Ellie Stearns of Andover Central was chosen as the Shelter Insurance Athlete of the Month for March. Stearns plays basketball for the Jaguars.

“It is an honor to be chosen and recognized by Shelter as one of the athletes in the Andover district and to represent Andover Central High School,” Stearns said.

With the graduation of two key seniors off last season’s team, that was the Class 5A runner-up; there was a learning curve with this year’s Central team.

“We have continued to learn and improve throughout the season and I am excited to see how the end will play out,” Stearns said.

Being teammates with fellow Shelter Insurance Athletes Brittany Harshaw and Kellyn Rogers since kindergarten has allowed the three players to develop a special chemistry on the court.

“Brittany, Kellyn, and I have played together since a very young age,” Stearns said. “This has allowed us to really build chemistry within our team throughout the years. We understand each other and have adapted to each other’s styles of play.”

Outside of basketball, Stearns also played volleyball for Andover Central. Next year, she is going to Fort Hays State to play basketball and plans to study nursing.