Imagine what it would be like if you got the opportunity to play your favorite sport in college and get paid to do so. All the years of practicing your sport almost finally pays off when a college coach recognizes your talent and skill.

It’s a very big deal when a high school athlete is being recruited by colleges for them to compete on their team. College athletics are only one step away from professional sports.

There are quite a few student athletes at Carlmont that are getting the opportunity to compete in college. In order for high school athletes to be recruited by college teams, they must first register with the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Clearinghouse in Indiana.

Student athletes must send in their transcript and test scores and agree to a long list of terms and conditions for their registration to be processed.

The center grants athletes the gift of up to five official college visits paid for by the NCAA. This gives the athletes the opportunity to visit a various amount of schools and decide which school is best preference for you.

“The location would matter a lot to me. I would also want the team to be reasonably well and give me the opportunity to get better,” stated senior Daniel Bereket, who is one of the standout athletes at Carlmont.

Student athletes truly have a lot of talent if any college is willing to fly them out to their college for free. The visits give you the opportunity to show off the their skills in front of an entire coaching staff and meet other prospective college athletes.

There are a lot of rules that come with competing in the NCAA. It’s all stated in the contract athletes sign when they commit to a school.

Some restrictions include athletes endorsing a school athletic wear brand such as Nike or Adidas. If an athlete gets caught wearing another brand of clothing, their contract can be terminated and they can lose their athletic scholarship.

Carlmont has a lot of gifted and talented athletes that are capable of competing at the Division 1 collegiate level of sports.

Carlmont Sophomore Kirra Louckes plays on the varsity softball team. She caught the attention of Cal Poly’s team in San Luis Obispo and attended on an official visit to meet the team and the coaching staff. She has already verbally committed to compete on Cal Poly’s team after she graduates from Carlmont.

“It was really exciting. It does take away a lot of pressure but I still need to get good grades,” stated Loukes.

Carlmont softball players, senior Shawna McDonough and junior Christy Peterson are also talented softball players that are being recruited by college teams. McDonough has committed to Cal Poly and Peterson has been in talks with Cal Poly.

In addition to producing a lot of talented softball players, Carlmont has also produced talented track athletes that now compete in college. Some notables include 2009 graduate Fedor Garin competing for Harvard, 2010 graduate Ben Heck competing for UC Riverside, 2011 graduate Jesse Peterson competing for Syracuse, and 2012 graduate Elliot Surovell competing for UC Berkeley.

Bereket has been on the Carlmont Cross Country team and track team since his sophomore year and has witnessed the success of these great athletes.

“I think it shows how much depth we have on this team and how many great athletes it has produced.”

It is exciting when a high school athletes commits to compete in college. It also makes their parents very proud of what their kids have accomplished.

From softball to track and field to even swimming, there are many talented athletes at Carlmont that are grabbing the attention of college coaches and definitely have what it takes to be competitive at the collegiate level. They will be a force to reckon with in the near future.