Benilde-St. Margaret’s takes pride in their excellent sports teams, but these sports wouldn’t have the success they’ve had without the strong athletes that hold the teams together. A couple of BSM students that especially excel in their sports are seniors Maddie Stoks, Claire Grazzini, and juniors Stella Fortier and Maizy Jackson. Three out of those four athletes, Stokes, Grazzini, and Fortier, are committed to play division one soccer, and Jackson is committed to play division one volleyball.  

The commitment process tends to be different for all athletes. Stella Fortier committed during the Spring of her sophomore year to play soccer at the University at North Dakota.  “I had previously played with the assistant UND coach before, so he knew me and talked to the head coach about me. Then, they contacted me and I sent them some film and they went to a couple of my games,” Fortier said.  

Fortier has already gone on her official visit where she had dinner with the coaches, got a tour of the school, and learned about the program and school. “It was nerve wracking to meet the coaches and waiting to see if I would get offered a scholarship, but it was fun to see the campus and what the college lifestyle was like,” Fortier said.

Claire Grazzini will also be playing in North Dakota, at North Dakota State University. Grazzini committed the winter of her junior year and later went on her official tour where she met all the other recruits. She stayed in the dorms with the players, and went to a soccer and football game. She began the recruitment process by sending out emails to coaches and going to camps, and then later getting contacted by coaches. “I’m most excited for continuing with the sport, going on fun trips, and the apparel,” Grazzini said.

Maddie Stoks will be attending the University of Memphis to play soccer, but instead of heading off to college in August like typical college students, Stoks leaves for school in June to start school early and finish some of her classes before the season. Stoks started her college search on the earlier side, starting in freshman year.  “I started sending out emails to schools trying to get them to come to my games, and I also visited and played with a lot of schools, and eventually started communicating offers,” Stoks said. Stoks didn’t originally have her heart set on Memphis, but she ended up deciding on it because she had created a good relationship with the coaches and they offered her the best options.

Maizy Jackson committed her sophomore year to play volleyball at the University of Northern Iowa. Jackson has always wanted to play a college sport and began her recruitment process by sending out emails and talking to coaches on the phone. “ My recruiting process was very exhausting and took a long time. We had to spend a lot of time and money traveling to meet coaches and look at different schools,” Jackson said. Jackson is excited to create friendships with her teammates and continue to play volleyball at a much higher level.