As the final whistle blows and the stadium lights dim, many seniors exit the field for the final time. Not because they did not have the talent to continue, but because they have chosen to hang up the cleats and focus on academics instead of pursuing their sport at the collegiate level. At the end of their senior season, many have to make the decision to attend a college where they will not continue playing the sport they love to focus on their academics, not prioritizing their athletic interests.
Multiple seniors had the opportunity to go to division 3 athletic-level colleges, but opted to go to larger schools that they felt offered better academics at the cost of no longer playing their sport in school.
“The decision came down to my academics being more important to me than continuing playing lacrosse,” said girls varsity lacrosse captain senior Friedie Schickedanz. “I applied early-decision to Barnard college and was accepted, and it doesn’t have a club team yet that I can play for.”
Schickendanz said she has been playing lacrosse since second grade. She had started putting together a highlight reel to send to schools before making the decision to continue on her academic journey without the sport.
Cash Elmquist said he has been playing tackle football since freshman year and has earned the title of captain along with being a key player of the varsity team since his junior year. He was given the opportunity to continue on at the next level at some division three schools with stronger academics but he ultimately decided to go to University of Colorado, Boulder, and bring his football career to a close as he walks the stage at graduation.
“At the end of the day, you have to follow your heart,” Elmquist said. “You have to weigh out your opportunities and choices and decide what benefits you the most.”
Elmquist said he didn’t take the idea of recruitment very seriously until his senior year—that’s when he decided to start putting in the harder work to open up doors of opportunities at the next level.
“It’s about what you do alone. Outside of practice is what really matters, putting in the extra work and pushing yourself to get better when no one’s around.” Elmquist said. He started receiving offers but didn’t find a school’s program that he saw himself going to.
“It came down to making a ‘pros and cons list’ to weigh out my options for college,” Elmquist said. “That’s when I made the decision I wanted to go to Boulder.”
Girls varsity volleyball captain senior Juliana DeYoung said she has been playing volleyball since 4th grade and has taken it seriously since Covid.
“My opportunities have consisted of small pretty small Division 3 schools in the Midwest. I want to have more of a normal college experience and be preparing for the future,” DeYoung said.
DeYoung decided that she would have more academic opportunities at California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo, where she plans to attend in the fall. She said she does not want to get caught up with playing competitive collegiate sports and for it to get in the way of her academics.
“I’ve always focused more on what fits me academically when looking at colleges. It made more sense to not go for volleyball,” DeYoung said.
DeYoung said she plans to continue loving the sport, playing intramurally and with friends in college.
Similar to Elmquist, varsity tackle football captain senior Jordan Alemania said he has been playing for four years and has been on varsity for three years, but has different plans than his teammate.
“I was somewhat of a late bloomer and did not start really focusing on football until late my sophomore year,” Alemania said. He had a breakout senior year this past season and started seeing opportunities to play at the next level, but was unsatisfied with the offers he was receiving.
“I was given the opportunity to play at high-academic division three schools and some lower-academic division one schools. At the end of the season I didn’t feel like any of the schools fit me,” Alemania said.
Alemania said that’s when he was introduced to the strategy of a post-graduate year.
“I heard from people who had success doing a post-grad year and I like the idea of betting on myself and being able to get scholarship offers to higher-academic schools,” Alemania said.
Alemania said he will be attending the Princeton School of Hunn in New Jersey with hope of gaining more opportunities to continue the game he loves at the collegiate level.
