As seniors prepare to enter college and move on to the next step in their lives, a select few will also be preparing to take their game to the next level.
This year, eight graduating seniors will be playing a sport in college.
The alumni who will be playing sports in college are Alexa Stewart who will be swimming at Loyola, Nicolas Blassou who will be playing soccer at University of Kentucky, Koby Kovacs who will be playing hockey at Towson University, Nolan Gumucio who will be playing lacrosse at Guilford College, Tanner Cohn who will be playing baseball at Hood College, Corey Williams who will be playing lacrosse at McDaniel College and Luis Aquino who will be playing soccer at Montgomery College.
“I’m most looking forward to swimming in a more team oriented group and being really close with my teammates,” Stewart said. “I’m hoping that next year I will be able to move past my injuries and get back to competing on the level that I am used to.”
Stewart has been swimming since she was five years old and knew that she was not ready to give up on the sport she has dedicated so much of her time to.
“I really wanted to continue because I love competing and it also gives you the opportunity to immediately make new friends in college,” she said. “I also feel like once I finish swimming in college I’ll feel like I’ve accomplished everything I set out to in the sport.”
Blassou also chose to move forward with soccer at a Division 1 school. After committing so much time and effort to the game, he said he was not ready to give up just yet.
“I’ve been playing since first grade and I wanted to continue because I wanted to take my game to the next level and I also wasn’t ready to give it up,” he said. “It feels good to be recruited, it’s a good reward from a lot of work.”
The recruiting process for Blassou was difficult. He says he was unable to find a school that was a good fit and willing to offer a scholarship until his senior year, when he found Kentucky. In the end, he says he is happy with his decision and excited for what is to come.
“I’m looking forward to the big crowds and big games that will be on TV which is a really cool thing to me,” he said. “I expect to become a overall better and stronger player while also figuring out if I want to make a living out of soccer, or if I should find another path.”