A new chapter is beginning for several student-athletes at Rockville High School as they prepare to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level this fall. After years of hard work, dedication and representing their school with pride, these athletes are officially taking their talents to the next level.

From early morning practices to late-night games and offseason training, each athlete has put in countless hours to earn this opportunity. Their commitment has not only led to personal success but has also helped build a strong culture of athletics throughout the school community. 

Among the athletes continuing their careers are:

• Brandon Peang for baseball at Hood College, 
• Damaris Cabrera for lacrosse at Hood College, 
• Brig Barrnett for swim at Rollins College, 
• Aubrie Pace for flag football at Mount St Mary’s University, 
• Kobe Johnson for football at Frostburg State University, 
• Damian Melendez for wrestling at Lackawanna College, 
• Maddie Pankowski for volleyball at Harvard University,
• Victoria Fantle for women’s rowing at Old Dominion University, 
• Layla Duvual for acrobatics at the University of Oregon.

Usually, athletes have multiple choices about which school to attend. 

“I chose this school because I really liked the environment of the acro team and school in general,” University of Oregon commit Layla Duvual said. “It also provides many benefits for student-athletes as a whole, which is nice.”

It is hard to navigate the recruiting process when you are only 17 or 18. However, they can usually get help from people who care about them.

“Throughout the recruiting process, the coaches at Oregon helped me the most with figuring out if I wanted to continue doing acro in college. They explained how the commitment process worked and guided me through it. My parents were also there to help support my decision.” Duvual said.

Student-athlete Brandon Peang added, “My coaches really helped me out a lot during the recruiting process.”

Overall, although the recruiting process is stressful for students, it is exciting.

“I am most excited for the college athletics experience,” Peang said.