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As this school year ends, many NS senior athletes are preparing to go to colleges and universities out of the state of Utah.
For many seniors, the decision of what college to attend can be complicated. For senior Aileen Terry, who decided to go to Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville, IA, and complete her undergraduate requirements for physical therapy and join their women’s wrestling team, it took reflection.
“It just felt right,” Terry said. “It was a little bit of a harder decision because a lot of people were like, ‘Don’t go out of state your first year [of college]’… but there was just more to it and so I spent months going over it… Finally, I decided it was the right decision.”
Location is often a major concern for students because the distance from home can be an adjustment.
“I’m very nervous to travel that far from home,” Terry said, “especially because with it being so far, it’ll be a way for my family [to travel], and I’ll be literally on my own…I won’t be coming home and asking for help every week. I have to actually learn how to be on my own.”
Distance is not the only challenge these seniors will face; balancing both academics and physical skills can pose unique difficulties. For senior Andy Allred, who is going to attend Grays Harbour College in Aberdeen, WA to play baseball, he is concerned about keeping up with academics.
“I think the hardest thing is going to be completing the assignments and getting them turned in on time,” Allred said.
Similarly, senior Jessica Applegarth is going to Eastern Wyoming College on a full-ride golf scholarship and also has concerns about her academic and physical performance.
“My classes are going to be very challenging and golf is very physically and mentally challenging,” Applegarth said. “I’m going to have to find a system to balance it all.”
Despite these concerns, coaches and teams have shown support to these seniors in their preparation for college throughout their time in high school. Senior Beto Tapia, who is going to New Mexico State University to play soccer, has benefited from his experiences at NS.
“The coaches, like all of them, even if we didn’t get along or anything, they all helped with building up different styles and learning how to play different styles, because everywhere you go is gonna be completely different,” Tapia said.
Likewise, senior Journey Toomey, who is going to play soccer at Colorado Northwestern Community College, received assistance from her coach.
“My coach has helped me prepare just with my mindset,” Toomey said. “He’s always been my biggest supporter with soccer and I’m just grateful for everything that he’s done for me.”
Applegarth’s teammates in golf have also shown support.
“My teammates have helped me prepare by giving me a loving and healthy environment,” Applegarth said. “The girls have set the standards high for how a team should look and feel. I’m so grateful I had them this year; I love them so much.”
In addition to the support the seniors’ have received, they have also provided valuable reinforcement to the teams.
“[The coaches and team] have really relied on me, and the other seniors that played with me, to be a role model for the younger classes, which meant we had to have good grades along with putting in extra work in our free time,” Allred said.
From these support systems, the students all have acquired close connections with teammates and coaches. Thus, moving to another sports program, in a completely new state, with new teammates might be a difficult transition for the seniors.
“[I will miss my] teammates for sure, they’ve just become another family for me through the last two years,” Terry said. “It’ll be hard to walk away from that.”
Ultimately, this time of transition will be hard for all the seniors, but especially for those student-athletes who are moving to colleges and universities out of state. Though we may not know what the future holds, athletics will be a prominent part of their current futures.
“In five years I see myself still golfing, if not in college just for fun with friends and family,” Applegarth said. “Athletics has always been a big part of my life and always will be.”
