Aiden Carey found himself in a unique position.
The Central Bucks South senior had not only gone through the rigorous application process for two service academies – he was accepted at both the United States Military Academy West Point and the United States Naval Academy. Carey chose the Naval Academy where he will continue his track and field career.
“I just wanted to serve,” Carey said. “The reason I picked the Naval Academy was mainly the camaraderie among the midshipmen – they were all so tight and close, the environment was just positive, and I was really attracted to it.
“I started doing track for fun in seventh grade when I was in middle school at Pennridge, but towards sophomore going into junior year – that’s when I started taking it seriously. I knew if I worked hard, trained hard, I could really make something out of it.”
Carey, who recently medaled in the high jump at the state meet, will major in quantitative economics.
Carey was one of eight South seniors recognized on Wednesday, May 10. His track teammate, Dean Bullock, will continue his track and field career at Salisbury University where he will major in computer science. He also considered West Chester University.
“Once my athletic director (Justin Farrell) got me in contact with coach (James) Jones, it was really just decided that I was going to go to Salisbury from the start,” Bullock said. “I love the area, it’s a great school, and I’ve been talking to the coaches for a few months, and they’ve been great.”
A soccer player most of his life, he joined the track team as a freshman.
“Once I got into junior year, and I got a state medal for the 4x4 with my team, I realized I could do this in college,” Bullock said.
Michael Polak will continue his cross country career at Seton Hall University. He also considered Elon, West Chester and Florida Atlantic.
“I really loved the campus, I loved the coach and the facility, and it’s so close to the city,” said Polak, who will major in finance/marketing. “I started (running) my freshman year with track, and then one of my friends got me to run cross country.
“I thought it was just a phenomenal program, and it really made me become a better runner. About a year or so ago, I was like, ‘You know what – I should probably run in college,’ and that’s where I am today.”
Michael Nemec and Sean Rieber will continue their soccer careers at the collegiate level. Nemec will be attending the Pennsylvania School of Technology where he will major in residential construction. He also considered Penn State, Tampa and West Chester.
“Penn College fit my major real well, and I liked the campus – the campus is very beautiful,” Nemec said. “Playing soccer in college was definitely more recent. One day I woke up, and I didn’t want my soccer career to end.
Rieber, who will major in business, will continue his soccer career at Elizabethtown College. He also considered Bloomsburg, Moravian and Susquehanna.
“The coach at Elizabethtown is a really nice guy – he’s been there a while, and the atmosphere was nice – it made my decision easy,” Rieber said. “I always knew I wanted to play soccer in college. My dad played soccer at Temple, and my mom played Temple basketball. It was always a dream of mine to play college sports.”
Tyler Meinel will continue his basketball career at Holy Family University where he will major in business/accounting. He also considered Susquehanna, DeSales and East Stroudsburg.
“Holy Family is close to home, it’s a very nice campus, and it had exactly what I’m looking for with coaches,” Meinel said. “I’ve always known I wanted to play in college.
“I love basketball – I’ve been playing since I was 4. It really came to fruition my sophomore year. I just continued to progress throughout my high school career and got even better my senior year, and I was fortunate enough to get an offer.”
Reese Levinson will continue his lacrosse career at Elizabethtown College where he will major in engineering. He also considered Cleveland State, Ursinus and York.
“I liked the location – it’s close enough where I can come home, but it’s also far away enough – I don’t feel like I’m at home,” Levinson said. “I also really like the coach and the players on the team. Sean (Rieber) going there was also pretty big for me.
“I always knew I wanted to play lacrosse in college. Eighth or ninth grade is when the club coaches start talking about recruiting and you start talking to coaches.”
Erin Goodling will continue her swimming career at Fairfield University where she will major in mathematics with a possible minor in computer science. She also considered the University of Delaware.
“It was either swimming at Fairfield or not swimming and going to Delaware, but I honestly couldn’t imagine not swimming,” Goodling said. “When I took a visit to Fairfield in October – the team just felt like family. They were really, really welcoming to me, and you could tell they were all super close.
“My freshman and sophomore year I just swam to stay in shape. I didn’t really take it as seriously as I do now. My junior year things started to change, and I made a lot of progress within the sport. Senior year when the season ended, I was like – I can’t imagine not doing this for the next four years, and that made my decision.”
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