By Courtney Hughey
Staff Writer
While most seniors are stressing about admissions and deciding what colleges to apply to, Costa seniors Grant Chalmers, Nicole Rosen, Gracie Chavers and Maegan Manasse have already received athletic scholarships and committed to their respective schools.
Chalmers is entering his second year on the boys varsity volleyball team and has been playing club volleyball for seven years. At the beginning of his junior year, Chalmers visited the University of California of Los Angeles campus and realized that he was ready to play at the next level.
“It started off with emails between me and the coaches,” Chalmers said. “Then, when I went on an unofficial visit to the campus, they asked me if I wanted to commit to the university.”
UCLA is ranked third in the nation for men’s volleyball, according to the team’s website.
“It’s best to just have a good attitude and to compete really hard in practice and outside of volleyball as well,” Chalmers said.
Rosen has striven to play at a collegiate level since she first began playing soccer. Her dream became a reality when she committed to Washington University in St. Louis over the summer.
“I fell in love with the school when I first walked on campus,” Rosen said. “Right when I met with the coaches and met with the players, I knew that was the place where I wanted to go.”
Her hard work during eight years of club soccer combined with four years of Costa soccer has finally paid off.
“I’ve always dreamt of playing college soccer because that was really the only sport that I ever played,” Rosen said. “Since I was four I always wanted to be like one of those girls.”
Chavers is entering her third year on Costa’s varsity volleyball team as a starting outside hitter. She has also been playing club volleyball since she was in fifth grade for the Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club.
“Playing in a club is super important,” Chavers said. “While high school sports may be fun, I got noticed while playing in various club tournaments.”
With many schools to consider, Chavers says she chose to commit to Lehigh University based on the team’s great academics and competitive volleyball program. Lehigh recruited Chavers for her ball control and ability as a defensive specialist.
“To get recruited it takes a mind-set that you are the best,” Chavers said. “There are people out there that are good and probably better than me, but in my mind I am the best and that helps me play like I do.”
Manasse has been playing tennis since she was four years old and is now ranked eighth in the nation and third in California. Manasse was a part of Costa’s varsity tennis team from her freshman to her senior year. She won the CIF Individuals Title her junior year with an undefeated season.
“Costa helped me with getting used to playing on a team,” Manasse said. “I’m used to playing individually; however, this has made me realize how much fun a team can be and how we need to work together to be successful.”
Manasse committed to University of California, Berkeley, which is ranked eighth in the nation for women’s tennis, according to the team’s website. In August. Manasse looks forward to playing in college and improving her game.
“I chose this school because it has a great tennis program, and the coaches there are amazing,” Manasse said. “The coaches saw a lot of potential in me.”
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