With their Oxford athletic careers coming to close, stellar athletes, seniors Elyannah Sonza and Nathan Lee, have committed to pursuing their sports after high school. Taking the leap to continue playing while simultaneously enrolled in university, these athletes have demonstrated their love and talent for their respective sports.
Having committed to Adelphi University’s NCAA Division II Volleyball program, Sonza’s journey with the game was natural. Following in her older sister’s footsteps, Sonza joined a recreational league and ended up falling in love with the sport. She then pursued volleyball at different clubs and as Oxford’s outside hitter along with being captain of the girl’s varsity team.
Choosing to commit to Adelphi University was a decision she had put a lot of thought into as she loves to play different positions and seeks a “tough love” type of coaching in her collegiate career. Since she holds volleyball dear to her heart, she’s eager to meet with other people who share the same passion for the sport.
“I really liked the coach, and they have a very good, athletic team, but also an academic program for exercise science, which is what I’m looking to go into. It is a smaller size school, kind of like Oxford, so I like the tightness of that, and being able to be close to your professors and other classmates. It’s also a good location, it’s not too far into the city, so that’s pretty cool. Just going to New York for a college experience I feel like is very different, and should be very exciting,” said Sonza.
As for Lee, his athletic journey began with dipping his feet in many different sports but has adapted to committing to Boston University for swim. Years of cherished memories of summer leagues and swim lessons encouraged Lee to view the sport more competitively — and it was up from there.
Originally looking to continue swimming at Division III schools such as New York University (NYU) or Johns Hopkins University, Lee’s prospects began to change as his swim pace started to increase, leading him to Boston University.
“It’s a lot easier to get into colleges as an athlete as opposed to just a normal student. So I kind of used swimming as my ticket into college, especially the harder ones that I normally wouldn’t be able to get into. It’s a good mix of both athletics, as it’s D1 and academics,” said Lee.
Although the competitive college recruitment process was challenging for both, especially due to limited roster sizes, Sonza encourages other student-athletes at Oxford to keep their heads up.
“It’s a very long process of emailing and reaching out, definitely being the first to take initiative, and also not being too disappointed by all the rejections you may face. It’s a natural part of it, and it really does teach you to trust the process because everything will work out the way it’s supposed to,” said Sonza. For other student-athletes, I would say just keep going at it, keep dedicating your time and effort to getting better, and just grow, as a person and in your communication, because it always pays off.”
