The school year is going by fast, and the Class of 2014 will soon have very little amount of time to decide where to go to college for the next year. Many students have picked colleges but four seniors have already signed with their colleges for sports they hope to pursue.
Ashley Ruder, senior, signed with Washburn University for softball and will be starting school there next year.
“I honestly felt a lot of relief signing. It was a lot of weight off of my shoulders, and I was just happy I was done [deciding],” Ruder said. “There were a lot of emotions. I was excited.”
Ruder will balance being on Washburn’s competitive softball team and being a first year college student.
“It took me about a year to decide because I was deciding between Baker and Washburn.” Ruder said. “There wasn’t a lot of pressure because I knew that I wanted to play softball in college. My parents were very supportive.”
Bailey Dvorak, senior, signed with Lindenwood University for volleyball.
“I had visited a few other colleges in this past year and once I went to Lindenwood it felt right. That is when I decided on my college,” Dvorak, said
College is often a difficult choice to make for athletes and non-athletes alike.
Playing a sport can be difficult at times and trying to succeed in that sport can be even more difficult, but these students continue on.
Sydney Dixon, senior, will be attending Fort Hays University and will also be playing volleyball for them.
“I was relieved. I knew I was going to sign, but it seemed more official when I actually did it,” Dixon said. “It took almost a month for me to decide on Fort Hays, but I had been looking over a year at different colleges before that.”
These students have worked very hard to get to this point in their lives, and they should feel relieved they have finally accomplished a very difficult task.
“I didn’t feel really any pressure at all. My parents told me that whatever I were to choose they would be supportive and that they would stick with any decision I make,” Dixon said.
Connor McMullen signed with Kansas State University and not only will he just be attending the university he will also be participating in the Track and Field Program in the Spring.
Congratulations to the four students who have finally signed with their colleges! May they have a successful freshman year and always continue to follow their dreams.