High School Students Use Athleticism For College Admission Funding

Using their athleticism in high school as a gateway to gain acceptance into their top-pick college, local products Andrew Scalley and Kyle O’Brien now play Division I lacrosse at Mount St. Mary’s University. Photo by John Singleton

By John Singleton

All across Pasadena, high school students are using their athletic abilities to get into – and perhaps pay for – college.

Over at Northeast High School, class of 2012 graduate Blake Russell, who is preparing to play lacrosse at Goucher College this fall, was recently recognized with the $1,000 Heaphy Award.

At Annapolis Area Christian School, Conner Lipinski became the program’s first Division I basketball player when he signed a two-year scholarship with the University of Maryland.

At Spalding High School, a record 56 students from the Class of 2012 committed to playing a sport at the college or university level this fall.

“Playing a sport in high school is a great gateway for getting into the school of your dreams,” said Kelly Hickman, a 2009 graduate of Chesapeake High School. “I have played softball my whole life and I knew it would not only help me choose my future school, but also pay for a good portion as well. Mount St. Mary’s is and has been my home for the past three years and without softball I’m not sure I could say that.”

Anne Arundel County has a history of producing top-of-the-line student athletes who combine athletics and academics to achieve collegiate success. From CHS alum Kelly Hickman at Mount St. Mary’s University to NBA superstar Rudy Gay who played at Spalding, local high school athletes are exposed to some of the best coaching and competition on the East Coast.

The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) produces more college lacrosse players than almost any other high school league in the country.

“Because the MIAA is one of the best lacrosse conferences in the country, it’s not as big of a jump as you might think to play Division I,” said Andrew Scalley, a 2009 graduate of Spalding. “Every team we play, from Georgetown to the University of Virginia, has kids I played against in the MIAA and they’re all doing very well.”

Scalley, who is playing Division I lacrosse for Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, will start his senior year in September. He has also been keeping a close eye on another Spalding and Mount St. Mary’s graduate who has made a remarkable run in professional lacrosse - A.J. DiBartolo.

It’s just another example of the unexpected road to career opportunity and success available for local student athletes. DiBartolo, who has an all-time saves record of 726 at the Mount, earned the starting goalie job for the Chesapeake Bayhawks. DiBartolo’s college resume includes being named the NEC Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player at the Northeast Conference Tournament as a senior.

“I just completed my freshman year at Mount St. Mary’s,” noted Kyle O’Brien, who is a defenseman on the Mount lacrosse team. “I went from a small school, St. Mary’s High School in Annapolis, to a school with an excellent Criminal Justice program, which is my major at the Mount. Without playing a high school sport that connection might never have happened.”