As most seniors are continuing their education at a post secondary school, 13 will continue their athletic careers alongside their academic careers at the highest level college has to offer, the Division I (DI) level. Making the DI level is no small task. Athletic Scholarship Stats reported that only two percent of high school athletes will play at the DI level in college. Across the DI level there are a total of 188,710 athletes at 351 different DI colleges and universities, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) reported. Additionally football is the sport that has the most DI athletes with a total of 73,700 DI student athletes.

Kaitlyn Evans(Eastern Illinois University: Swim): “I am looking forward to taking my training and competing to the next level. I am also super excited to meet my new teammates and coach and have them help me through my successes.”

Emily Ibarra(Purdue University Fort Wayne: Soccer): “I am really excited [to play] with people [that] I have never played with before because I will be able to see our different skills and how we can apply them on the field and make our chemistry on the field better.”

Jason Ban(Davidson College: Baseball): “Getting to play for your school [at] the college level and making a bunch of friends [while] doing it is what I look forward to [the] most. It [is] a new world in college and getting to play baseball with a bunch of new kids seems like a fun experience to look forward to.”

Patrick Downing(Ohio State University Wrestling): “I am looking forward to meeting the team, and I am really looking forward to being able to compete at such a high level. I can’t wait to see where this will take me.”

Maggie Jortberg(Marquette University: Cross Country and Track and Field): “I am really looking forward to racing in huge invitationals with hundreds of talented girls from all across the country.”

Ryan Schaefer(Illinois State University: Track and Field): “I am looking forward to traveling with the team to meets around the country and competing against some of the best collegiate athletes in the country as well as professional athletes. I am also looking forward to training under some of the best coaches in the country.”

Jacob German(Valparaiso University: Swim): “I am looking forward to swimming at a much harder level so I can truly compete and push myself further.”

Natalie Brady(Marquette University: Dance): “I [am] also excited about making new friends with my teammates before college even starts. I [am] excited for the challenge and I’m very proud of myself for making it DI.”

Tommy MacPherson(Cornell University: Football): “I [am] just excited for an elevated level of play and lots of people who are better than me pushing me to my best.”

Jacque Gariepy(Drake University: Football): “I [am] looking forward to traveling across the country to play football. I [am] also looking forward to meeting new people and building new relationships [with my teammates].”

Jacki Stadler(Providence College: Swim): “I would say I am most looking forward to the competitive team atmosphere that a DI school offers. Not only is the team super close and supportive, but there is also an immense level of focus and hard work that is present as well.”

Chance Shampine(Queens University at Charlotte: Volleyball): “What I [am] looking forward to [the] most about playing at the DI level is getting to play against the highest level schools and being able to learn from athletes who have more experience than me.”

Mira Issar(University of Wisconsin-Madison: Soccer): “I am looking forward to the challenges and experiences I will have at college. Also I [will] be meeting many new people throughout the journey which will be fun. [Additionally,] playing the sport I love for four more years is awesome.”

Luke Winger(LeMoyne College: Lacrosse): “What I am looking forward to the most is being able to compete at a high level against some extremely talented individuals.”