Flint Hill Lauds Athletes Committed to Play in College

Flint Hill School celebrated 13 student-athletes who have earned a spot in rosters on the collegiate level Friday.

The ceremony in the Upper School commons honored the students not just for their athletic prowess, but also their good academic standing.

"I think all of them have represented Flint Hill well not only in their athletic endeavors, but certainly in the classroom," Steve Henry, athletic director, said to the crowd filled friends, family and coaches of the honorees. "They epitomize what we want out of our student-athletes."

Henry introduced each senior along with his or her coach. The coaches then took the reins to gush about their protégés, telling anecdotes and outlining character traits to paint a picture for why their athlete has been and will continue to be successful.

"I think these individuals are better people than they are athletes," Henry said in an interview after the ceremony. "I appreciate everything they've given Flint Hill, and I know their coaches do, too."

John Thomas, headmaster, touts the academic achievements of the group.

"These are scholar-athletes," he said. "These are kids who are doing it in the classroom and they're doing it in their sport. That's what's so exciting to see."

But Thomas doesn't want to give the impression Flint Hill only provides a path to a college scholarship through athletics. He boasts of a strong academic program, accompanied by successful extracurriculars ranging from athletics to arts.

"Other people try to define us all the time," Thomas said. "Kids go to great art schools from here and they win art awards ..., so then people say, 'So you've become the artsy school.' Well, we're not that either. And then people say, 'Well, you've got all those athletes.' Yeah, but some of those athletes are getting straight A's, they're singing in the choir, they're playing in the band, or part of student council."

Flint Hill encourages students to be involved in various activities.

"We're trying to be big enough that we can offer just about everything, but small enough that you can really do it all and not be pigeonholed as a kid," Thomas said.

The following Flint Hill seniors have signed to play sports at the collegiate level:

• Terran Bargeron: Christopher Newport University, volleyball

"As coaches we always hear the three words energy, excitement and enthusiasm. And those three words describe Terran to a T," said Carrol Anderson, girls volleyball coach.

• Katy Colas: Duke University, soccer

"Katy has been a member of our Flint Hill community, but she played outside the school in soccer and achieved greatness," Henry said.

• Audrey Dotson: Bucknell University, basketball

"Everybody thinks she's quiet. She's not quiet. She gets after her teammates and tells them what to do as a team, and she's done a very good job of doing that," said Jody Patrick, girls basketball coach. "Bucknell is a very good school ... and I think she could've gotten there academically without the athletic scholarship."

• Jessica Fellows: Naval Academy, lacrosse

"Jessie was the player on our Flint Hill team, and I think a lot of other teams when they came to face us thought if they just tried to shut Jessie down, that would equate to success on the field. What they didn't realize is that one of Jessie's greatest qualities as a player is not only is she outstanding, but she really does help make the players around her better," said Samantha Eustace, girls lacrosse coach.

• Emily Hall: Gettysburg College, softball

"Emily's just a tremendous, tremendous softball player. ... The other coaches in the ISL, I'm sure, can't believe she's still playing for one more season. ... The highest compliment I can give is she raised not only our level of play, but she raised our expectations, as well," said Andy Krug, softball coach.

• Tori Janowski: University of Virginia, volleyball

"She's a really gifted athlete. Just naturally gifted. Very skilled at every aspect of the game. ... She's had a huge impact on our program. ... It's easy to be arrogant, to get on this high pedestal when you have all these awards and all this talent ... and Tori's taken it all in stride," Anderson said.

• Jared Knoll: Marshall University, baseball

"The success he's had here has been because of his work ethic and his desire to do well," said Rick Freeman, former baseball coach.

• Tyler Lewris: Tufts University, lacrosse

"To me he's the perfect model for what we want our Flint Hill students to be. He has a great grade-point average and going to a fantastic academic school. He's also a two-sport athlete and he works hard," said Adam Rice, boys lacrosse coach.

• Kelsey McGillis: University of Chicago, tennis

"Watching Kelsey play has been a joy over the last four years. She's been recognized All-ISL, All-State, honorable mention All-Met. She's done a great job here," Henry said.

• Myles McGinley: Princeton University, soccer

"I can't wish him enough luck. I know he's going to do brilliant [at Princeton]. His work ethic is phenomenal," said boys soccer coach Chris Brown, who told a story of seeing Myles play when he was younger and remembers telling fellow coaches, "That kid could play anywhere."

• Sonja Meighan: Washington & Lee University, tennis

"She's one of the best tennis players I've ever seen. ... She's had a great deal of individual recognition. ... She's not boastful. You'd look at her and you'd never know how great of a tennis player she really is. She just goes out and does the job every single time she's on the court," Henry said.

• Dylan Parnell: Rollins College, lacrosse

"He just always, always keeps scratching and clawing. ... Playing attack for me is not always the easiest thing, I can be a little bit demanding of the attackmen and I can be hard on all of them. One thing Dylan does is he asks questions. If I tell him [what to do] and he doesn't understand, he asks," Rice said.

• Marilyn Peizer: Fairfield University, volleyball

"I'll always remember how hard Marilyn hit the ball. ... When she had this look in her eyes, I knew we'd be OK as a team," Anderson said.