Staples is home to many athletes who have earned state championships and renowned achievements. For many of the athletes, their journey as a player does not stop after high school. In the 2022 graduation year, 14% of Staples students were continuing their athletic career at collegiate level sports. As the class of 2023 embarks on their new journey as seniors, many of the athletes are either finalizing their commitment plans or taking advantage of already being finished with the college process. 

Katharine Shackelford ’23 will continue her soccer career at Brandeis University. Shackelford shares her experience for finding the right school for her as an athlete.

“I targeted some schools that I thought would be good fits for me, and then I looked into their soccer programs and I emailed coaches,” Shackelford said. “I invited them to come watch when I played in showcases and tournaments. And then I ended up finding a school where I really like the school, I love the coach, I love the program, and then I committed there.”

Similar to the soccer commitment process, field hockey recruiters can only reach out to students after June 15 of their sophomore year. Emma Nahon ’23 attended a clinic for field hockey at University of Pennsylvania knowing it would be a good way to network herself and demonstrate interest to the school. After communicating with the coaches and learning about the program, she fell in love with Penn.

“I had seen the campus twice before and fell absolutely in love with the atmosphere of the school but also on the field hockey team,” Nahon said. “On June 17 I verbally committed to the admission process at Penn and was so excited.”

Now that Nahon is committed, she is eager to take in every aspect of the Penn field hockey program, especially the amazing people she has met.

“I am most excited for the new friends and intense field hockey at Penn,” Nahon said. “It will be some of the most intense field hockey I will ever play and I know I will learn and grow so much through the sport. I’m also super excited for the new friends and lifelong teammates I will make. It’s really reassuring to know that going into my freshman year I will already have built in best friends.”

Nahon and Shackelford are both absorbing the excitement that comes from finding the perfect school and getting to continue playing the sport they love. As many seniors head into this year with the angst and stress that comes with the college process, they now have the ability to relax and build excitement towards what their next four years will look like. Shackelford  looks forward to the low stress and joy that comes from watching her soon to be team play in the upcoming season.

 “It’s nice to only have one application to fill out,” Shackelford said. “It’s really exciting being able to watch their season starting now and knowing that I will get to be a part of that next year.”