As the school year is coming to a close, and seniors commit to post-secondary plans, some athletes have chosen to pursue their athletic careers in college.
As of April 13, the following senior athletes signed with colleges, according to the VHHS Athletic Department. More have signed since, and while they may not be named in this article, The Scratching Post celebrates all athletes who are playing their sports at the next level.
Nikita Stepanov:
Center defender Nikita Stepanov (12) has committed to Eastern Illinois University for DI soccer.
Stepanov was introduced to the sport by his dad when he was little.
“My dad put me in the sport, and it was kind of like love at first sight,” Stepanov said.
Along with soccer, Stepanov is on the pre-nursing track.
“I like the major that I got into, and it’s a great start for me in Division I,” Stepanov said.
Carly Sides:
Goalkeeper Carly Sides (12) has committed to Northern Michigan University for DII soccer and nursing. Sides grew up very competitive with her siblings, which led her to the realization that that competitiveness could be used in soccer as well.
“As I got older, I realized soccer became an escape from my everyday life, and my mind was at ease when I was able to be on the pitch every day,” Sides said.
Sides has pushed herself through challenges to be the best soccer player she can be in order to reach her life-long goal of playing soccer in college.
“The challenges only push me harder to achieve what I have and to continue to work hard in college and beyond,” Sides said.
Sides decided on Northern Michigan after spending three years talking to colleges. She wanted a positive atmosphere, a good nursing program, and a women’s soccer team that feels like home. After her college visits, she decided that Northern Michigan was the best fit for her.
“The competitiveness, drive, and passion of the soccer program was another huge pull factor for me, and I’m super excited to get started,” Sides said.
Anthony Martorano:
Anthony Martorano (12) has committed to Carroll University for DIII football and exercise science. Martorano was originally a cross-country runner in 8th grade, but when his freshman friends started playing football, he was inspired to try and ended up loving the sport.
He has played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and some lineback defense positions throughout his time on the VHHS football team. However, at Carroll, he will be focusing on his running back position.
When reflecting on his time on the team, Martorano thinks of the coaching staff and how much they have taught him.
“The [football] coaching staff has been great, always trying to make me better and at the same time enjoy the game. It’s taught me nothing but good lessons,” Martorano said.
Eli Spivak:
Eli Spivak (12) has committed to Lynn University for swimming and sports management. Spivak started swimming when he was little because his parents wanted him to learn water safety. However, as he got older, he realized his talent for the sport and decided to further pursue it.
“[Swimming has] definitely been life-changing. It taught me a lot of life lessons, helped me create lots of friends, and I would say that I would be a totally different person without it,” Spivak said.
At VHHS, Spivak has swam the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay. He has also swam the 200 free and 500 free, which he will also be swimming at Lynn. He came to the decision to attend Lynn University because of specific criteria they had that other colleges didn’t, like the culture and the weather.
“Also, the coaches were very welcoming; they share a lot of values regarding swimming that I do,” Spivak said. “The way they write their sets and workouts is very similar to what I’ve been growing up on, so when I go there, it won’t be too harsh of a transition for me. Hopefully I’ll be able to bring a good amount of talent to the team.”
Amelia Bell:
Amelia Bell (12) has committed to Aurora University for lacrosse and political science. Bell attributes finding her love for lacrosse as one of those happy accidents that life gives you.
“I moved here from Pennsylvania, and I went back to visit not even a year after I moved here,” Bell said. “My childhood best friend said she had lacrosse practice, and I was living with her, so she was like ‘just come with.’ So, I had no idea anything about lacrosse, and I just remember I picked up the ball and I actually somehow got the goal. It was just practice, but I was like ‘I want to do this now.’”
Bell said her previous experience with soccer helped her pick up lacrosse. Even though Bell used soccer as a reference when she played lacrosse, she was not automatically amazing at the sport. But, this did not stop her from doing what she loved.
“The whole time, even when I was bad at it, I loved it, because when I was on the field, nothing else mattered. I didn’t have to worry about what happened in my day, I just knew that it was something that I loved to do and it made me happy,” Bell said.
Bell currently plays offense at VHHS, but has the goal to play defense in college. This was one of the important factors she took into account when determining which college she would attend.
“A lot of programs don’t seem to value defense as much as they do offense, but for me, I think they’re both equally important…[Aurora University Lacrosse team] do a zone defense, and I knew I wanted to go to a school that had a zone defense. They honestly just made me feel at home right away,” Bell said.
Anna Lester:
Distance runner Anna Lester (12) has committed to Eastern Kentucky University for cross country and track. She has not decided on a major. Lester started running in 7th grade and joined an indoor track team when she moved to Morgantown, West Virginia. While Lester has not experienced much change between VHHS and her school back in Morgantown, she does note one significant difference regarding where she stands on the team.
