High school sports stars prep for college competition

They’ve scored their last goals, fought for the ball in their final face-offs, and sprinted to the finish line of their high school athletic career.  

Now, 15 seniors from Middleboro and Apponequet High Schools are preparing to compete in college. They represent the mere 6% of high school athletes who go on to compete at the collegiate level, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association. 

What they hope to achieve runs the gamut from competing at the Nigerian World Championships to being a good teammate — all while setting themselves up for professional success.  

The next four years is about becoming “a better player, leader and person” for Apponequet senior Abby Bradley, who will be playing Division III lacrosse at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in the fall. Bradley served as Lakers team captain and scored her 200th goal on the field this year. She knows that being a leader sometimes means putting your team’s goals before your own.  

Winning the National Championship would be great, she said, but her overall goal is simple: “All four years, I hope to make an impact on the team.”   

Bradley’s teammate Allison Arruda, who’s committed to playing Division III lacrosse for Worcester State in the fall, has similar aspirations: “I’m not expecting anything crazy next year, I just want to be a good teammate.”  

Middleboro senior Lekan Sotonwa hopes to win Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles in Track and Field and Cross Country as a Delaware State University runner. Not only that, he hopes to compete at the Nigerian Track and Field Championships during his college career.  

Sotonwa, who won a state championship for the mile in track his sophomore year and a bronze medal at the Amateur Athletic Union National Junior Olympics, is the only Middleboro High School student attending a D1 school. 

“I hope to leave a legacy. I am the first person in my family to go D1. I hope to inspire the later generations to also seek opportunities available to them in sports and academics,” he said.  

Some students, like Emma Seaburg, have dreamt of playing in college for as long as they can remember. “I feel proud that I’m actually doing it,” said Seaburg, who’s been kicking a soccer ball down the field since she was three. She will play Division II for Assumption College this year.  

Others didn’t realize they had the talent to play in college until high school. Middleboro senior Natalie Kerstein, who received an offer to play Division III basketball at Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts never thought she would shoot hoops in college. She was cut from her middle school team.  

“I never thought I would be big or strong enough to play in college,” said Kerstein, describing herself as being at one point “undersized and overlooked.” Basketball taught her something critical, however.

“I could dribble. I didn’t need to be big or strong. There were other skills I had that helped me make up for that,” she said,

Whether it’s the fast-paced nature of the game, the sense of commitment, or the sense of accomplishment they get from making a save — each student has their own reason for loving their sport.  

“I couldn’t see myself not playing softball [in college],” noted Ashlee Mastrodomenico, who was recruited to play Division III softball for Dean College next year.  

Mastrodomenico plans to compete in an adult league after college, but most of her peers suspect that after the next four years, they’ll be done competing.  

“Running is a bittersweet sport; there’s not a lot of money. After college, I will probably stop,” noted Sotonwa.   

Still, many want to remain connected to athletics after college, aspiring to become sports agents, physical education teachers, and coaches. Others plan to pursue careers as occupational therapists, pediatricians and business executives.  

They are as committed to their education as they are to athletics. Keene State University in New Hampshire caught Apponequet senior Jennifer Braga’s attention because of its mandate that college students spend at least 20 hours a week in the library.  

“Sports practices and games are organized around that. If I can’t get all my work done during those 20 hours, I will set time aside for myself to work,” noted Braga, who will play Division III lacrosse for the University in the fall.  

Sotonwa knows the bottom line: “It’s always going to be academics over athletics.” 

Here are the 2025 graduates from Middleboro and Apponequet High Schools playing competitive college sports: 

Madelyn Peterson (Middleboro) 

Cole Kelleher (Middleboro) 

Natalie Kerstein (Middleboro) 

Alison Murphy (Middleboro) 

Mia Lee-Bowens (Middleboro) 

Jessica Perry (Middleboro) 

Ashlee Mastrodomenico (Middleboro) 

Lekan Sotonwa (Middleboro) 

Emma Seaberg (Apponequet) 

Allison Arruda (Apponequet) 

Lucas Tremblay (Apponequet) 

Caleigh Venuti (Apponequet) 

Jennifer Braga (Apponequet) 

Jayleigh Howarth (Apponequet) 

Abigail Bradley (Apponequet)