For sophomore Madison Carroll, playing lacrosse began in fourth grade. However, she wasn’t thinking of playing a college sport at that young age.
“I knew probably the summer after my freshman year of high school,” said Carroll. “My teammates were talking about looking at colleges, and I guess I decided I wanted to do that too.”
Her decision to play college lacrosse brought her to Virginia Wesleyan for a few reasons.
“I loved the school because it was at the beach, and they had small classes which worked better for me,” said Carroll.
Sophomore Taylor Galvin knew softball would be a big part of her life from the very beginning.
“I played softball ever since I could hold a bat,” said Galvin. As time went on, she realized she wanted more out of softball. “This was the highest level realistically that a softball player can go, so I think that’s when I knew I wanted to play in college,” said Galvin.
She was led to Wesleyan’s softball program by the friendly recruiting of head coach Brandon Elliot and the welcoming attitude of the team. “The chemistry with me and Coach Elliot and the girls were the reasons I chose Virginia Wesleyan,” said Galvin.
Junior Isaac Arrington, forward for Virginia Wesleyan’s men’s soccer team, said, “I picked VWC because of the coaches and soccer team. The coaches recruited me rather passionately out of Dallas, and when I came to visit, the continuity of the team was evident.”
Arrington’s hometown is DeSoto, Texas. Before attending VWC, Arrington was looking into Missouri State and Florida Gulf Coast for soccer. If he had not attended VWC, Arrington would have stayed in Texas and continued to obtain his communications degree, and would have played soccer as a hobby. Arrington started playing soccer for fun at the age of three and at five on an official team. He is inspired by his parents.
Arrington said, “They inspire me because they were two people that made a commitment to each other and themselves to be successful; needless to say, they have exceeded expectations.”
Rising senior Brandon Mitchell, guard and forward for Virginia Wesleyan’s men’s basketball team, said, “I chose Virginia Wesleyan for several reasons; it started with the fact that my family lives here in Virginia Beach. Then when I visited the campus, the team and coaches made me feel like a member of the family from day one.”
Mitchell was born and raised in Albany, GA. Before attending VWC, Mitchell was looking into attending Norfolk State Universtiy, Christopher Newport University and Virginia State. If Mitchell had not attended Virginia Wesleyan, he would have found a higher education elsewhere or continued to serve in the military. Mitchell began to play basketball at the age of 10, but did not take it seriously until high school. His biggest inspiration is his mother.
He said, “She is my biggest supporter and I am astonished at some of her life accomplishments and hope to be as successful as her one day.”
