Unsigned Workout Starts “Elite” Weekend With Triple Crown

The buzz is real. Triple Crown NIT is back with the best of the best from around the country "Where The Elite Come To Compete" this Presidents Day Weekend. 

Before the official whistle starts play on Saturday morning at 7:30 AM, Triple Crown hosted their “Unsigned Workout” at the Bartle Convention Center Friday night. 

What is an “Unsigned Workout”? This is a showcase of athletes who are looking for their future home. This could mean a lot of various things depending where they are at in the recruiting process. 

For 2024s, this year's senior class, they are finishing up their recruiting process. The sand dial of time for these athletes might be starting to run out, but there are still coaches looking for 2024 seniors. Athletes get injured, transfer, change plans, as do coaches. Although cliche, its true when they say "Timing is everything".

For 2025s, this is a key year as many of these athletes will be talking with coaches of any level. Whether it's a showcase or tournament, it's a chance to show what they have in store for the next level. 

For the Class of 2026, they will be starting their recruiting journey by reaching out to coaches, attending camps and clinics, posting their highlight videos. However, they cannot officially start having coaches reach out to them until June 15 of this year. Per NCAA rules, college coaches must wait to contact a potential student athlete (PSA) after the completion of their sophomore year on June 15. 

Makenzie Sloan Makenzie Sloan 5'11" | MB Indianola | 2025 State IA , a 2025 middle out of Indianola, Iowa and Iowa PowerPlex said, “This is a great experience, a lot of fun to be able to play with girls who are raising your level of play who are from all over. I can learn from playing against these other players as well as the coaches on each court.” 

Munciana club director and coach, Mike Langenfelter, directed the showcase and spoke at the end of the sportsmanship and how everyone was part of making this a positive experience. 

Sloan said the same, “Everyone is supporting everyone here, we're all rooting for each other, and it's just a really fun environment to be part of.”

Dozens of college coaches were on hand to take in these position drills, getting a glimpse of what's in store for the weekend. 

Matt Ebenhoe, Associate Head Coach at Waldorf University, an NAIA school in Forest City, Iowa was on hand recruiting. This was his first taste of Triple Crown. 

The showcase prior to the tournament is a great way to see new athletes for the weekend for Coach Ebenhoe. 

“We are looking for the athletes who should be on our radar for the weekend, a great way to find new names. If we see them at a showcase like this we can look for them this weekend. We can also see how they work in a practice setting and eventually a match setting,” said Ebenhoe. 

Waldorf University will be moving into a new conference in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) for the 2025 season. The GPAC is one of the top volleyball conferences in NAIA with schools from Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota schools including 2023 national runner up Northwestern out of Orange City, IA. This is Ebenhoe's first time recruiting at Triple Crown and is looking forward to the high level of play. 

“It's exciting to see a high skill level of volleyball with top teams from all over the country. We are looking to push our program forward as we move into a new conference where we get to see athletes that would potentially take us to where we want to go.” 

Sloan and Ebenhoe will be ready to go Saturday as pool play begins for all age groups with championships wrapping up the event on Monday.