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Three-sport standout will leave behind prep sports for challenge in college

Catonsville High's Maja Wichhart was the leading hitter on the volleyball team for two seasons and was selected along with classmate Lauren McDonald as the Catonsville Times co-Athlete of the Year. (File photo/2014)

In Maja Wichhart's four years of varsity basketball for Catonsville High, the Comets went 81-18.

For the final two seasons of volleyball, she was the team's leading hitter in kills.

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On the track team, she captured four straight individual titles in the triple jump at the Baltimore County outdoor track and field championships.

But, when she heads off to college at the University of Colorado Boulder later this summer, she won't be doing either of those sports and most likely not competing in triple jump.

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Instead, the 2015 Catonsville Times co-Athlete of the Year with Lauren McDonald, will compete in the heptathlon — a grueling two days of events that includes the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter run, long jump, javelin throw and 800 meters.

The heptathlon is not an event in Maryland state track meets, but that didn't stop Wichhart from working overtime in the summer to improve in those events and that earned her a collegiate scholarship.

In the summer of 2014, Wichhart took second in the heptathlon in a regional meet in North Carolina and was sixth in the under-17 age group at the USA Track and Field National Junior Olympics in Humble, Texas.

But last fall, Wichhart was back on the volleyball court as an outside hitter and coach Amanda Kaufman saw a determined player from the start

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"This year was the game-changer, she decided that she loved it and if she would have played club for three or four years she could have played Division I volleyball," Kaufman said. "This past year, it finally clicked. She came into her senior year a different person. I don't know what happened."

That was no coincidence because volleyball was her passion.

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"Freshman year, I loved volleyball and I still love volleyball," Wichhart said. "It's my favorite sport and was definitely thinking about playing club because I really love volleyball."

The team also came together as the season unfolded.

"My favorite volleyball team was definitely this year," Wichhart said. "We had a little trouble at first, but we all got along really well, we were all close and we had a lot of fun as well."

Kaufman agreed.

"There wasn't very much drama on the team, they all got along and you can't coach that to happen," she said.

As a three-year varsity player, Wichhart was instrumental in keeping the team together.

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"Absolutely," Kaufman said. "Losing her is huge."

Losing the 5-foot-10 power forward on the basketball court will also be a big loss for Catonsville coach Mike Mohler, who praised Wichhart along with co-athlete of the year McDonald.

"Those two are great kids. They are phenomenal kids," Mohler said.

Wichhart, whose twin brother Musa also played basketball at Catonsville, could possibly have had a collegiate future in basketball.

"Maja has great athleticism and just being an overall good athlete, she obviously ended up concentrating in track, but she would have been good at any sport if she took it on full time," Mohler said.

During her senior season the Comets went 20-6 and lost in the regional championship game to Paint Branch for the second year in a row.

Wichhart averaged seven points and four rebounds a game. She also had 29 steals and 16 deflections.

Of the five players who shot over 40 free throws, Wichhart had the highest percentage (58 percent).

"Maja was probably playing out of position by necessity, but she filled a need more than adequately," Mohler said. "She had really, really good hands and a real knack for anticipation."

Wichhart recalled an upset victory over Western during her junior year as one of her most memorable moments.

"I think it was a close game and Lauren McDonald got a charge towards the end of the game and it really hyped everybody up," she recalled.

The year before that was one she cherished the most.

"My favorite season as far as basketball was when I was a sophomore because we had Maddie Hunt and Deb Milani," she said. "We had a really versatile team and we really had a lot of fun that year."

Milani and Hunt were Catonsville Times co-athletes of the year in 2013.

Milani has since won two national championships playing lacrosse for the University of Maryland.

Hunt finished her sophomore year playing lacrosse at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where Wichhart will attend.

"That's kind of funny," Wichhart said. "What are the odds of two [from Catonsville High] going to Colorado."

Wichhart concluded her prep track career at the Maryland state 4A track championships with two personal best performances in long jump (18-feet, 1.50 inches) and triple jump (38-feet, 2.50 inches).

She placed second in triple jump and third in long jump after winning both of those events at the Class 4A North Region meet.

In the 100-meter hurdles she was fifth at the state meet (15.38).

She recalled her emotions while competing in her final high school meet.

"It's was kind of heard to believe it was over because it went by so quickly," she said. "I remember my freshman year at states like it was yesterday. "It just felt kind of weird because I was like I'm never going to be back here again, but it was also exciting because of what's coming up next. I have a lot of mixed feelings about it."

After taking the month of June off from competition and serious training, she will increase her workouts in July.

"I feel like track is the most physically draining sport," Wichhart said.

It won't get any easier in Colorado.

"I don't even want to imagine what we will have to do in college," she said.

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