Heading into her final season playing softball at Illinois Wesleyan, senior Alyssa Vorel (Homer Glen, Ill., Lockport HS) had a 24-7 career record in the circle. She also ranked No. 7 in career strikeouts, lowest opponent batting average and earned run average and was No. 9 in shutouts.
She was a second team all-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin selection as a junior and was named CCIW "Pitcher of the Week" in March 2011 after tossing five-inning no-hitter vs. Kean on spring trip.
A biology major at Illinois Wesleyan, she is the daughter of Paul and Sue Vorel and her twin sister, Lauren, previously played softball at IWU.
Why you chose Illinois Wesleyan: Wesleyan has the perfect combination of strong academics and athletics, plus I look great in green.
IWU class you’re most qualified to teach: If I had to pick one, I’d say Ecology. I actually was a TA for the lab.
The hardest challenge about being a Division III student-athlete is: Balancing my biology classes with practice and games. I’ve been known to bring notecards to away games in my travel suit.
Worst grade in a class you ever got – what and when? Gen bio freshman year... my grades got worse with every test.
I’m deathly afraid of ... : 70 second drills. It was the absolute worst conditioning drill I have ever done, but I won’t go into details because I don’t want to give my coaches any ideas.
Worst habit: Not getting enough sleep.
Most expensive traffic ticket: $120 for speeding on Main St. on my way home from Denny’s ... the pancakes must have gotten to me.
Language I’d like to learn: I tested out of Spanish here at Wesleyan, but I’d like to be fluent in it.
The longest I could survive without my cell phone: A week or so
One word your mother or father would use to describe you: After many different ideas, my mom finally landed on “awesome.”
Favorite sports figure: Mark Buehrle
My greatest moment in sports was: Throwing a no-hitter in Florida my sophomore year
The best player I ever faced was: Probably Michelle Batts, she played for Northwestern University
Worst dresser on my team: That’s probably me. I can’t even remember the last time I wore jeans to class.
Thing that’s been in my fridge the longest: I’m pretty sure there’s ketchup in our fridge from the first day we moved in, I don’t think its even been opened.
Person I’m dying to have dinner with: Ryan Gosling
Favorite food: Nerd Ropes
Vegetable I won’t eat: Asparagus
Pepsi or Coke? Coke
Favorite TV show: "Parks and Recreation", "Friday Night Lights", "Grey’s Anatomy"
Favorite musical group: Backstreet Boys, anything country
Favorite movie: The sixth Harry Potter movie
If a movie were made of my life, I would like the following person to play me: Emma Stone
If my life were on TV as a reality show, I’d call it: “True life: I run faster backwards than forwards”.... That’s my only interesting quality, and its still not that interesting. I probably shouldn’t have a TV show.
The person in history I would most like to meet is: Blackbeard, I think it’d be awesome to have a pirate friend
My dream job would be: Working at a hospital in a big city as a physician assistant
Place I’d most like to live: Colorado, I feel like I’d be a decent skiier
Two things that are tops on my “bucket list”: 1) Take a tour of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and 2) learn how to speed skate
My possession that would fetch the most on eBay: All of the pots I made in ceramics, my artwork is priceless.
Who is the luckiest person in the world? ME!
What I miss most about being in the third grade: All the candy I was given for good grades. And crazy bones.
