East Texas Baptist University

“I have been playing soccer for 12 years. My favorite memory would have to be junior year when the team and I went to Dallas for a tournament and it ended up snowing! It was so fun and the team had a blast. It was definitely an experience to remember. I’ve had three knee surgeries in the past 3 years. I tore my left ACL, 2 meniscus tears and MCL the summer before sophomore year. My sophomore season we got a new coach and I wasn’t cleared for tryouts so I returned to JVA. That season I ended up having 7 goals and 7 assists after coming back from that injury. Junior year I made varsity and I started many games. My team went to the third round of playoffs and the experience was amazing! More recently, this past summer I tore my right ACL and I unfortunately had to sit out for over half of my senior season. As I finally got cleared from my 2nd knee surgery, I started having bad pain in my knee from the first survey I had. Turns out I had a cyst formed and it snapped my meniscus sutures that repaired it so a week after I got cleared, I had another knee suture. When they went in they took out 20% of my meniscus, my screw from the ACL surgery and removed the cyst.I got cleared for the third time with five games left in districts and as frustrating as it has been to work back into playing, I’m so fortunate to be able to play some of my senior year. Luckily before and between all of the injuries, I was communicating with around 12 college coaches ranging from all divisions. Because of my surgery this past summer, I had to go on many college visits as soon as I could walk. The second week that I was walking I ended up touring 7 colleges in 4 days! It was insane.The ETBU coach was the first to show interest in my recruiting and was the first college I visited. The first time I went it was just me and my dad. He could tell how much I loved it but encouraged me to keep my options open before making my choice. Well when I went on all those tours, we set it up to where I visited ETBU last. Out of all the colleges that I saw, I still ended up with ETBU as my first choice. This time I brought my whole family and they all loved it and told me they were 100% supportive if I wanted to commit to the ETBU coach. And so I did!  One thing I’ll miss the most from the program is the teammates that I’ve gotten the chance to get closer with. Through all the surgeries and things I’ve been through they continue to have my back. I can’t imagine not seeing them and playing soccer with them everyday… I’ll also miss the coaches. They’ve helped progress me as a player and they’ve helped shape me into the person I am today. I’m super excited to meet my potential best friends and my new soccer team at ETBU. I’m ready to open the next chapter of my life and I can’t wait to play there. I couldn’t do anything without the support of my parents, my grandma, friends and my brother. They’ve given me everything I needed to be able to overcome injuries and to push me to follow my goal of playing college soccer,” senior Brianna Michshaw said.

University of Mary Hardin and Baylor

“I have been playing football since 7th grade, my favorite memory was when I first got on varsity sophomore year and it was an accomplishment. I have had a shoulder injury, i missed two games of my senior year which was a setback. It was a setback because I was suppose to do better than last year but my stats were worst because of the two games that I missed. When I went on a visit [to the University of Mary Hardin and Baylor] that’s when I realized that this my school. I didn’t know that I had an offer until I was there. The school pays for about 3/4th of the tuition so that is also a big reason of why I chose this school. I’ll miss team the most, times in the locker rooms, bus rides. In college i’m excited to actually play because I have a guaranteed spot and am excited to see the new competition,” senior Keilan Johnson said.

University of Mary Hardin and Baylor

“I’ve been playing football my whole life, maybe since I was 6 or 7 years old. My favorite memory would be playing with my brother and my teammates. One time I bruised a bone in my knee which took me out for the rest of the season my sophomore year. My first reaction to the school was that it was pretty and the school is really good. It is 100 percent placement rate on what I want to do. I’m going to miss playing with my teammate the most because we family. I’m most excited for winning rings,” senior Derek Jones said.

Henderson State University

“I’ve been playing football since I could walk, since I was four or five. My favorite memory would probably be my last senior game, I couldn’t play but my favorite part was seeing everyone come together as a team and that was really cool. I sprained my ankle my second to last game of my senior year which made me not be able to play but it was less of a set back am more of a way to show me to show me that i’m grateful for the opportunities I had during the season. What made me commit to this school honestly was going up there and realizing that I fell in love with the school and area, it is amazing. It is a smaller town but it’s a big college town and I love that small town vibe because I’ve been living in Katy for so long. I’ll miss the team the most, they are all my brothers. We’ve been doing this for four years now so building that bond of brotherhood is what I am going to miss the most. What i’m most excited for is the opportunity to further my football career because I only fell in love with football recently so I am most excited for that,” senior Tyler Strain said.

University of Mary Hardin and Baylor

“I’ve been playing football since I was nine and my favorite memory would have to be playing with my brother. I tore my ACL and meniscus in 7th grade and I had to sit out for an entire year and a half. When I came back I wasn’t as fast or as strong as I use to be but I was able to bounce back pretty quick. What made me want to go to this school was basically my dad. He really wants us to go to this school and he’s really excited about it. Plus the schooling is really good which is why I want to go here. I’ll probably miss playing with the group of guys i’ve been playing with for so long but i’m most excited to be playing with my brother in college,” senior  Trey Jones said.

San Jacinto College

“I’ve been playing since I was 5 but I’ve been playing competitively since I was 10. My favorite memory would be when I was playing in Florida for a national tournament and I robbed a home run, I fell over the fence and it was probably the coolest thing ever. This past fall I strained my rotator cuff so I had to sit out for the entire pre season and that kept me out of shape for a while. I am to play for this college because it was close to home and I was offered a full ride. I’m going to miss the group of girls, we have a total of eight seniors, and so I kind of grew up with them since the 7th grade. In college I am excited to meet a new team and to see a new group of girls and to see where everyone is coming from,” senior Tori Garcia said.