photos from Ethan Lopez, Landon Spangenberg and Audrey Douglas
by Julia Sumpter, Opinions Editor and Emily McCluskey and Ava West, Staff Reporters
About 1 in 13 high school athletes go on to play their sport in college. Not only is playing a college sport a huge step but some compare it to working a full time job. No one is going to hold your hand and tell you what to do. Independence is key.
“Your parents can’t say ‘sorry you aren’t doing well, let’s go get ice cream and talk to reset.’ You are an adult, you control how you can play,” 2021 grad Ryan Schmitt said.
In the past few years, lots of Hagerty athletes have gone on to play in college. Between sun up to sun down schedules, injuries, and transfers, these athletes manage to balance a sport and school.
In these stories, athletes share their college experiences, advice for anyone debating on continuing their sport, as well as stats from some athlete’s careers.
“No one’s going to stop [you] from it,” 2019 grad Adam Mastrobuono said. “There’s still a chance if you want to just go after it.”
Watching UCF volleyball games right down the road motivated Audrey Douglas to follow in those footsteps. Now, she is playing for her dream school: Auburn University.
“When I kind of figured out ‘Oh, this is an option,’ it was instantly like ‘This is what I want to do,’” Douglas said.
Douglas started playing volleyball when she was 8 and continues to play as a sophomore middle blocker and right side. At first, she did not know what Division I even was, but once she found out, she knew that was the decision for her.
Douglas refers to herself as more of an offensive player and offensively minded in general. For almost every game last year, Douglas hit positively, including hitting at a .667 percentage in the last game of the season. Douglas said your stats depend on who your competition is and the way you play.
“It’s just going change the way you play in college just because everybody’s coaching style and playing philosophy are so different,” Douglas said.
From the moment she signed, Douglas has faced difficult obstacles. She dealt with a concussion that took her out of practice and classes for a month.
“Time management’s hard. Just [try] to make sure you find time for everything and then [try] to keep balanced between being a student athlete and just being an actual human being too."
But that was not the most painful part. After she signed her agreement with Auburn, the coach that had been recruiting her since eighth grade was fired.
“I was here for three weeks and we had no coaching staff, no coach, nothing,” Douglas said. “[It was] kind of interesting because I left my friends and family six months early and got here and didn’t really know what was going on.”
Douglas compares playing a college sport to a full time job. In season, there is only an off day every 10 days, so there is not much time for a social life. She admitted that college sports are a lot more demanding than high school or club but said it is the “best thing ever.”
Remembering every day that she has accomplished her childhood goal of playing for Auburn is something Douglas feels lucky to be doing.
“Time management’s hard. Just [try] to make sure you find time for everything and then [try] to keep balanced between being a student athlete and just being an actual human being too,” Douglas said.
-Julia Sumpter, Opinions Editor
“The game is way quicker as the other athletes are bigger, faster and stronger than those from high school.”
Robert Post, 2019 grad
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
baseball
“Sports requires you to wake up early to go to weights, then go to class, mandatory lunch, early work before practice, practice, and then mandatory study hall at night. There are a lot of days where it is a sun up to sun down gig.”
Joe Sheridan, 2016 grad
UCF to Notre Dame
baseball
For Landers University freshman Ethan Lopez, middle school was a solid starting point for his wrestling career before making the shift to wrestle in high school. Lopez’s rise to greatness took time, but he was eventually ranked first in the state for wrestling during the 2020-2021 school year, however, the wins do not come as easy in college.
“In high school, I was always winning tournaments,” Lopez said. “I was always beating kids that were ranked and then became ranked number one in the state of Florida for junior National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).”
Lopez had many offers from different colleges for wrestling, choosing Landers University in South Carolina. His first semester this fall exposed many differences between high school and college sports.
“We do a lot of fast, high pace conditioning and drills, and the coaches will be yelling at you to keep the intensity when we start to become tired,” Lopez said.
Lopez is majoring in physical education and sports management while wrestling competitively for the school.
“Wrestling is all about how you perform, where your mental state is, where your physical state is, and your performance, but overall it is your body against another human’s body.”
In college, there are more obligations for sports than in high school, which proved to be draining for Lopez.
“On Mondays I have class from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and I also have another class around 1:00 p.m. before practice,” Lopez said. “Then I have a practice at 3-5 p.m. and conditioning after.”
Unlike other sports, like baseball and football, there is no pro league for wrestling, but Lopez’s love for the sport was not dictated by whether or not he would be able to continue after college.
“The major league for wrestling is basically the Olympics, so you get a degree and you go straight into working a nine-to-five after college,” Lopez said. “That’s the worst part about it. Whatever degree you get from college is what you go on with since the Olympics are selective.”
As a freshman in college, Lopez has grown to love the way the wrestling program pushes him in ways that high school did not. More opportunities to improve presented themselves to Lopez, and now, he has advanced performance.
“You get a lot of motivation from your team in college,” Lopez said. “Wrestling is all about how you perform, where your mental state is, where your physical state is, and your performance, but overall it is your body against another human’s body.”
-Emily McCluskey, Staff Reporter
“Don’t worry if every school doesn’t like you cause you only need one school to like you in the end.”
Ryan Carroll, 2020 grad
Embry-riddle Aeronautical University
baseball
"The main difference between high school and college sports [is] the emphasis on the little things. I believe that’s what separates the good from the great programs. Also, the level and speed of play. In college you know you’re going to get everyone’s best every play."
Dominic Madlang, 2018 grad
St. Bonaventure University to Coker University
lacrosse
“Any advice that I could give someone would be, don’t limit your options to just Division 1 and 2. Just because you go JUCO [junior college] doesn’t make you any less of an athlete because at the end of the day you’re getting your schooling paid for.”
Gabrielle Mathre, 2018 grad
Santa Fe College to Georgia Southwestern
softball
For 2019 graduate Landon Spangenberg, high school lacrosse came easy. He averaged multiple goals and assists throughout middle and high school. Then came college.
Spangenberg could not play in his freshman year because of an ankle injury.
“I broke my ankle and tore a large ligament as well during a dodge to goal in practice,” Spangenberg said. “I got an ankle reconstruction surgery which in turn took me out for eight months. It was hard to be out of lacrosse but it strengthened me mentally.”
When he got back from the injury his sophomore year, he played in every game and had a few goals and assists spread across the season.
“Getting back from the injury was hard, but my experience as a college athlete has been better than everything I have ever done. The memories I have made with the team are priceless,” Spangenberg said.
College is a different experience for Spangenberg because in high school everyone chooses what they want to play and are more independent, but now, everyone has a role and the team has to connect well with each other.
“Play wherever is the best fit for you. It is all personal preference with a lot of contributing factors.”
“Players can be moved throughout positions to see what fits the team chemistry best,” Spangenberg said.
Tough practices twice a day and Saturday morning practices can be tough at times, but according to Spangenberg it’s worth it.
“I think the highs outweigh the lows greatly in college athletics,” Spangenberg said. “You will make so many great friends and be a part of one big family. Of course some days you may not feel like getting up for early morning practice, but thinking about how not many people get the opportunity to play in college makes me work harder.”
Spangenberg chose Saint Leo University because of the competitiveness at the college level. While he received multiple D1 offers, he felt they were not the right fit for him.
“I would rather play at a top 25 D2 school and compete for a national championship than go to a low D1 with barely any competition,” Spangenberg said. “Play wherever is the best fit for you. It is all personal preference with a lot of contributing factors.”
-Ava West, Staff Reporter