Waukon High School hosts Signing Day event; Five senior student-athletes commit their talents to the next level, each with different sports and schools

The Waukon High School gymnasium was filled with family, friends, coaches and administrators Wednesday, March 13 to witness and be part of the commitments made by five of the school’s senior student-athletes to the respective colleges and universities they have chosen to share their athletic talents with while furthering their education. Ranging from the ball diamond, to the court, to the mat and the track and field, three young ladies and a pair of young men each signed letters of commitment to their respective next-level programs during that early Wednesday morning ceremony.
Kaitlyn Krambeer, daughter of Brad and Becky Krambeer, will be playing softball at Luther College in Decorah. “I knew as soon as I stepped on campus that (Luther) was the right place,” Krambeer said. “I really like the team environment, and their coaching staff is awesome. Head coach Renae Hartl is incredible.”

Krambeer said she’s signing on with the Norse as a utility player but hopes to work her way consistently into the catcher position that she’s headlined pretty much all of her high school career for the Indians. She plans to study Biology during her Luther tenure with plans to further pursue an academic and career path in Veterinary Medicine.

Gabe Weighner, son of Steve and Brooke Weighner, committed his pitching skills to the Marshalltown Community College baseball program. “I felt like it was a good fit for me,” Weighner said. “I’ve had some former teammates play down there, (2023 Waukon High School graduate) Carter Schellsmidt is playing down there right now. I really liked the campus, and felt comfortable right away down there.”

Weighner says he plans to add his abilities to the Marshalltown pitching staff, a position he said he loves in a game he loves. He noted that his path of academic pursuit hasn’t been completely sorted out yet, but he said that after his two years of eligibility are complete at Marshalltown that he intends to transfer to a college or university to finish out a four-year degree and hopefully continue playing baseball as well.

Breckan Stewart, the daughter of Chris and Tracy Stewart, signed her basketball talents on with Clarke University in Dubuque. “I really like the campus and the community, and they have an amazing nursing program and great basketball program (playing to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics [NAIA] National Championship last season),” she said of her choice, both academically and athletically. “I’ve been talking mainly to their head coach, and they’ve got a strong upperclassman group so I hope to work my way into the varsity program, maybe more so in my sophomore year.”

Stewart says the Clarke style of play will offer her a variety of opportunities to contribute. “They play a five-out style that allows for players to be interchangeable, so I’ll get some opportunity to bring the ball up the floor, and they are a three-point shooting team, which I really like,” she said.

Isaac Ericson, the son of Dave and Joanne Ericson, has committed himself to be part of a beginning wrestling program at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo. “Hawkeye is in a really good area where I have a lot of family, so it feels really comfortable for me,” he said. “And their wrestling program is a first-year program, so I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to help provide a foundation that could grow into something great.”

Ericson said he plans to initially pursue an academic path in Hawkeye’s Sustainable Construction and Design program, with intentions of then furthering his career opportunities in the electrical field. Having wrestled mainly in the 285-pound weight class for the Indians as one of the lighter wrestlers at that high school weight, Ericson said the RedTail coaching staff has talked to him about wrestling in the 197-pound weight class, which he says he is much closer to than the weight class he wrestled in during high school.

Cameron Johnson, the daughter of Bob and Lori Johnson, will be competing for the Minnesota State University-Mankato women’s track and field team as a multi-even athlete. “I had initially heard about it from (Waukon High School 2022 graduate) Braxton Stewart (who currently competes as a heptathlon track and field athlete for the Mavericks),” Johnson said of her Minnesota State selection. “I love the big team atmosphere they have up there, and their track and field program is really good (recently finishing third in the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships).”

Johnson said she intends to be a multi-event competitor for the Mavericks in the pentathlon or heptathlon, having been a consistent State Meet qualifier in high jump, hurdle and sprint relay events for the Indians during her high school career. She said she plans to major in Biology on a Pre-Medicine path.