chesterton, Kokot has made a lot of great accomplishments. She has played on the basketball team for all four years of high school, was on the varsity team for two years and in her senior year was awarded the sportsmanship award. Her track and field accomplishments are impressive; she has completed two years as a varsity member, placing at a number of varsity meets, and having a personal record of eight feet in the pole vault.  

Even though Kokot is ready to compete at the higher level, she will still miss her current teams, and she specifically shares about the end of her senior basketball season. 

“It sucks that I don’t get to play basketball anymore, I’m sad the sport is over. I’m proud of the improvement and accomplishments that I have made over the past four years,” says Kokot. 

Finally, Kokot wanted to remind current and future Chesterton student-athletes that it is important to prioritize a couple of major factors. “You really have to prioritize your mental health sometimes. Prioritize your mental health and academics,” Kokot states. She shared some big advice on being a successful student-athlete including a reminder as to how much of a commitment athletics can be. Kokot reminds athletes that it is important to put in work both in and out of practice in order to reach success.  

Kokot has shaped herself into a vital part of both the girl’s basketball team and the track and field team. She has accumulated a number of impressive athletic accomplishments and her commitment to D1 rowing at IU is just another to add to her list. Although Chesterton is losing a terrific player, Indiana University is gaining a new talented athlete.