STILL IN THE GAME: Wellington Alumni Shine in College Athletics

Dulle ’20 Xavier University – soccer

By Eli Dulle ’20, Liv Penegor ’18, and Elijah Meredith ’20

Being a student-athlete at Wellington taught me the time management skills I need as a Division I student-athlete. On top of that, I learned a lot of important lessons from my Wellington coaches J.J. Bain ’06, varsity boys soccer head coach, and Pete Collopy, former director of sports performance. A favorite lesson they taught me was the concept of being an “artist with a hard hat,” meaning being humble enough to work hard while being confident in my abilities.

At Wellington, student-athletes develop valuable skills in perseverance, accountability, collaboration, and leadership –skills that will serve them well their entire lives.

Eli, Liv, and Elijah are just a few examples of Wellington alumni who decided to pursue a collegiate athletic career. They reflect on how Wellington’s athletic program has shaped their college careers and the lessons they learned at Wellington that still resonate with them.

This lesson has served me well throughout my college career. I’m currently a junior and play soccer at Xavier University. During my college career, I was named D2CCA All-Midwest Region First Team and attended the Final Four. This past season I transferred to Xavier where I helped the team reach a historic #9 NCAA ranking. I’m looking forward to my upcoming senior season and would love to see some Wellington alumni at the games.

Liv Penegor ’18 University of Rochester – soccer

I recently completed my soccer career at the University of Rochester. I competed in 43 games and was a consistent starter in the last three years of my career. I traveled all over the country to play in Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, and more. My team even went to Portugal!

I can confidently say that my time playing at Wellington helped me in many ways. All my experiences at Wellington, combined with the confidence I found on Roberts Field, propelled me to buckle down through all the uncertainty, to persevere, and to accomplish my dream of playing at the next level.

Without Lindsey Smith P ’33, chief operating officer, director of athletics, and varsity girls soccer head coach, I would never have believed in myself. She taught me about the importance of giving 100% and having fun while doing so. Win or lose, we had fun and we always got back to work the next day. That is something that resonates with me, even beyond sports, as I take my next steps into the professional world.

Elijah Meredith ’20 College of Wooster – basketball

I committed to the College of Wooster to play basketball during the spring of my senior year. Since coming to Wooster, I have been part of one of the winningest men’s basketball programs in Division 3 history.

I have been at Wooster for three years now. Due to COVID-19 affecting my freshman season, I was granted an extra year of eligibility, so I am technically a sophomore when it comes to athletics. Through my first three years as a Fighting Scot, I am averaging 11.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.

My time at Wellington was important to my success here at the College of Wooster. I learned how to compete when I played at Wellington, and I learned many principles and teachings from my coaches that are integral to collegiate basketball. The best advice that I received from Coach Artie Taylor P ’23, assistant director of athletics and varsity boys basketball head coach, and the rest of the boys basketball staff, was to keep being myself.

CORRECTION:

In The Jag Fall 2022, “Leaving It All on The Track: Wellington’s Budding Track and Field Program” incorrectly identifies the first Wellington student to compete in the track and field state championship. That honor belongs to Missy Tidwell ’95. For more information on Tidwell’s incredible, trend-setting track and field accomplishments, please see The Jag Fall 2019.

In conducting further research, we would also like to recognize Keilah Causey ’16 who holds multiple Wellington track and field records from the long jump to the 100-meter dash.

Please help us expand our athletics archives! If interested, please contact athletics@wellington.org.