Stanton signs with Nebraska Wesleyan

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Editor
 
Tiernan Stanton made it official on Dec. 13, when she signed on the dotted line to become a Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolf volleyball player.
“I’ve been around volleyball since I came out of the womb, and was in the gym even before with my mom being a coach,” Stanton said, laughing. “I’ve known I wanted to play college volleyball since middle school, because I have a strong love for the game and I’m not ready to be done with it.”
Anyone who has watched the 6-foot, 2-inch middle hitter/blocker play could see that she has a natural affinity for the game and the physical build to go along with that talent, so it should come as no surprise that Stanton chose volleyball for her collegiate sport.
Stanton ended her high school career being named to the 3A East All-Conference team in both her junior and senior years, and was named to the 3A All-State team in 2022.
Volleyball is not all that Stanton is interested in as she goes on to post-secondary education, however. With plans to attend medical school, she was also looking for schools with strong pre-med programs, and took the selection of her school very seriously.
“I talked to a lot of schools and narrowed it down to six or seven, and that’s when I started to make visits,” she explained. “I went to Pennsylvania and Maine, and had a bunch of Zoom calls where I went on virtual tours with other schools.” 
From there, she narrowed it down to her top three choices, which were Carroll College in Helena, Mont., Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., and Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln, Neb.
“Carroll College has a really great acceptance rate for med school, and I got to practice with the team, which was great, and they would offer me athletic money as well,” Stanton said. “Plus I have family nearby, but not too close.”
“Rocky Mountain has a small campus and I also have family there so I could save on room and board,” she continued. “They have a strong volleyball program and also a good pre-med program.”
Ultimately, it would be Nebraska Wesleyan, a Division III school, which won Stanton’s heart.
“Nebraska Wesleyan is also small, which I like, and the coach and I have a good relationship,” she said. “They have 15-20 students who apply to med school each year and of those, 85% get accepted so that is great, and they also have a really great volleyball program.”
The volleyball program also holds their athletes to very high standards as evidenced by the team being named as Athletic All-Americans, and when anyone thinks Nebraska, they think volleyball. Though Wesleyan is not THE Nebraska volleyball powerhouse, the state has a strong tradition in the sport.
As an added bonus, Wesleyan also offered Stanton a spot on the track team so she will have the rare opportunity to be participating in two sports while in college.
Nebraska Wesleyan will hold camps throughout the summer, which Stanton has been invited to attend, and she will head down the beginning of August to start preseason.
“I just feel really good about my decision, and I’m so excited and I can’t wait,” Stanton said.