Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Mariah Myers of St. Edmond, the 2023-24 Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota Messenger Female Athlete of the Year, holds her trophy Monday after being presented by Matt Johnson, Ford dealer and director of Happiness at Fort Dodge. Pictured with Myers are Johnson and his wife, Abigail, their children, Isabella and Max, and Fort Dodge Messenger Sports Editor Eric Pratt.
When St. Edmond softball coach Bill Shirbroun was asked a seemingly obvious question about standout junior Mariah Myers, he responded with an unlikely answer.
Sure, signing a player of Myers’ caliber has only strengthened the Gaels on the field, but it’s the intangibles that Shirbroun most appreciated about Myers during her first year at St. Edmond.
Myers, a rising Gael senior and softball player at the University of Iowa, was named the 2024 Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota Messenger Area Female Athlete of the Year. She was presented with her award Monday at the Fort Dodge Ford office by Matt Johnson, dealer and director of satisfaction, with her family in attendance.
“Mariah simply makes your entire program better,” Shirbroun said: “She has this quality about her that everyone responds to positively. She’s an exceptional athlete but an even better person and as a teammate you just want to try and give it your all because you know that’s what she’s doing.”
“Having Mariah in our program makes us so much better both on and off the field. She is the definition of a true leader.”
Myers played an award-winning season for the Gaels on the field last summer, helping them to a North Central Conference victory, a Class 1A regional title and a fourth-place finish at the state championships.
As an individual, she was unanimously named All-League, All-District and All-State after posting a .623 batting average with 14 home runs, 13 doubles, 44 runs scored, 35 RBIs and 23 steals. She had a 1.449 slugging percentage and a .732 on-base percentage with a .939 fielding percentage.
Myers led the state in on-base and slugging, was third in batting average and fourth in home runs, and didn’t strike out once.
Shirbroun knew Myers long before she reached high school. He was her coach from a young age and has also worked with her father, Bill Myers, who is currently an assistant at St. Edmond.
“It helped me a lot that I knew (Coach Shirbroun) and many of the girls (before I arrived at St. Edmond),” Myers said, “I played with a lot of them when I was younger (at Freedom Fastpitch), so I felt like we never missed a beat, and that made the transition very easy.”
“Bill was also my very first softball coach, so it wasn’t a big adjustment period for me.”
Myers played for Fort Dodge Senior High as an eighth-grader and freshman, earning all-state status and helping the Dodgers to a Class 5A state title and a second-place finish. Before her sophomore season, she decided not to play at the high school level and instead focused on Iowa Premier.
“When I decided not to play in high school anymore (in 2023), I had no plans to play again (at the prep level),” Myers said, “Playing high school softball in Iowa is one of the most fun things to do, especially when the state championship is at home. I’m very happy with the decisions my family and I have made.”
“Being able to play in front of my family and friends is the best. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Plus, I get to represent my town and my school. That’s exciting and important to me. I get to guide girls who want to learn and be a role model for young kids. That’s one of my favorite parts.”
Additionally, Myers will have a unique opportunity next summer as her sister Nana joins the Gael softball program.
“I’m so looking forward to my senior year,” said Myers. “My sister will be in eighth grade, so I’ll get a chance to be on the same team as her. That doesn’t happen often.”
Myers placed second in the 1A shot put at the state track and field championships last spring and also qualified in the discus. She also competed in the Drake Relays in the discus.
