Eight More Fleetwood Students Ready to Play Sports in College

Eight Fleetwood seniors signed their National Letter of Intent on 12 April 2023. All student-athletes are going to different colleges but all have bright futures. 

Anthony Downs committed to Alvernia University for track and field as well as ice hockey, while majoring in criminal justice. He has been participating in track and field for six years and playing ice hockey for fourteen years. 

College gave Downs the opportunity to continue to play both sports, and he is looking forward to it. 

“For me, I just couldn’t give up the sports I’ve worked so hard to improve on. I’ve spent fourteen years playing hockey, and I couldn’t stop playing that for anything. Same with track–I’ve seen such improvement in myself that I want to continue getting better in college,” Downs said. 

Chanel Hercules will be going to Millersville University for track and field while majoring in biology. During her six-year career at Fleetwood, she has beaten multiple school records. When looking at colleges, she had to find one that would match her skill set. 

“Millersville not only has an amazing track team and coaching staff, which is perfect for the type of athlete I am, but it also has great professors. It’s a great school in every aspect, and I feel like I will do great things there,” Hercules said. 

Aliyah Negron chose to commit to Desales University to play field hockey while majoring in nursing. Playing in college was always on her mind, and DeSales was the right selection for her. 

“The coaches and team made my decision very easy to choose DeSales. They were all very helpful and made me feel comfortable and welcome. I’ve been thinking about playing at the college level my whole life. This sport is one of the things I love most and I am passionate about, so I had to continue playing,” Negron said. 

Tennis player Alaina Smith committed to Albright College, where she will be majoring in psychology. She has been playing for ten years, and she gives credit to the people who have always supported her. 

“My parents have greatly influenced my tennis career because they always encourage me to play my best, and they have constantly signed me up for lessons and clinics throughout the past few years. Also, Coach Joe Eways has been influential in my tennis career. Coach Eways has taught me many important tennis skills, and he has also taught me skills that I can use in all aspects of my life,” Smith said. 

Both Haley Hallman and Ashley Humer will continue to play volleyball while attending Marywood University. Haley, playing for nine years, will be majoring in architecture, and Ashley, playing for 11 years, will be majoring in art therapy. Volleyball has given the athletes new opportunities to meet new friends and achieve a sense of safety. 

“If I was stressed, I was always able to step onto the court and concentrate on playing as hard as I could, and I didn’t have to worry about anything else. High school can be overwhelming, so to have volleyball as that distraction was helpful,” Hallman said. 

“It has allowed me to meet so many new people and helped me become confident with myself,” Humer said. 

The final two athletes will be going to different colleges but both will be participating in swimming. Kathryn Tanis, swimming for a total of twelve years, will be majoring in business administration at ST. Francis University. Taylor Sholl, swimming for the school team for four years, will be attending Widener University while majoring in psychology. When choosing if college was the right choice for her, Taylor decided she was not done swimming yet. 

“I wanted to continue my swimming career because I have been swimming as long as I can remember, and I can’t really picture my life without it. I also love being on a team and the friendships you make from sports,” Sholl said. 

The co-op Fleetwood does with Muhlenberg has helped to give Fleetwood swimmers more opportunities.  

“My favorite part of the co-op was being able to swim with a larger team and meeting new people,” Tanis said.