Seniors Anjuli DeWakar, Demi Williams and Jay Whitmire will continue playing the sports they love in college.
For many years, T.C.’s star athletes have been recruited by colleges. Senior athletes sometimes find deciding which college to attend diffucult due to the many choices college scouts present them with. Every college offers different incentives in an attempt to persuade that player to go to their school. These offers can range from a full scholarship to a guaranteed starting spot on the team.
Senior Demi Williams is a forward on the T.C. varsity girls basketball team and hopes to go to Stevenson University in Maryland. Other colleges that pursued Williams are Shenandoah University, Wilson College, Washington College and Christopher Newport University. Since Williams will play Division III basketball and not Division I, she is not eligible for an athletic scholarship. However, this does not affect her love for basketball. “I have worked at [basketball] for so many years. It’s only right I play in college because it’s a part of my life,” said Williams.
Varsity lacrosse player Anjuli DeWakar has verbally committed to play lacrosse at Columbia University in New York City. For DeWakar, playing lacrosse in college came as a surprise. “I knew that I always wanted to play sports when I was younger, but I did not expect to go to college to play a sport,” said DeWakar. “I want to play in college because it will give me a chance to take a game, that I have committed so much time to, to the next level. I hope to learn and grow as a player from this experience,” said DeWakar, who has been playing lacrosse for eight years. DeWakar’s love for lacrosse will continue to grow.
Jay Whitmire plays varsity football and is in the same position as DeWakar and Williams. An All-Met selection by The Washington Post, Whitmire has been offered full scholarships to Boston College, the University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, Duke University, North Carolina University, North Carolina State University, the University of Notre Dame, Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh, Rutgers University, and West Virginia University.
For Whitmire, the decision is not easy because he is still deciding on where he wants to go. “I like playing football and it will be great to play in college and be on TV,” said Whitmire. Whitmire has dedicated seven years to football and hopes to play professionally but he also plans on getting a degree.
For these athletes, committing to play a sport for a college requires the support of their parents. “My mom dedicates herself to the sport also, taking me to workouts, driving me hundreds of miles for tournaments and showcases. She has always been behind me 100 percent” said Williams. “My parents support my decision to play in college. They feel like it will help me learn time management because I have to go to classes and play a sport, as well as discipline,” said DeWakar. “I think [my parents] are very happy because they don’t have to pay,” said Whitmire. Without their parents’ full support and the influence they have on their decisions these athletes would not be as committed to sports as they are today.
Athletes like Williams, DeWakar and Whitmire have dedicated many years of their lives to hard work and practice for the sport that they love. All their determination has paid off but it is still the beginning of a long journey for these athletes.