For many, committing to play a sport in college is a dream, but for seven Rockville High School (RHS) student-athletes, it is a reality. Each of these athletes have committed to highly competitive schools for their sport. 

The youngest to commit is junior Toby Barnett, who committed to Indiana University Bloomington to further his swimming career. Although Barnett committed as a junior, he still feels as if the process was long. 

“The committing process was pretty long for me,” Barnett said. “It started at the end of school in my sophomore year, when colleges contacted me through dm’s and by phone number. I had calls with the different colleges for months.”

Senior Callie Borda also committed shortly after her junior year and will be attending the University of Tennessee for diving. After committing, the pressure of senior year has slowed down. 

“I actually felt relief too,” Borda said.“Relief that I’d made a decision and I didn’t have to spend my senior year worrying about where I was going to go, and I only had to fill out one college application.”

 On Oct. 26 2021, senior Okeyo Ayungo committed to play division 1 football at Bucknell University. Auyndo is looking forward to this next chapter and continuing his football career.

“What I’m looking forward to the most is just to have fun and getting better at my sport every single day,” Ayungo said. Also, “getting away from my family and to start living my life independently.”

Next up, senior Morgan Ward will continue her soccer journey, playing division 1 soccer at Southeastern Louisiana University in the fall, where she will be playing a striker and attacking midfield position. Ward has put in extensive amounts of work on and off the field to earn her commitment.  

In addition, Sania Suchinsky will be studying at the University of Towson and playing division 1 tennis. Suchinsky committed on Dec. 16, and is very excited for the upcoming season. 

Senior Marisa Servis will be running division 3 track and field for Salisbury University. Servis has been running since 7 grade and can’t wait to take her love for running to college. 

“I knew I wanted to go to Salisbury because it felt like the perfect fit for me. I loved the campus, the people were friendly, and it was an overall welcoming environment,” Servis said. “The more I spent there, the more I saw myself being a student there. After meeting the Cross country/Track Coach and some of the teammates I felt like I belonged.”

Finally, senior Ricky Ray will be attending Randolph- Macon College in the fall. Ray committed to play division 3 football at Randolph-Macon after a very successful season on the RHS team. 

Although committing to play a sport in college is very exciting for many, it can come with a lot of stress as student-athletes try to communicate with coaches and players.  In addition, students have to visit the campuses they are interested in and negotiate scholarships with that university. 

“The committing process is very long. You think one college will give you an offer, but then they find someone else,” Ayungo said. 

All of these athletes have worked diligently to earn these scholarships, as they have put in long hours of work which comes with extreme dedication.  Nonetheless, these seven individuals are excited about their next chapter and anticipate their coming seasons.

“I know what my future entails and I am beyond thrilled to start both my training and academic studies at the school of my dreams,” Barnett said.