Roo Senior Spotlight: J’aime Bellingham and McCain Schellhardt
4/7/2020 7:00:00 AM | General, Men's Golf, Women's Golf
J'aime Bellingham is a senior women's golfer at Kansas City. She claimed the lowest round of any Roo this past year with an even-par 72 at the Little Rock Golf Classic in late October. Additionally, she had the second-lowest stroke average (77.1) on the team through 18 rounds this season.
1. Tell us the story behind what made you decide to become a Kansas City Roo.
I decided to become a Roo because I wanted to play DI golf. I chose Kansas City over other schools because the courses we get to play and practice on are amazing and have great facilities.
2. What is your best memory from your time as a student-athlete attending Kansas City?
My best memory of being a student-athlete at Kansas City is the tournament that we played in Mexico. It was easily one of the best weeks of my life. The golf course was nice, but the memories that we made off the course were better.
3. Do you have any advice for your younger teammates or recruits that are looking at coming to KC?
The advice I would give to my younger teammates was actually advice I was given at the end of my sophomore year. It is that in a few years, you won't remember all of the shots that you hit or all of the rounds that you played, but you will remember all of the fun that you had with your teammates off the course.
4. What are your plans after you graduate/leave KC?
After I graduate from UMKC, I would like to use my extra year of eligibility to play somewhere or be a graduate assistant. No matter what, I be will be going to graduate school somewhere.
5. Where is your favorite place to eat in Kansas City? What do you get there?
My favorite place to eat in Kansas City is Q39. It's my favorite Kansas City BBQ joint. Whenever we go there, I have always had a shareable plate with someone so that we all get some of everything that is offered.
6. What is one unique/special talent you have that no one knows about except maybe your family?
One special skill that I have is that I am a certified scuba diver. I like to dive for shellfish and look at the different types of fish. The coolest things I have seen are sharks and stingrays.
What head coach Brianna Portmann has to say about J'aime:
J'aime and her playing experience immediately made an impact on our program. She has always been that player we could count on when we needed a player to step-up and perform or that player we could count on to set an example for others. I'll be watching to see what her next adventure has in store for her.
McCain Schellhardt is a senior golfer at Kansas City. His 73.1 stroke average was second-lowest on the team this past year, and also ninth best in the conference. He was honored as the 2019 WAC Golfer of the Year, helping the Roos win their second-straight conference championship.
1. Tell us the story behind what made you decide to become a Kansas City Roo.
Leading into my junior year of high school, I started playing golf at a higher level. My intentions were to play Division I golf after high school and I was beginning to be looked at by a few schools. One of my high school teammates, who was a couple years older than me, took me under his wing and helped me with the whole recruiting process. Although he ended up playing at Wichita State, he was recruited by coach (J.W.) VanDenBorn and spoke highly of him. I went on both an unofficial visit during the summer and an official visit the fall of my senior year to UMKC. Kansas City was a beautiful city and I really enjoyed both my visits. I wanted to pursue a business degree and attending such an accredited Bloch School of Business was a big factor. Also, the golf team had great facilities to both play and practice, and their schedule was competitive year-after-year. I also knew that Kansas City could be a place I could start playing in tournaments right when I got to campus, so those things were the biggest factors to me becoming a KC Roo.
2. What is your best memory from your time as a student-athlete attending Kansas City?
My best experiences as a student-athlete were all the tournaments we participated in. Like I mentioned, we played a competitive schedule against some of the best teams and players from around the country. Also, playing in conference championships is like nothing I had experienced before. Our team won back-to-back conference championships in 2018 and 2019. The way that those teams had to battle through adversity are some of my favorite moments I will never forget.
3. Do you have any advice for your younger teammates or recruits that are looking at coming to KC?
I would say to really enjoy and cherish every opportunity to compete and practice. Although there will be tough events or games, it's really important to live in the moment while at UMKC. It does go by very quickly and it is easy to take for granted all the many blessings that collegiate sports can offer.
4. What are your plans after you graduate/leave KC?
I am not 100% sure what I will be doing after graduating from college. I am graduating in May with a Business Management degree and then I am getting married in June. I have considered pursuing an MBA after my undergrad but things are uncertain past that.
5. Where is your favorite place to eat in Kansas City? What do you get there?
I would say my favorite place to eat in Kansas City is HopCat located in Westport. I have fond memories of going there with teammates and my parents when they would visit. They have an upstairs balcony that is always fun to go to when it is warm outside. They have many different American-food options but I usually get the pulled pork burger because I love burgers and pulled pork is one of my favorite barbecue foods.
6. What is one unique/special talent you have that no one knows about except maybe your family?
One of the things that makes me unique is I can dunk a basketball. I played basketball all growing up but stopped playing my freshman year of high school to pursue golf. I was a junior in high school when I first dunked and I can still to this day.
What head coach J.W. VanDenBorn has to say about McCain:
McCain has been a joy to coach. He has his own unique personality and he is one of the truest people you will ever engage with. He has been the unspoken leader of our team mentally, physically and spiritually. McCain took a leadership role on and off the course early in his time here in Kansas City and never looked back. A perennial all-league selection, an individual conference title, WAC Player of the Year honor and two team titles in three years of work is an impressive list of accomplishments. He is respected even greater off the course which tells you all you need to know about McCain.
