For many students, sports are a huge part of their high school experience. Every year, WS is fortunate to have multiple students commit to continue their athletic careers in college.
In early February, 10 WS seniors participated in signing day including: Tyler Dey, Joseph Branch, David Perry, Nick Hartnett, Jordan Hughes, Matt Jojokian, Kweku Pumpuni, Teresa Weir, Molly Kilcarr, and Derrick Jenkins.
For each student-athlete, deciding on a school that best fits their needs and has everything they want can be a very long and tiring process.
“It took a long time. I think it took me two years, a lot of clinics and camps. It took a lot of time, but it was definitely worth it,” said senior Molly Kilcarr, a Roanoke Field Hockey commit.
There are a lot of factors, time, and energy involved in making a final choice. Everyone has different things they’re looking for in their future school to make sure it’s a good fit for them. Some people focus on the relationships they’ll be able to have and the environment they can be a apart of for the next four years.
“I was looking for a good culture, looking for good coaches, a good environment, and somewhere close to home,” said senior Matt Jojokian, Bridgewater Football commit.
For others, the types of academics and majors offered at the school is a main focus. These athletes know college is about more than just sports, so making sure their school will provide them a quality education is important.
“I wanted a science and math based school. I wanted a school that was pretty…I wanted a place I felt like I could have gone for four years,” said Kilcarr.
Some commits took into account a little bit of everything, making sure the school could provide them with good opportunities in all their areas of interest.
“I picked my school by which one would have the best opportunity for me to play football, how it would affect me academically, and how big the classes were and the campus was,” said Wingate Football commit, senior Derrick Jenkins.
Overall, one thing they all are looking forward to is being able to play their sport at the next level. Not everyone is afforded such an opportunity, so for these students being able to do so is a big deal.
“[I’m looking forward to] getting the grind in and playing football,” said senior Jordan Hughes, a West Virginia State Football commit.
A similar consensus came from other future college football players.
“[I’m looking forward to] playing college football for the first time, understanding what they go through, and hopefully winning a ring,” said Jojokian.
Of course, with the next chapter in their lives comes new opportunity. Competing in college brings a whole new level of talent and competition that is very exciting to be a part of for these athletes.
“I’m most excited for freedom and playing at that next level, playing with a bunch of people who are tough and will make me better,” said Kilcarr.