Twelve athletes received an athletic scholarship to the college of their choice. The ceremony held on April 12 recognized those athletes and presented them with their acceptance papers. 

Boys’ soccer

Senior Gavin Lamborn received an athletic scholarship to Central Penn College. Lamborn enjoyed the benefits such as free housing, as long as his grades remain high. 

“Freshman get their own room, and I liked all the qualities of that. It’s kind of a smaller school, so I think I’ll be able to fit in really nice. Athletic wise, the coach was one of few that reached out to me, and I really liked what he was going to do with the program,” Lamborn said.

Lamborn was excited knowing that he got accepted. He cannot wait to go and enjoy the college experience. However, his feelings were not mutual with signing the acceptance paper.

“I had no clue what I was doing: I thought ‘I’ll just sign this paper and we will call it a day.’ I don’t think anyone knows what they’re doing; it’s just kind of an in the moment thing,” Lamborn said.

According to Lamborn, having someone to be an inspiration to keep going and do better is important to achieving a goal. 

“My family and my peers around me push me to do better and better no matter what’s going on. I always want to try to get better and get to the next level. So far, I’ve been achieving that,” Lamborn said.

Lamborn has been playing soccer since he was 4 years old. One of his family members coached at Penn State Altoona for the girls’ soccer team. Lamborn has always been around soccer, which according to him, has made him love it. His love for soccer has impacted his decisions for his future ambitions. 

“I want to graduate with a business degree then possibly go into real estate. I always want to make what I put into it. Real estate I see as one of those jobs where you’re going to get what you put into it. That’s how it is in soccer, you get what you put into it.  Athletics wise, I want to get us as far as possible in championships and make our school known for soccer,” Lamborn said.

Volleyball

Senior Evelyn Stroup will be attending Geneva College. Stroup wanted a college where she could fit in, and she felt she got that with Geneva.

“I felt like it was the best fit for me, I tried other places but it just didn’t feel right. This feels like somewhere I can fit in and I appreciate it,” Stroup said.

The event was exciting for Stroup. She was excited to “Start a new chapter in life.”

“I was pretty excited. For me it was more, I kind of already knew I was going so it was less of being accepted through a letter versus meeting professors and coaches,” Stroup said.

Stroup has been playing volleyball since fourth grade and at first didn’t like it but learned to love it. Her parents had an impact on her playing.  

“My parents forced me to play. I honestly didn’t like it at first, who likes to do something your parents make you do? I was the type of kid who liked to try new things, but volleyball just scared me. People break their wrists and tear ligaments all the time. That’s why I didn’t want to go but my parents forced me, and I got over it and now I couldn’t be more grateful. They are also both more supportive than I could have ever asked for,” Stroup said.

According to Stroup, she will be majoring in biochemistry to help others. She also has goals for her volleyball career as well. 

“With volleyball, I just hope to make new friends, maybe I can even call them family someday like I do now,” Stroup said.

Girls’ Soccer 

Senior Lauren Kiser received an athletic scholarship for Penn State Behrend. She admitted the choices were hard, but she thought it was the right fit.

“There were multiple colleges, so it was a harder choice for me. There was a lot more I liked at Penn State Behrend. It gave me a variety more than any of the other colleges. Their soccer program is very nice, and the school overall is very nice. I wanted to see more then the sports aspect; it was nice to see they had a good academic program,” Kiser said.

Kiser’s sister tore her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and has been her biggest inspiration ever since. 

“Seeing her recover from it so quickly and seeing how far she has come from tearing it just last year is inspirational. It keeps me striving to be the better me and helping myself work hard to where I want to be,” Kiser said.

According to Kiser, her emotions were ‘all over the place’ after getting accepted and signing the acceptance letter. 

“I was very excited when I was accepted. It’s a different feeling going from high school sports and academics to college. It’s going to be challenging, but I’m ready for it and very excited to meet new people. During the ceremony, there was a lot, nerves, excitement, I was anxious for my future and what’s going to come,” Kiser said.

Kiser has been playing soccer since she was 4 years old and it’s something she never wants to give up.

“I have been playing soccer since I was 4 years old, and it’s been something that’s stuck through my whole life. I’ve tried different sports like dance and gymnastics but they weren’t my type of thing. Soccer was just something that came natural and it’s just another part of my life,” Kiser said.

Other seniors committed to soccer in college were Morgan Sarver and Madison Cabell.

Making Altoona Dance History

Senior Emma Dietrick is the first person in Altoona history to sign to dance on an athletic scholarship for college. She will be attending Gannon University. 

“It feels good, I feel like a lot of dancers don’t really know it’s an option and that colleges offer scholarships for dance so hopefully it will inspire other people that see that so they realize they can find a college that offers dance as a sport,” Dietrick said.

According to Dietrick “it felt good” to be accepted. Her mom brought it to her at dance and she celebrated with her friends. While she was signing the paper, all she could think about was her future. 

“I was just thinking about the future and how I get to spend the next couple of years being up there on a new team,” Dietrick said.

Dietrick is inspired by her dance teacher, Sydni Piner. She enjoys knowing a hobby can turn into a career. 

“She grew up at the studio. She danced there when she was younger and now she teaches us, so I think that’s a big inspiration just seeing how you can turn dance into a career,” Dietrick said.

Becoming a radiologist is Dietrick’s future career. Along with owning her own studio, she started dancing when she was 3 years old and has loved it ever since. 

“I started when I was 3, and it’s just always been there. I never thought about joining another sport, I’ve just always loved it since I was younger. I like just having another family and spending all the hours there. It makes you feel like you’re a part of something bigger,” Dietrick said.

Favorite memories

According to Lamborn, memories stick around forever and everyone has something they’ll never forget.

“High school wise, my favorite memory would be scoring the scoring goal in the District six championship my sophomore year. That was a memory I’ll always remember… For my club team outside of school, my favorite is probably winning division one undefeated, scoring 36 goals,” Lamborn said.

Stroup believed her achievements were a result of everyone helping her out. 

“Whenever I hit 1,000 assists, it wasn’t so much my achievement as everybody else helped me get to that point. I remember having the sense of family and it was really nice to celebrate that,” Stroup said.

Dietrick’s favorite memories have revolved around her friends. She believes that friends make memories even more special. 

“I like when we’re competing and you get off stage and you hug all your friends. Even if you didn’t do that well, it makes it all worth it,” Dietrick said.