Damascus High School has many things to be proud about, but sports stands out as something that is consistently amazing about our school. From creating Super Bowl champion players to State Championship wins in back to back years, Damascus has a lot to be proud of. Every year Damascus sends many student athletes to college to pursue their dreams of going pro. But what did some of these students have to go through to reach this goal? How much dedication was put into this dream of theirs?
Julia Alexander, a senior here at Damascus, has been playing softball at a competitive level since she was just 8-years-old. At 12, she dreamed of playing at a high Division I school, but when she got to her sophomore year of high school, she wanted to give up on her dream completely.

School and work consumed her; she was doubting her own skills constantly and didn’t think she could play in college. She didn’t want to even think about softball anymore. But she said her saving grace were her travel teammates. “They told me I was too good to waste my potential and I couldn’t quit. The process was so stressful but my mom was there to help emotionally.” So now, thanks to her travel teammates encouraging her to continue her search, Alexander is signed with Shepherd University Softball! When asked what advice she would give to athletes currently going through the recruiting process Alexander said, “Just know there is a place for you out there, don’t settle.” Her goal for her freshman year at Shepherd is to reach a consistent 1.6 pop-

time with no bases stolen on her. We wish Alexander the best of luck as she pursues her dreams and goals of eventually being a journalist. “Go Rams!” Alexander told The Buzz.

Sarah Jankowski, who is also a senior at Damascus, has always wanted to play college lacrosse. From being 6-years- old and seeing the “big girls” on the college field to now becoming that influence she had when she was younger, Jankowski never gave up on her dream. “It is so surreal knowing that there are little girls who look up to me. I was them once and that’s crazy to think about,” Jankowski explains. Jankowski said as soon as she visited Winthrop University her junior year she knew it was her home. “Not only did they have amazing facilities for my major (exercise science) but the team felt like a family,” Jankowski says. “But even though the team was a family off the field, on the field they were super competitive with each other.” She ended up committing her junior year, which is fairly early compared to some other athletes. Jankowski wants to thank her parents for putting all their time and effort into getting her to all the camps, clinics, and lifts she could attend to get better and be seen by coaches. Jankowski said she wants to get as much playing time as possible her freshman year, but no matter what she can see herself being very happy at Winthrop. “Go Eagles!” Jankowski remarked.
A few weeks ago Olivia Grant, a junior at Damascus, committed to the University of Oregon for Acrobatics and Tumbling. Being a two-time state champion and a world champion, Grant has big goals for her time at Oregon. “Every year they get second at Nationals,” Grant protests. “I really hope we win one of the years

I’m there.” Grant praises her family for always being emotionally there for her when things got tough and says she owes a lot to them. She said they always told her no matter what school she chose they would be proud of her. When asked how she would describe her recruitment process, Grant used the words “exciting” and “stressful.” “It’s stressful because you’re following your dreams, flying across the country, and talking to all these coaches,” Grant explains. “But at the same time I’m a random girl in Maryland flying to Oregon. How did they choose me, of all people, to fly out? Like it’s so cool that they wanted me specifically and I live literally across the country.” The advice she wants to give other cheerleaders and tumblers trying to compete in college is to never give up and don’t ever doubt yourself.
Whether these Hornets are going Division 1, Division 2, or Division 3 we are proud of all of them. We hope all of them have so much success on their collegiate athletic journeys and beyond!