Three seniors celebrated at college athletics signing event
April 18, 2023
Eat. Sleep. Sports. Repeat.
From soccer to rowing to volleyball, sports have become crucial parts of many students’ everyday lives that make up who they are. As they prepare for graduation, three seniors chose to extend their connection with sports by signing with a college team.
To mark the occasion, College Counseling and the US Athletics department hosted an annual Celebrating Athletic Recruitment Event in the Ames Room on Apr.10, honoring the senior class college-recruited athletes: Alexandra Cardwell, Cooper Bollinger Danielson, and Solvej Eversoll.
Cardwell started her rowing career as a freshman at the Twin Cities Youth Rowing Club. “What I like most about rowing is the amount of teamwork that’s necessary. You really can only be at your best if your whole team’s at their best. Rowing is a very supportive sport where you cheer for your teammates wanting them to do well, like pushing them to be their best. But then the same is true the other way [around] where they’re supporting you,” Cardwell said.
A lot of the recruitment process happens earlier than a regular college application. “Depends on the sport, sometimes it can be your sophomore year, but a lot of the time, senior year or summer before senior year. They would have to start talking with coaches, specific schools, etc., so earlier a lot of the steps are taken,” Assistant Director Of College Counseling Evan Hansell said.
Answering the question ‘Why Columbia,’ Cardwell explained what the search process was like for her as she looked at ways to become involved in sports at college. “What I’d always been looking for in a college is a really good mash-up of strong academics but also a good team culture. I had a chance to visit the team in the winter and it’s just such a great atmosphere. But that’s probably what I’m most excited about just like the team culture and that kind of going on to like the next level.”
Cardwell said receiving a recruitment letter for D1 rowing was like nothing else, “I was really, really excited. It was like a culmination of a lot of work, time, and emotions, and then it was just very exciting. I wouldn’t say it paid off, but it was a nice moment that symbolized all the work.”
In addition to having athletic talents, being a great athlete also means showing sportsmanship and leadership in and outside the SPA community.
Northern Lights Junior Volleyball Head Coach Damien Fox said, “When you watch [Eversoll] on the court, she celebrated her teammates more than she has ever celebrated herself. When you see the play, you can watch it all these days but have no idea whether it was her or her teammate that scored. It doesn’t matter if we won or lost. [Eversoll brought] that energy [to the team].”
Cooper is fast. He is one of the fastest people I know. But even so, he makes sure no one’s left behind.
— Dylan Tan Stephenson
Senior Dylan Tan Stephenson described Danielson’s easygoing personality with an intriguing anecdote: “Today just 15 minutes ago, actually. I was going to ultimate [frisbee] practice impromptu and run in these sweatpants, and Cooper said, ‘I’ll give you my shorts,’ and I’m wearing his shorts right now,” Stephenson said.
Family support along the way was also crucial for each athlete’s success. Eversoll was out of town and couldn’t participate in person; still, she was able to express her moments of gratitude through Google Meet.
“Thank you to everyone who’s there even though I am not even there. The fact that I can be in Italy playing volleyball says a lot about the support that [my parents] have given me. And I’m just really, really grateful for all of you there,” Eversoll said.
Cardwell shared tips for future students interested in signing to play sports in college: “Always be yourself and be very open about what you’re looking for. I guess that goes for everyone. When you’re looking into like, where to go to college or just like other kinds of life decisions, just ask good questions and talk with a lot of people about their experiences.”