Katelyn Cuthbert’s water polo career didn’t have the smoothest of starts.
“Freshman year was kind of rough for me water polo-wise,” the Pennridge senior said. “I was brand new to the team, and the girls already knew how to play. I was one of the very first players to ever start from freshman year.”
A rough start perhaps but a happy ending for a swimmer who earned second team all-state recognition as a senior and will be continuing her career in the sport at La Salle University. The senior goalie’s fortunes turned her sophomore year when she was thrust into the net at a tournament when the team’s starting goalie was out sick.
“I had to play every single game and every single minute,” Cuthbert said. “I really came into my own and we won. I was named Top 7 player of the tournament out of all ages and genders. That was one of my big moments – ‘Oh my god, this is fun when you win and you play.’ That was really a big turning point.”
Cuthbert, who will major in nursing, chose La Salle from a final list that included Mercyhurst, Wheaton and Penn State.
“La Salle is in the city, not too far from home,” Cuthbert said. “They have a good polo team, and most importantly, it has a great nursing program that knows how to accommodate sports.”
Cuthbert was one of six Pennridge seniors recognized on Tuesday, Feb. 28, for committing to compete in sports at the collegiate level.
Teammate Emily Myers will continue her water polo and swimming career at Saint Francis College in Brooklyn where she will major in biology in the pre-veterinary program.
“Freshman year, everyone on the swim team was also on the polo team, so if you were on the swim team, you just kind of had to try out for the polo team,” Myers said. “When I started to look at colleges, I could never choose between swimming and water polo, so now I’m going to continue and do both.”
Myers also considered Bucknell and Franklin & Marshall.
“St. Francis has a great pre-vet program, and they have new biology labs,” Myers said.
Raegan Vesey will continue her swimming career at Mount St. Mary’s University where she will major in secondary education/special education.
“I knew it was always the ultimate goal to swim in college, but I had to know if I could mentally keep doing it and physically keep up because it just gets more taxing as you get older and get in the recruiting process,” Vesey said. “It was solidified in ninth grade that I wanted to swim in college.”
Vesey chose St. Mary from a final list that included University of Massachusetts Amherst, James Madison and Northern State University.
“I really liked the team atmosphere and coaches,” Vesey said. “I also loved the campus and class sizes.”
Katie Yoder has committed to continuing her basketball career at Goldey-Beacom College, choosing the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference school from a final list that included Jefferson, Holy Family and Chestnut Hill.
“It was the best fit for school, and I loved the coach and team,” said Yoder, who is undecided on a major. “From just watching my brothers, I knew I wanted to play in college.
“I knew basketball was going to be my sport. Then when I progressively saw that I could play at a higher level and keep developing – that really determined it for me, and I continued to work super hard to get to that moment. Eventually, when it came, it was kind of crazy, but it all worked out.”
Dominic Galante, who will major in exercise physiology, will continue his track career at St. Francis University. He also considered Wingate, West Chester and Lasell University.
“I felt academically and athletically it was a good fit,” said Galante, who specializes in sprints. “I loved the campus and the facilities. Overall, it felt like home.”
Track was not always Galante’s sport of choice.
“Actually, my freshman and sophomore year I started playing basketball, and that was what I originally wanted to go to college for, but then I started doing outdoor track junior year and gave up basketball,” Galante said. “I started really progressing my junior year, and my senior summer I worked hard, I really wanted to improve on my times and then it was just an overall progression.”
Loughlin Smith will continue his football career at Bloomsburg University.
“As soon as I earned my starting spot junior year, I definitely knew this is what I love to do,” Smith said. “The sport in general is a huge passion for me, and I’ve had that connection my entire life, so I made a connection with Bloomsburg after my junior year – that was the first place I wanted to visit. It just kind of stuck with me – the coaches really helped me find that as a home. It felt really nice there.”
An offensive lineman, Smith, who is undecided on a major, considered a list that included Holy Cross, Slippery Rock, Edinboro, Eastern Kentucky, Long Island University, Saint Francis, Stonehill and West Chester.
“The coaches made Bloomsburg feel like home,” Smith said. “It has a competitive football program, and I want to be part of a rebuild.”
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