“On my team back in Morgantown, I wasn’t the fastest runner on the team. We were really competitive on the national scale, so it was really about big team goals,” Lester said. “Moving here, I was the fastest on the team, so it became more about my individual performance and leading my team to attempt to take on the 3A competition. So, my role changed a little bit, but I still found that I really love running despite all the changes.”
On her visit to EKU, Lester knew that it was the right school for her based on how the environment made her feel.
“When I went on my visit to Eastern Kentucky, I really fell in love with the team and the coaches, aI felt like I really fit in there,” Lester said.
Shyanne St. Louis:
Current short-stop softball player Shyanne St. Louis (12) has committed to CLC for softball. St. Louis has been playing the sport since elementary school when she joined a recreational team. She then moved on to travel softball in middle school and is now on the VHHS softball team. St. Louis decided on CLC for a few reasons.
“My older brother goes to CLC and he got a basketball scholarship. I don’t know what I want to do job-wise, so I thought it [CLC] was just a very nice choice because I still get to play the sport I love, I get money off, it’s a great program, and I can still decide what I want to do,” St. Louis said.
Berenice Gonzalez:
Berenice Gonzalez (12) has committed to CLC for soccer and will be majoring in medical imaging. Gonzalez grew up watching her dad and brother play soccer, so when she was four, she joined them for about six months. When she was 10, she picked up the sport and played for the middle school team. Gonzalez chose CLC because the women’s soccer team was more like a family.
“I went to go see their games recently, and I love how all the girls are close and how there’s a little community there, like a little family. I was received with a lot of love by the coach, as well,” Gonzalez said.
Ava Lukyan:
Ava Lukyan (12) has committed to Kent State for soccer and will be studying marketing. During her soccer career at VHHS, Lukyan has played outside forward, attacking mid, and defensive mid. At Kent State, Lukyan will most likely be somewhere in the midfield. Lukyan chose Kent State because of the caring coaches, hardworking team, beautiful campus and more.
“The school provides many resources for its student athletes, the campus is beautiful, and the size of the school and distance from home was just what I was looking for,” Lukyan said.
When Lukyan was younger, soccer was one of the many activities her mom put her in.
“My mom wanted me to get involved with a bunch of activities: softball, basketball, dance, taekwondo, cheer, and a few more. However, soccer has been the only thing that I could not get enough of,” Lukyan said.
Lukyan initially found her love for soccer through running around and kicking the ball as hard as she could, but soon realized that it was much more than that. Soccer helped her build strong relationships with her teammates, learn how to persevere through tough times, and helped grow her into the person she is today.
“I’ve made so many unforgettable memories that I will cherish forever, and I’ve created so many new friendships that I could not be more grateful for,” Lukyan said. “Of course, there are moments of self-doubt, stress, and struggle, but it’s the good parts that keep me going. Soccer has opened many new doors and shaped me into the person I am, so I would say my overall experience has definitely surpassed my expectations of how it could impact me.”
Andrew Laborevitch:
Breastroke swimmer Andrew Laborevitch (12) has committed to Carthage College for swimming and is majoring in data science. Laborevitch has been swimming since first grade and has since then incorporated it into his daily routine. When Laborevitch was younger, he tried a multitude of sports, but chose to stick with swimming because he loved being in the water and having fun. So, he is excited to continue swimming at Carthage.
“I’ve always dreamed of competing in swimming at the next level. Carthage just felt like the right suiter for me, with a fast swimming program, great education, and a beautiful campus,” Laborevitch said.
Anna Lee:
Anna Lee (12) has committed to Carleton College for golf and will major in chemistry. Lee began golfing in tournaments in 7th grade, but was golfing with her dad long before that. Lee chose Carleton College because it’s a DIII school, so it’s more focused on academics, rather than athletics.
“I knew that I wanted to put academics first because I think academics are just as important as playing a college sport. So, I immediately started looking at DIII schools, because I know they heavily believe that as well,” Lee said.
Lee joined the girls’ golf team at VHHS during her freshman year and noticed something that most people aren’t aware of.
“[VHHS golf] was definitely weird at the start, just because I thought golf was more of an individual sport. But suddenly, you’re surrounded by a bunch of girls…all of us were new [to high school golf] at the same time,” Lee said. “Progressively throughout the years, we’ve gotten really, really close, and I think that’s kind of what made golf a lot more fun. A lot of people just assume golf is really boring. But we all had our own quirks, and it just brought us together.”
Victoria Burda:
Victoria Burda (12) has committed to Northern Michigan University for swimming and will major in athletic training. Burda has been swimming since she was six years old because her parents wanted her to know how to swim in case of emergency. When Burda entered VHHS, she joined the swim team and was placed at a varsity level her freshman year.
“It’s just been an amazing opportunity because I’ve learned and met so many new people and new friends throughout it and just learned life skills that I’ll be using also in college,” Burda said.
Burda chose Northern Michigan because it was DII, but also for the level of teaching it has, where she can finish her schooling in five years.
Along with these aspects, Burda also fell in love with the beach scenery and the mountainous views of the university.