March 19, 2024

C-M’s Tjaden, Albright choose Buena Vista soccer

Colfax-Mingo seniors Jessica Albright and McKinzie Tjaden may be forever known as Tigerhawk track and field coach Zach Tomas’ first pair of four-time state qualifiers.

The senior duo ran together on a state-qualifying relay in each of their four seasons in track and field.

They also are pretty good at soccer, and that is where their passion is.

Because of that, both will be extending their soccer careers to the next level, and they will do it together at Buena Vista University.

“Jessica told me she was going to BV, and honestly, I wasn’t looking at that school at all,” Tjaden said. “But when I visited the campus, I fell in love. Jess probably doesn’t want to put up with me for four more years, but now she is stuck with me.”

Colfax-Mingo doesn’t have soccer programs. Prairie City-Monroe’s programs allows for athletes from Colfax-Mingo to play on the team though.

Tjaden played three seasons for PCM. Albright was part of the Mustang program for all four high school seasons.

Albright has played her entire senior season with a torn ACL. She will have surgery next month and will likely miss all of next year at Buena Vista.

She has three goals and two assists this season. Albright scored six goals and had five assists as a junior, four goals and six assists as a sophomore and four goals and four assists as a freshman.

“I really liked their coach. When I went to visit, I liked that it was a small school. It just fit,” Albright said of her decision to play for the Beavers.

Tjaden scored eight goals and had two assists as a freshman, did not play for PCM as a sophomore and led the Mustangs with 11 goals and four assists last year as a junior.

Tjaden switched from forward to midfielder this year and currently leads the team in assists with eight while also scoring five goals.

“It’s just such a nice little family atmosphere,” Tjaden said of the school. “Our admissions counselor even told us that she was going to come to one of our track meets. It got canceled so she didn’t come, but she still would have. And we aren’t even going there to run track.”

Tjaden said the Buena Vista coaching staff told her that she has a strong chance to play as a freshman. She will either play forward or midfielder on the left side.

Albright, who said the Tigerhawk duo just didn’t feel the need to do a big signing ceremony after their decision was made, plans to study athletic training and go into the physician’s assistant program.

Tjaden desires to be an elementary education teacher. She even wants to come back to her alma mater at Colfax-Mingo.

“I want to come back and teach at Colfax-Mingo. I would love that,” Tjaden said. “My mom has a business there and I lived there my whole life so I feel like I should.”