Several athletes who put on the Maroon and Gold on Eagle Lane during their high school careers are finding success at the collegiate level. In total, 37 Pella Christian alums are competing in a variety of sports across the NCAA and NAIA. Looking back on 2024 for these former Eagles, here’s some of the notable performers from last year.

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Dan Jungling, Football, Dordt University (Class of 2020)

Competing in his final season as a defensive back at Dordt, Dan Jungling was one of the Defenders’ top defensive players during an 8-2 season. Jungling finished his career with a team-high three interceptions this fall, while also being Dordt’s fourth leading tackler with 45, and also recording 2.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. 

Isaac Kacmarynski, Football, Dordt University (Class of 2023)

In his sophomore season at Dordt, Isaac Kacmarynski saw action in nine games as a linebacker, while recording 24 total tackles, three and a half tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and a fumble recovery.

Alejo Marcon, Men’s Soccer and Tennis, Central College (Class of 2022)

A dual-sport athlete at Central College, Alejo Marcon excelled on both the tennis court and soccer pitch. For the Dutch men’s tennis squad last spring, the junior went 7-8 in singles matches and 11-6 in doubles play, pushing his career records to 9-8 in singles and 21-13 in doubles. Marcon then went on to be named American Rivers Conference Honorable Mention for the men’s soccer team this fall, finishing tied for first on the squad in assists with three and tied for second in goals with three in 18 starts.

Joslyn Terpstra, Women’s Soccer, Dordt University (Class of 2023)

Joslyn Terpstra continues to dominate on the soccer pitch at Dordt, finishing her sophomore season with First Team All-GPAC honors. Terpstra led the conference and set the program record for assists in a season with 16, breaking the old school record set in 2002. Additionally, Joslyn finished 5th in the GPAC in total points with 34, 7th in the GPAC in goals scored with 9, and is tied for fifth in program history with 24 career assists. 

Joshua Van Gorp, Men’s Basketball, Central College (Class of 2020)

A name often called on Saturday’s on 92.1 KRLS, Joshua Van Gorp continues to dominate the American Rivers Conference at Central College. Last winter, the now fifth-year senior won his second consecutive conference MVP award, and is off to another strong start this year. Van Gorp has started in 10 of 12 games for the Dutch this season, while recording a double-double in all 10 games. Josh is also first in the conference in rebounds per game (12.3) and field goal percentage (67.3%), and 2nd in points per game (23.7).

Eric Mulder, Men’s Basketball, Purdue University – Fort Wayne (Class of 2022)

Eric Mulder, the Eagles former high-flying big man, has carved out a starting role for the Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons. As a junior, Mulder has started and played in 14 of 15 games this year, making 79.7% of his shots while averaging 9.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 0.6 blocks per game.

Blake Veenstra, Track and Field, Iowa State University (Class of 2020)

Also competing at the Division I level, Blake Veenstra has found success in Ames on the Iowa State men’s track and field team. During the indoor season last year, Veenstra took eighth place in the shot put at the Big 12 Championships with a throw of 59’ 5.5”, an all-time best mark and the eighth-best indoor mark in Cyclones History. Moving to the outdoor shot put, Blake competed in the Drake Relays, took 12th in the Big 12 Championships (54’ 9.25”), and advanced to the NCAA West Prelims where he finished 46th (53’ 10.5”)

Levi Schelhaas, Track and Field, Dordt University (Class of 2022)

Former Eagles track and field sprinter Levi Schelhaas hasn’t slowed down since the transition to college, pouring in accolades during his sophomore year at Dordt University. Last spring, Schelhaas was an All-American and a Drake Relays and Nation Champion in the 4×400 relay, while also taking 10th in the 400m dash at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships. Additionally, Levi earned All-Conference honors in the 200m dash, 400m dash, and 4x100m relay.