After high school, people start to go their separate ways. Whether to college, work, or traveling across the country, it’s important to have a plan for what you want to do and where you want to go. Some choose to advance their future by committing to continue their athletic career at a university. This year, seniors in a variety of sports such as softball, football, baseball, and tennis have committed to colleges across the nation.
Haley and Klaire Carlson committed to playing softball at Coffeyville Community College, a Division II junior college in Kansas. After two years at Coffeyville, Haley hopes to transfer to a four-year college.
“I love my team, they believe I’m a good teammate with good spirit,” Haley said. “My hard work has gotten me to this point.”
Madison Hamilton is going to the University of the Ozarks, located in Clarksville, Arkansas, to play Division III tennis this next fall season. Maddie has stuck to playing tennis for all four years of high school, lasting through three different coaches. She has won 10 medals throughout her tennis career and said she plans to keep playing.
“I couldn’t have gotten to where I am now without my coaches and my teammates,” Maddie said. “I love my sport and I hope I keep playing in the future.”
Devin Wingfield is committed to playing DII football at West Texas A&M. Devin said he hopes to play in a league and pursue a career as a personal trainer.
“I’ve been playing football since 7th grade when my grandpa signed me up,” Devin said. “I got First Team All-District this season and I got 52 tackles, almost beating the school record for it.”
Jake McGee signed with Clarendon College, a Division I junior college to play baseball and study business. After playing the sport for a decade, he said he is excited about his future in baseball, which started as a thing to do to take his mind off of things and eventually turned into a great passion of his. He said his goal for this season is to make the playoffs.
“Committing to this college is one of my greatest achievements,” Jake said. “I hope I can play baseball as long as I possibly can.”
Editorial Note: Being accepted and committed into a college for any sport is a great achievement for anyone. These students are all exceptional players and teammates. Every one of them has found a passion and put forth their best efforts into their respective sports. The Sting would also like to congratulate all of the following, not mentioned above, on their commitments.
Ty Bonnett – Seminole State College (Baseball)
Garrin Graves – Amarillo College (Baseball)
Ethan Hadaway – Redlands Community College (Baseball)
Jaxon Liddicote – Seminole State College (Baseball)
Ian Loeffelholz – Clarendon College (Baseball)
Abbey Natusch – Austin College (Basketball)
Hunter Ooten – Kansas Wesleyan University (Football)
Braden Sirkel – Seminole State College (Baseball)
Brynlei Taylor – Seward County Community College (Softball)
Rebeka Vidal – Southwestern College (Softball)
Adrianna Wiedeman – Northern Oklahoma College (Softball)
