THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Lake City High senior forward Camryn Wendlandt has plenty of goals.

Not just those on the soccer field, but a few that she gave up her summer vacation to make sure she could achieve.

WENDLANDT, A four-year varsity player for the Timberwolves, will begin her college education at San Diego State during the spring semester which begins in January, as she plans to graduate a semester early from Lake City.

“I took summer school last summer to make sure to get everything done on time,” Wendlandt said. “Which was hard because my friends would be going out and doing stuff, and I’d be spending three to four hours a day dedicated to schoolwork. It was completely worth it and I’m glad I did it. It made me feel really productive this summer.”

Wendlandt, who signed to play soccer for the NCAA Division I Aztecs over the summer, plans to major in marketing management with a minor in oceanography.

“I went to national DECA (a student club that helps prepare students to be college- and career-ready after graduation) with the class from Lake City last year and had a really good time with the marketing and sales of fashion apparel and sales,” Wendlandt said. “And I really liked being in that kind of atmosphere and being around the business field. With oceanography, I’m doing my senior project on ocean pollution and how we can fix the damage we’ve done and prevent future pollution.”

“She’s a great kid,” said Lake City High girls soccer coach Matt Ruchti, who has coached Wendlandt all four years. “We’ve had a lot of players come through this program and a long tradition of them playing at the next level. But I don’t know if I’ve had a player that has gone through the development process like Camryn has. Coming in as a freshman, to being where she is now on the varsity, it just goes to show the sky’s the limit for her at the next level. We talked about her graduating early some time ago, and it being a good idea for the things that she wants to do. She wants to take the student approach early and get the academics put away and be in the process already before she needs to get acclimated into the student-athlete lifestyle. And she’ll do that. She’s a great student and she’s turned into a phenomenal player. And I just think it’s great for her.”

Wendlandt’s top three schools came down to San Diego State, UCLA and Texas.

“I really enjoy the weather in San Diego,” Wendlandt said. “The coaches are really easy to work with and flexible with school. I like their coaching style and it’s just a really good atmosphere. They’ve got a nice campus. Everyone is really friendly and the sun is shining all the time. It just seemed like a good place to go.”

WENDLANDT WAS born in Austin, Texas, and still has family in the area.

“I started playing soccer at some camps in Texas before moving here when I was seven,” Wendlandt said. “It would have been cool to have a lot of family and friends at games, but I think San Diego State will be a good place to be and it will be a good, new experience. And I can’t wait for that. I had my heart set on UCLA, but decided it wasn’t the best fit for me.”

During her time at Lake City — she was a freshman on the Timberwolves’ first state 5A title team, in 2012 — Wendlandt also competed in track and played basketball, but was set on playing soccer at the next level.

“I’ve just always loved soccer,” Wendlandt said. “I can’t imagine a day without it, whether it’s watching, playing or talking about it. I just really have a passion for it that I didn’t have for basketball. I think my most successful sport would have been soccer, so I just stuck with it. I did enjoy track and loved doing it.”

Lake City (12-0-2) opens the state 5A tournament on Thursday against Rocky Mountain High of Meridian at 10:30 a.m. PDT at Meridian High.

“We’re excited to get going,” Wendlandt said. “There’s a lot of good teams from southern Idaho and it’s some competition that we don’t always get up here. We play good teams up here, but the teams down there are a little better. But we’re ready to face those teams and get a good result out of this weekend.”

“Her consistency has always been great,” Ruchti said. “Nobody works harder that she does on the field. We end our training at 4:30 p.m. each day on the dot, and her dedication has been great. Her encouragement to the younger players has been great. She’s always telling them to do the extra work and it will pay off, and the impact of that has been great. Through all the stages — recruiting, development and academic side — I don’t know that anyone has done it as well as she has. She’s done her homework and done a great job of listening to those people around her and achieving everything that she deserves.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.