1. Tell us the story behind what made you decide to become a Kansas City Roo.
I decided to become a Roo because I wanted to play DI golf. I chose Kansas City over other schools because the courses we get to play and practice on are amazing and have great facilities.
2. What is your best memory from your time as a student-athlete attending Kansas City?
My best memory of being a student-athlete at Kansas City is the tournament that we played in Mexico. It was easily one of the best weeks of my life. The golf course was nice, but the memories that we made off the course were better.
3. Do you have any advice for your younger teammates or recruits that are looking at coming to KC?
The advice I would give to my younger teammates was actually advice I was given at the end of my sophomore year. It is that in a few years, you won't remember all of the shots that you hit or all of the rounds that you played, but you will remember all of the fun that you had with your teammates off the course.
4. What are your plans after you graduate/leave KC?
After I graduate from UMKC, I would like to use my extra year of eligibility to play somewhere or be a graduate assistant. No matter what, I be will be going to graduate school somewhere.
5. Where is your favorite place to eat in Kansas City? What do you get there?
My favorite place to eat in Kansas City is Q39. It's my favorite Kansas City BBQ joint. Whenever we go there, I have always had a shareable plate with someone so that we all get some of everything that is offered.
6. What is one unique/special talent you have that no one knows about except maybe your family?
One special skill that I have is that I am a certified scuba diver. I like to dive for shellfish and look at the different types of fish. The coolest things I have seen are sharks and stingrays.
What head coach Brianna Portmann has to say about J'aime:
J'aime and her playing experience immediately made an impact on our program. She has always been that player we could count on when we needed a player to step-up and perform or that player we could count on to set an example for others. I'll be watching to see what her next adventure has in store for her.
McCain Schellhardt is a senior golfer at Kansas City. His 73.1 stroke average was second-lowest on the team this past year, and also ninth best in the conference. He was honored as the 2019 WAC Golfer of the Year, helping the Roos win their second-straight conference championship.
1. Tell us the story behind what made you decide to become a Kansas City Roo.
Leading into my junior year of high school, I started playing golf at a higher level. My intentions were to play Division I golf after high school and I was beginning to be looked at by a few schools. One of my high school teammates, who was a couple years older than me, took me under his wing and helped me with the whole recruiting process. Although he ended up playing at Wichita State, he was recruited by coach (J.W.) VanDenBorn and spoke highly of him. I went on both an unofficial visit during the summer and an official visit the fall of my senior year to UMKC. Kansas City was a beautiful city and I really enjoyed both my visits. I wanted to pursue a business degree and attending such an accredited Bloch School of Business was a big factor. Also, the golf team had great facilities to both play and practice, and their schedule was competitive year-after-year. I also knew that Kansas City could be a place I could start playing in tournaments right when I got to campus, so those things were the biggest factors to me becoming a KC Roo.
2. What is your best memory from your time as a student-athlete attending Kansas City?
My best experiences as a student-athlete were all the tournaments we participated in. Like I mentioned, we played a competitive schedule against some of the best teams and players from around the country. Also, playing in conference championships is like nothing I had experienced before. Our team won back-to-back conference championships in 2018 and 2019. The way that those teams had to battle through adversity are some of my favorite moments I will never forget.
3. Do you have any advice for your younger teammates or recruits that are looking at coming to KC?
I would say to really enjoy and cherish every opportunity to compete and practice. Although there will be tough events or games, it's really important to live in the moment while at UMKC. It does go by very quickly and it is easy to take for granted all the many blessings that collegiate sports can offer.
4. What are your plans after you graduate/leave KC?
I am not 100% sure what I will be doing after graduating from college. I am graduating in May with a Business Management degree and then I am getting married in June. I have considered pursuing an MBA after my undergrad but things are uncertain past that.
5. Where is your favorite place to eat in Kansas City? What do you get there?
I would say my favorite place to eat in Kansas City is HopCat located in Westport. I have fond memories of going there with teammates and my parents when they would visit. They have an upstairs balcony that is always fun to go to when it is warm outside. They have many different American-food options but I usually get the pulled pork burger because I love burgers and pulled pork is one of my favorite barbecue foods.
6. What is one unique/special talent you have that no one knows about except maybe your family?
One of the things that makes me unique is I can dunk a basketball. I played basketball all growing up but stopped playing my freshman year of high school to pursue golf. I was a junior in high school when I first dunked and I can still to this day.
What head coach J.W. VanDenBorn has to say about McCain:
McCain has been a joy to coach. He has his own unique personality and he is one of the truest people you will ever engage with. He has been the unspoken leader of our team mentally, physically and spiritually. McCain took a leadership role on and off the course early in his time here in Kansas City and never looked back. A perennial all-league selection, an individual conference title, WAC Player of the Year honor and two team titles in three years of work is an impressive list of accomplishments. He is respected even greater off the course which tells you all you need to know about McCain.
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