As the school year comes to an end, athletes are deciding if they want to play a sport in college. For some, it’s a tougher decision to make when thinking about how to balance two sports. Junior Nevaeh Carlson said she is excited to play volleyball at a higher level and have that different aspect of competition in her life.
“I’m excited for a higher competition level and to develop stronger relationships with my teammates and have them later in life,” Carlson said. “It’ll push me to be better knowing that there are other athletes competing for my spot.”
Senior Vesna Dennison is playing soccer in college. According to Dennison, she is looking forward to having that push in the college level and experiencing a new level where she can improve on the game.
“I am extremely excited to play against players who challenge me; it makes me work harder and be a better soccer player,” Dennison said. “The job in college is a pretty big one when it comes to athletics, but it’s all about how you prepare yourself, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Senior Lilly Fandel-Thompson, who is playing lacrosse in college, said when it comes to managing her social life with everything else, she isn’t worried because of the bond that the team already has.
“There’s a lot of social activities. I know for my friends that have been at school this past year and on the team have had more than enough social time, and the balance has been great,” Fandel-Thompson said. “I’m really excited for the travel opportunities we have, which will facilitate a lot of social engagement amongst teammates and allow for potential to meet others.”
According to Carlson, when it comes to managing time, she is going to try her best at being organized as well as having good communication.
“I’m going to use a planner to plan out my different practices, lifts and games, and I’m going to use my time management skills,” Carlson said. “I’m not very good at them right now but I’m hoping to get better. I’m going to ask for help from my teammates and coaches when I need it.”
Fandel-Thompson said she feels prepared for the academic part of college and being able to keep that balance with her sport.
“It’ll be fine; the balance between academics and athletics in D3. That’s a big priority (when) you’re a student athlete. They’ll be a good balance and I know that St. Ben’s really prioritizes their time in the classroom,” Fandel Thompson said. “It will not be much of a problem in the facilities, their study rooms. I know that the girls spend a lot of time together studying and working on academics, and a lot of girls on the team have very similar intended majors, so it’ll be a good balance.”
Dennison said that when it comes to her social life, it won’t be a big problem because she will make friends on the team, and her social life is not her biggest concern.
“Yes, sports obviously have a big impact on my social life throughout college, but I will meet some of my best friends through my years there,” Dennison said. “Having a social life is important to me but it’s not my biggest priority, I will also have the majority of my friends on the soccer team, and again it’s just about balance too.”
