Marshall High Student Athletes Prepare For College Athletics

By Ethan Levine

Six student athletes from Marshall High School's 2013 graduating class will continue their athletic careers in college this fall.

Bella Borgiotti, Katrina McLeod, Peter Yamaguchi, Madison Martin, Katie Clark and Mike Evans will all be competing in their respective sports as college freshmen in the coming year.

Borgiotti will continue her volleyball career at East Carolina University, while McLeod and Clark will compete in field hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Massachusetts, respectively. 

Yamaguchi will play football at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and Evans will be taking his baseball talents to James Madison University.

Martin will play softball for York College of PA next spring.

"Im so excited to continue playing softball in college," Martin said. "Softball has always been one of my favorite activities. Whenever Im upset or having a bad day, stepping onto a field always helps me relax. Im not quite ready to give up playing and the fact that Im having the opportunity to play at the next level is amazing."

Many of the athletes credited their support systems for advancing to the next level of competition.

"My family, teammates, coaches and friends haver provided me with so much support and helped me to continue on even when it didn't seem like I would get the position I'm in right now," Clark said.

Clark also noted a sense of pride in representing Marshall athletics at the collegiate level.

"It is really exciting to represent my school," Clark said. "I feel as though kids can see that they can do whatever they want as long as they work hard. Getting to my position took a lot of hard work and I am proud to represent Marshall."

But as these six student athletes progress to the next level of their careers, they will never forget the lessons sports have taught them or the experience they had competing for the Statesmen.

"Competing for Marshall has been one of the greatest experiences of my life," Clark said. "It has taught me leadership and sportsmanship, and it has helped me to gain confidence in my abilities."