While it may seem like just a high school sport, soccer has been full of important and rewarding experiences for Sydney Amaditz. The current PGHS senior committed to play Division III soccer at Middlebury College in Vermont this fall, but her soccer journey began long before that. Having played for the past twelve years as goalkeeper for a number of different teams, she’s been consistently dedicated to honing her competitive skills. Along with the Breakers, Amaditz has played for Monterey Surf and Modesto Ajax, two impressive youth teams focused on developing skilled players like her. She explained that Ajax specifically was a way for her to get college coaches at games and compete in a larger league. While travel teams were a critical step in recruitment, Amaditz said her participation in identification (ID) camps was the catalyst for getting her offer. These camps were multiple day player exhibitions that took place both in California and on the east coast for talented high schoolers. Dozens of college coaches would show up to connect with young players for their programs. Middlebury coaches attended multiple of these, and initially connected with Amaditz at an east coast camp.
The development and showcase process was an involved part of her recruitment, but so was Amaditz’s choice and connection with colleges. She explained that she began to see college competition as a possibility once she made it to high school, but there was a lot to take into account. “For Division 1 recruitment, you generally begin talking to colleges in your late freshman to early sophomore year”, explains Amaditz, “so that was never really on my radar”. With D1 off the table, she narrowed down her choices from both academic and athletic qualities. A small, liberal arts education was appealing to Amaditz, and she decided on pursuing the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) league from there. After many emails and calls with coaches, she had two potential offers: Middlebury and Haverford, a Pennsylvania college. Ultimately preferring the location and culture, she accepted the position at Middlebury.
Amaditz is now in the process of applying early decision and finalizing her application. It marks the last step in her twelve year journey, but the first of her next four. With her dedication and drive, Amaditz will surely be successful in her collegiate career. While she’s already excited about “the built-in sports community [she’ll] have” at Middlebury, Amaditz still has her final high school season ahead of her, and is looking forward to a great last run.
