Collegiate Athletes College Choices

Natalie Kaiser page editor

Sheldon’s reputation as an athletic school leads many athletes to post-secondary success. For many, success in sports can mean playing at the collegiate level. Often, people dream of being a collegiate athlete, so what does it really take?

Senior Cameron Cabuco will play lacrosse for Pacific University starting this fall. She said, “Being a collegiate athlete really is all about how much you put into the sport and how committed you are because that is most of what it is being a collegiate athlete. The drive and want to win is definitely going to be way higher at the collegiate level and I am so excited [for that].”

Senior Elle Bruegman will play volleyball for Eastern Washington University, a Division I school, this fall. She said of her Division I dream, “Lots of studying and training are definitely in my future. Part of that process starts right now and throughout the summer. I’ve been working out about [six times] a week to be in the best shape possible for my report date.”

While lots of work is expected, another challenge is deciding which school would be best for you. Senior Jonah Donde said, “I decided on [running cross country and track at] Gonzaga mainly because of the super strong running program. I absolutely love the coach and the team and it’s been exciting to see their progress at the national level over the last few years.”

The recruiting process is unknown for many people, whether you are on the outside or looking to get recruited later in high school. Cabuco said, “For me [it] was super easy just because I already had the connection with the team and coaches before I was officially offered a spot, so for me I had no issue committing to Pacific right when I got accepted to the school.”

Bruegman started early on in the school year as she said, “My recruiting process was extremely long. I started my sophomore year, but then COVID hit and everything came pretty much to a stand still. I continued to go to college camps and recruiting showcases to get noticed.”

Everyone’s recruitment process looks different. For Donde the process “was a little complicated because I’ve been injured the majority of this year, but I was able to be recruited off of junior year’s accomplishments.”

Playing at the collegiate level is a major accomplishment. Many people are aware of the challenges, but not necessarily the details that go into playing after high school. Sheldon leads many students to post-secondary athletic success, like these students.

Kamani Melton-Winger staff writer

College is right around the corner for seniors and the majority of seniors have a plan for what they will be doing. Senior Braylen Harris is doing his first year at Lane Community College. After that he plans on attending the University of North Texas or the University of New Mexico. New Mexico is an option for Harris because he has some friends who are going. North Texas is another option because Harris has family who live close to the school. Harris’ dream college is the University of Florida: “That’s my college team so going there would be a full circle moment.” However, Harris probably won’t go there because he wants to play football and walking on at that school would be a real challenge. Harris is excited to leave Eugene because he doesn’t like it here that much. Harris wants to live off campus, but that seems harder than living on campus.

Senior Rubi Prado is attending Oregon State University in the honors college to major in biochemistry on a pre-med track. Prado said, “Since it’s only a 45 minute drive from home, I am really excited to be able to come home and visit my family whenever I want, but it’s far away enough for me to be independent.” OSU was one of Prado’s first choices because they accept a lot more of her IB credits. Prado has a lot of good friends who are going to OSU and she is going to be happy to see some familiar faces, but she is also looking forward to meeting new people. Prado still isn’t sure if she is living in a dorm because OSU has such a big freshman class and there isn’t that much room, but she might get a house in Corvallis with roommates instead. If Prado does end up in a dorm, she has no idea how she’s going to be able to bring all of her stuff because she wants to bring as much clothes as possible. She is not planning on bringing that much decor because she doesn’t like clutter. Overall, Prado is excited to have her own space.