To continue their athletic career, hard work and dedication has led to some of Souderton’s athletes committing to college and their future by playing sports after they graduate.
The school’s athletic program works to prepare kids for college sports, however not all are able to further their career.
Seniors Casey Harter and Nolan Hughes, along with junior Mckenna Schroding however, are athletes that accomplished it.
Harter, who has been playing basketball since third grade, said it’s always been a goal of hers to play the sport at the collegiate level.
Harter was given the opportunity to visit multiple potential college campuses
“I started talking to colleges going into my sophomore year and I ended up visiting around 10 different colleges to see which was the best fit,” Harter said.
Harter decided due to the “perfect” combination of good academics and playing basketball that Northwestern University was the fit for her.
Students committing to colleges to pursue sports also must consider the academic portion of their decision.
Along with an academic career in computer science/finance, Hughes said he is really excited for the opportunity to play Division III soccer at Carnegie Mellon.
“Carnegie Mellon is Division III for soccer, and they are a high academic division,” Hughes said. “[In] Division III, you can’t get scholarship money for athletics, so I still had to work really hard in school to make sure I got in.” For Schroding, although a stressful commitment process, she is relieved to already know what she’s doing after high school.
Schroding said the school she committed to, The University of South Florida, is her “dream school.”
“The first time I visited and did a camp at The University of South Florida, I immediately fell in love with it,” Schroding said.
These three athletes have obtained this opportunity to play at the collegiate level due to being “very skilled at their craft,” according to athletic director Dennis Stanton.
Harter, Hughes and Schroding all give playing for Souderton athletics credit to helping prepare them for this next step.
For Hughes and Harter, the team environment is what helped them gain even more love for the game.
“It’s a team environment that makes you wanna be a part of what you’re doing,” Hughes said.
Aside from the team, Schroding thinks it was good exposure to different levels.
“Souderton softball gave me tough situations, by seeing the best and worst teams, and how to compete against them,” Schroding said.
Along with this exciting new start for these three athletes comes some fear for the
new beginning.
Harter said she is excited to play but aware of the tough transition.
“I am excited to play with all really good players at Northwestern but it will definitely be a challenge transitioning to that level of talent and physicality,” Harter said.
Similarly, Hughes says that he is excited to be around the other players because of their love for school along with soccer.
The workload is an aspect that worries Hughes, but he feels he can find strategies to cope.
“Something that scares me a little bit is the workload, because I was reading an article and it was ranked as one of the top five schools with hardest classes,” Hughes said.