It’s almost closing time for the class of 2015. For those that plan to take the next step with their education, this means that college is right around the corner. A few students, however, will be continuing both their academic and athletic careers after high school graduation.

Jaclyn Amader, an RHS varsity softball player, signed to play softball at Liberty University in Virginia next fall. On her official visit to Liberty last August, Jaclyn met with her future teammates and coaches and verbally committed to play.

“I worked really hard to be recruited, but not necessarily by Liberty. I didn’t know I wanted to go to college in the East Coast until halfway through my summer season, so I was mostly talking to California schools. I spent about an hour each Friday night before a Saturday game emailing coaches,” Jaclyn said.

However, Jaclyn eventually found Liberty very appealing due to its reputable nursing school that she plans to attend next fall. Having played softball for around 13 years, Jaclyn was overwhelmed to see all her hard work pay off on Aug. 30 when she committed.

“I stood up in front of the whole [Liberty women’s softball] team and told them I was going to be on the team next year and they all started screaming. It was really welcoming, and I was comfortable right away,”Jaclyn said.

Being a student athlete not only allows Jaclyn to continue to play the sport she loves, but also gives her opportunities to excel academically with extra assistance.

“I’ll have tutors traveling with me that will give me a lot of extra help I wouldn’t be getting without softball,” Jaclyn said.

Another RHS senior, Dylan Linton, recently committed to play softball at St. Mary’s College of California where she will study either communications or chemistry in hopes of someday becoming a nurse.

“I got recruited on my travel team because we went to a lot of good tournaments and I had a great coach. I started emailing [college coaches] when I was 14,” Dylan said.

In addition to all the hard work that went into the recruiting process, Dylan was aided by familial connections. Her older sister had previously attended and played softball at St. Mary’s, which helped her build a close relationship with the coaching staff and work towards recruitment.

“I felt really relieved [after committing] because I was one of the last seniors on my team to sign. I was relieved that I knew where I was going and I didn’t have to fill out any more applications,” Dylan said.

Many RHS senior athletes such as Dylan and Jaclyn who are now seeing all of their hard work pay off are thrilled to continue their educational careers as student-athletes. Playing a college sport, they believe, will help them to maintain their academic focus as well as give them a well-rounded, enjoyable college life.

“I’m excited to take my sport to the next level. Not a lot of athletes get to do that!” Dylan said.