TodayCollege Signings: Ruth goes with La Salle
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Article RatingEmma Ruth won't have to travel to far to come home from college next year, Mechanicsburg Jason Statler will.
But both are headed to their respective schools next year to play sports -Ruth, field hockey at La Salle, Statler, football at Hillsdale College
For many high school athletes, competing at a Div. I college is just a dream.
For Ruth, Northern's field hockey goal keeper, all it took to accomplish the dream was a letter of interest, sent to the coaching staff at La Salle University.
“It was part of the recruiting process,” said Ruth, who was the Polar Bears' goalkeeper this field hockey season. “You pick out schools that are within the distance you want, which was in a four hour radius of our home. You send (the college) a letter to watch you play, and if they liked what they saw, they send you a letter back. They tell you they were really impressed with your play and want to keep in contact with you and set up an unofficial visit and an official visit. You send emails back and forth to coaches who have come and watched you.”
While Ruth helped Northern to a 12-8 overall record in 2006, the goalie received the majority of her scouting attention while competing in the National Indoor Tournament (NIT) in early March. Sarah Catlin, head coach of the La Salle Explorers, personally made the trip to watch Ruth compete in the NIT.
“I happened to see (Catlin) on the sidelines watching me,” Ruth said. “At La Salle, the head coach doesn't just coach the team they have, they're really a part of the recruiting process as well. I think it almost made me play better (seeing her there). I wanted to play my best to impress them so i could continue to be recruited by them.”
Ruth must have impressed her suitors; La Salle offered the goalie a 75 percent scholarship, split between academics and athletics.
Ruth was insistent on playing for a Div. I school, but enjoys the idea of playing for a smaller D-I school like La Salle, which has a total of 6,221 students and an average class size of only 20 students.
“I wouldn't have settled for anything except Div. I, but we're not going to be in the top five teams in the nation,” said Ruth. “It's not as much pressure as if you were playing for Maryland (winner of the 2006 NCAA Div. I tournament). There's not so much pressure that if you screw up once you're out for a while. I actually would rather it be a smaller school. If you play in, say, the Big Ten Conference, it's a huge school and not as personal as La Salle is.”
Currently, the Explorers' starting goalkeeper will be La Salle senior Ellen Axelsen. However, Ruth feels she may not have to wait until her sophomore year before getting the starting nod.
“I have the potential to start,” said Ruth. “There will be a senior goalie next year, but I'm almost guaranteed to start my sophomore year. If I show potential, they'll put me in over the senior if they feel I'll do a better job. I should be able to start, maybe not right away but towards the middle of the season.”
The Explorers were 7-13 last season. Axelsen was a starter in every game, and recorded three shutouts.
The Northern Polar Bears were 12-8 this last season. Ruth was a starter in every game as well, and the team recorded seven shutouts.
La Salle University is located in Philadelphia, and both Emma and her mother, Donna, are happy with the decision to attend a reasonably close-to-home school. Ruth will be majoring in Economics for International Business with a minor in Spanish.
Statler, Mechanicsburg's fullback this past season, decided to travel this fall for an education after committing to the Div. II Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan.
But, while Hillsdale is almost an eight-hour drive from Mechanicsburg, Statler felt the campus was very much like his hometown.
“When I was (in Hillsdale) for my final visit, the atmosphere of the school really captured me,” said Statler. “I knew it was going to be a place just like home for me. It's a small atmosphere, so everyone kind of knew everyone else.
“I thought, coming from Mechanicsburg that it's something I'm used to. I didn't like all the things associated with big schools; the thousands of people running around doing lots of things at once. I like the calm tranquility of a smaller school.”
The five-foot-nine, 200 pound fullback will be making the transition to H-back for the Hillsdale Chargers, but feels the adjustment won't take long.
“It's going to be a new position for me,” said Statler. “In high school I played fullback, but in college I'll be playing H-back, which is a hybrid of the tight-end and fullback positions. I'll still be using a lot of the same skills I used in high school playing fullback, though.”
Statler said he will enjoy the opportunity to play Div. II football in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), where he will have the chance to play against teams such as last year's Div. II national champion Grand Valley State. However, Statler made it clear that his decision was mostly on an academic basis.
“The average G.P.A. for the incoming football class is a 3.72,” said Statler, who could have attended John Hopkins but instead chose Hillsdale. “That stood out to me. Hillsdale isn't a school that will just take you because you're an athlete, you have to be a student as well.
“We're not going to be professional football players here. It's important to get an education first, and if you can play football on the side, that's great too. It's something I learned from my high school coach (Mechanicsburg head coach Rich Lichtel): it's better to be looking out for your future and your family than living on dreams like that.”
Statler was being recruited by several local schools as well, including Dickinson College. Despite the fact that his father, John, attended Dickinson, John Statler still felt his son made the right choice.
“We were thrilled with his decision,” said John Statler. “We looked at probably 20 or 25 schools over the last two years, and (Hillsdale) was the best fit for him athletically and academically. Even through midget football, all the way through high school, we stressed that academics are paramount (to Jason).”
Statler verbally committed to Hillsdale Feb. 3, and will be commuting from home over the summer to Michigan, where he will take part in some no-pads drills before preseason training begins.
Hillsdale finished 5-6 last season, and placed eighth in the GLIAC.
