Oswego East Student Athlete of the Week-Ben Jorgensen

The Oswego East boys’ volleyball team does not have a rich tradition of winning. At the start of the 2017 season, the program, and the varsity team in particular, had never had a season in which they finished over .500. Overcoming a history wrought in disappointment can often be more challenging than continuing on a legacy of success, as complacency and doubt begin to creep into the minds of players. But 2017 marked the beginning of a new era for the Wolves, as they were able to put together the first winning season in school history with a record of 20-15. No one player bears the sole responsibility for helping the program turn the corner, but junior Ben Jorgensen is one of the many whose efforts and work ethic are responsible for this season’s success, which is why he is this week’s Oswego East student athlete of the week.

Second year head coach, Brian Zerfas, understands the kind of hard work and dedication from everyone to achieve the success of this year’s team. “What made this [season] so successful for us was how much work the guys put in during the off-season,” says Brian. He goes on to add, “Their dedication to improving themselves both in club and in the weight room truly paid off.”

Ben is one of the many players who understood what type of dedication it truly takes to compete at a high level. Having only began playing the sport competitively as a freshman, Ben has bought into everything it takes to be successful. Ben’s mother, Rhonda Jorgensen, has witnessed not only her son help the program, but how much volleyball has helped Ben personally. “We (Rhonda and Jay Jorgensen) are proud he decided to play volleyball and challenge himself,” she continues by saying, “[Ben] has worked hard to improve his skills through club and with his OE team, and he has become more confident in himself and his leadership ability.”

Ben is asked to play the most unique position on the floor, the libero spot. As someone who is tasked as a defensive specialist and set-up artist, Ben works tirelessly to ensure his teammates are put in positions to be successful. Ben’s statistics speak for themselves as he finished the season with 25 aces, 62 assists, and 332 digs, the latter of which shattered the previous school record by more than doubling it.

In regards to Ben’s position and play, Brian says, “Ben plays a very selfless position. There is not necessarily the glory of getting a big kill or stuff a block when you’re a libero. Ben is able to set a strong tone for the team with big passes and defensive digs, and when he is hot he is not just getting balls up, but he serves as a catalyst for big plays for everyone on the team.”

Ben’s statistics as a volleyball player pale in comparison to those as a student. He currently ranks in the top 20% of the junior class with a 3.88 G.P.A., a grade point average earned through a rigorous course load, enrolling and excelling in challenging courses such as advanced placement (AP) Human Geography, AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP Environmental Science, and AP U.S. History. He also earned a score of 1240 on the SAT, putting him in a position to have plenty of options when it comes to his post secondary life.

Business classes is where Ben has really pushed himself, taking a wide array of classes East has to offer such as Fundamentals of Business, Marketing 1, and Entertainment and Sports Marketing. His Sports Marketing teacher, John Miller, has seen the same characteristics in Ben as his coaches and parents. “Ben is a great student,” he goes on to say, “His best attribute is his enthusiasm that he puts into his work in Entertainment and Sports Marketing.”

For his future, Ben is considering attending Iowa University or DePaul University, and majoring in business. Having taken advantage of the course catalog at OE, Ben has a head start in being successful in his future major, something John believes as well. “I do see Ben succeeding in business. He enjoys marketing and finding something that one enjoys and being good at is hard sometimes.”

Ben’s success, and that of the volleyball teams, seems to be running a similar upwards course, and big things are expected of both next year, and season. With only one year left in high school, Ben will be returning as one of the top libero’s in the conference, and will no doubt continue pushing himself in the classroom. For those current 8th graders who will soon share the hallways with Ben, he says, “Stay on top of your work because you don’t want to struggle and get behind.” We wish Ben and all of our East students and athletes, the best of luck in their futures.