Elle Roth

The Ivy League is the most honorable league in American history, known for its glimmering campuses, century-long traditions, and rigorous academics. Every year these institutions turn away thousands of hopeful scholars who simply do not meet the standards.
However, Papillion La Vista’s own Avery Wolfe committed to Cornell University to continue her academic and athletic career. Wolfe is the first Monarch softball player to commit to an Ivy League University, after not knowing if she would even continue to play in college.
“Two days after I had told my coach that ‘I think this is going to be it for me after my senior year of high school softball,’ the Cornell coach had literally sent me a text and was like ‘we’ve watched you play a couple times now and we would love to hop on a call with you, and like talk to you because we are super interested in you,’” Wolfe said. “I was like ‘oh my gosh, what is happening with my life right now?’”
During the summer of 2024, Wolfe kept in contact with the Cornell coaches. She eventually travelled to campus in Ithaca, NY for her unofficial visit, and then went through a pre-read process which determined if she would be admitted to Cornell.
“Once that pre-read came back it was highly likely that I would get in, um, that’s when I committed,” Wolfe said. “So, it all happened really fast, but I don’t think that I would’ve wanted it another way.”
After announcing her commitment, Wolfe’s high school and club teammates felt ecstatic for her.
“When she committed to Cornell I was really excited for her, and that she is going there for academics ‘cause as we know that’s an Ivy League school and that’s a hard thing to do,” senior pitcher Amanda Gibilisco said. “…to get to play softball on top of that is just a great accomplishment.”
Wolfe not only excels on the softball field, but also in the classroom. She understands that in order to have success at Cornell, she’ll need to continue to do well academically.
“Even though there are days that I’m so tired from a hard practice or a long weekend of games, I know that when I come to school my main focus should be what I’m learning and how I’m preparing for those things,” Wolfe said.
Wolfe’s historic commitment not only cemented herself in Monarch history, but also set a precedent for the upcoming softball players to dream big.
“I think Avery’s commitment to an Ivy League school shows these kids you know if they’re willing to work hard in the classroom and on the softball field, those two things combined, you can go a lot of places, you can go to some really cool places, and go to school and learn at a really high academic place like Cornell,” longtime varsity assistant coach Clint Hoelscher said.
When Wolfe eventually sets off for campus next fall, she’s looking forward to carrying on PLHS’s mantra of ‘tradition of excellence’ in all her endeavors.
“I feel like with my time at Papio and at Monarch High, that mantra of ‘tradition of excellence’ has really been embedded into my mindset with everything…It’s nice to know that things like that are sticking around with me; they’re not just going to go away when I move you know,” Wolfe said.
With her glorified career as a Monarch coming to a close, there’s no doubt that Wolfe is ready to join the rich and honorable history of the Ivy League.