Playing the sport that you love, in front of a roaring crowd, for the school of your dreams;  for many athletes, it couldn’t get better than that and as college application season rolls through, several WS seniors are closer than ever to achieving  that dream.

Committing to play a collegiate sport can be a double-edged sword.  On one hand, it can simplify the application process, almost guaranteeing where the athlete is going to go to school, but on the other, it can just compound the stress that seniors are already under.

“The application process is so stressful, and committing to school lifts all of that from your chest,” said senior Matt Meinhofer. “Baseball in college has always been my dream, and committing to play is almost unbelievable.”

Meinhofer has his schools narrowed down to Catholic University or Sheppard University. For him, where he can play baseball determines where he’s going to go.

“In all honesty, I wouldn’t even look at Sheppard if it wasn’t for baseball.  Catholic is really where I want to go.  I can play ball, and they have a great business program,” said Meinhofer.

Meinhofer’s situation is one experienced by many seniors this year.  They have an idea of where they want to go, but aren’t sure until they know if they’re going to play sports.  Senior Clement Calderón is currently torn between Bridgewater and West Point.

“I would absolutely love to play football in college.  Your high school career is over so fast; it feels like I was a freshman just last year.  So committing is just another four years to play the sport I love,” said Calderon.  He shares the opinion that committing would make life much easier, but with different sports come different recruiting processes.

“Especially for West Point, because it’s a military academy, you don’t really know if you’re going to be on the team until you’re accepted.  But even if I don’t get recruited, I plan on walking on. Football is just too important to me,” said Calderon.

Not all of it is stress and troubles.  Some seniors are both fortunate and athletically talented enough to commit extremely early.  Tina Nagel, for example, has been committed to Jacksonville for almost a year to play lacrosse.

“It feels amazing that I have already committed.  I love my team, and the school is a fantastic fit for me. Plus, I don’t have to worry if I’m going to get accepted or not,” said Nagel.

Senior year certainly is not a year free of stress. Grades, applications, social interactions, and family leave little time to sit back and relax.  But for those who are fortunate enough to pursue their passion later in college, there’s nothing more satisfying than putting pen to paper come National Signing Day.

“All of the blood, sweat, and tears over the past 10 years are finally going to pay off,” said Nagel. “Nothing can compare to the feeling of signing. It’ll be a day that I will never forget.”