GOLF – GONZAGA

One of the Bowie Bulldog commits is senior golfer Michael Vienneau. Vienneau is currently the top golfer at Bowie. Vienneau chose Gonzaga over North Carolina State, the University of Nevada, and Seton Hall University.

“I chose Gonzaga because of the coaching staff and because I already knew some of the players,” Vienneau said. “I also really liked the athletic and golfing facilities on campus.”

Vienneau had high hopes to commit to a competitive university. He was overjoyed when he finally was able to secure his dream.

“I was excited about the whole thing,” Vienneau said. “It was stressful because I had to make a big choice, but in the end, I am super excited it worked out.”

Vienneau has always had a passion for golf since the young age of seven. He started getting serious at 11 when he started playing in competitive tournaments and has loved it since.

“I love golf because it is a really fun thing to do,” Vienneau said. “I play with a lot of my friends, and I enjoy how my dad likes to watch me.”

Even though Vienneau is now committed to a Division One college, that doesn’t mean he can start slacking off. Vienneau believes that you always need to keep pushing to be the best.

“The sport pushes you to always keep improving and upgrading your game,” Vienneau said. “If you don’t practice, you get worse really quickly.”

According to Bowie golf coach Karl Lauer, Vienneau is always putting in his best efforts. He describes Vienneau’s exemplary work ethic.

“Not only does Michael work hard in Bowie practices, but he puts in countless hours outside of them as well,” Lauer said. “He is on the course multiple times per week and plays in numerous tournaments in addition to the ones we play as a team for Bowie.”

Vienneau isn’t like the average golfer, he stands out from the red. Lauer expressed how Vienneau differs himself from the rest of the players.

“Michael has a great grasp of how to not get inside his head and to stay calm” Lauer said. “This is something that many golfers struggle with.” 

VOLLEYBALL – UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

The Bowie Bulldog volleyball team does not lack talent. With the presence of senior middle Simone Baskin, who is committed to the University of Miami, the team succeeds. 

Baskin has known that she wanted to play college volleyball since she was twelve. She remembers the moment when she finally realized volleyball was her passion.

“Watching the older girls practice when I was young and seeing how hard they would hit, how high they would jump, and how much fun they were having did it for me,” Baskin said. “I just knew seeing it in their faces that this is what I wanted to do.”

Since Baskin knew she wanted to play collegiately, she had to decide where to continue volleyball. She wanted a college that was going to be competitive for volleyball.

“When I went on my visit to Miami everyone was excited and the connection was good,” Baskin said. “They did pretty well in their last season so I knew I’d be going to a program that was competitive and can get to the NCAA tournament.”

To commit to a top Division One college, the athlete needs to be able to stand out on and off the court. Bowie volleyball coach Ashlea McGill describes Baskin’s strengths and dedication to volleyball and away from the sport.

“Baskin’s power and strength is evident on the court. She hits the ball with such power and is one of the best blockers in the area,” McGill said. “Off the court, Baskin is a leader within the Bowie community. She is involved in many activities all while being a top student in the senior class.  

A characteristic of a great athlete is leadership. Coach McGill outlines how Baskin pushed herself and the team to succeed on the court.

“Baskin is a leader through both her work ethic and being a voice on and off the court,” McGill said. “She leads by example by working hard in practice. She encourages her teammates, helps them when they it, and holds them accountable.”

Before Baskin heads off to college to start her new journey, she has to finish her last high school season. She is looking forward to ending this senior season on a high note.

“I would love to make the playoffs and win out for the rest of the season,” Baskin said. “I want a good final run with the team and for me to reach 1000 kills.” 

SOCCER – UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS EL PASO

Bowie girls soccer is stacked with talents and upcoming potential. Ava Grosso leads the way with her Division One commitment to the University of Texas-El Paso.

Grosso has been playing soccer since she was a young girl. She speaks of her biggest supporters that have kept her motivated to continue the sport she loves.

“My biggest support system is definitely my parents,” Grosso said. “They’ve always supported me through my soccer career and just everything.”

Most athletes know from a young age if they want to continue their talents throughout high school and college, and it is no different for Grosso. She explains how she knew that soccer was what she wanted to dedicate her life to.

“I have wanted to play soccer my entire life, like ever since I started playing for Lonestar Junior Academy,” Grosso said. “It always has been the plan to play in college and at first it wasn’t super achievable but then I reached my goal.”

It is a lot of effort and work to be able to carry on with a sport in university. Grosso has been working extremely hard and she describes how she was able to commit to such a top university. “I spent a lot of time throughout my entire life playing soccer,” Grosso said. “I currently play on three teams right now, high school and then two club teams.”

On top of working hard and striving to do her best, Grosso also helps the team succeed as much as possible. Senior soccer teammate Ava Singhurst praises Grosso for her dedication to the team.

“Ava is always positive and keeps everyone’s mentality up and productive,” Singhurst said. “She is always making sure everyone is okay and healthy and ready to play.”

Grosso is a standout star on the Bowie girls soccer team. She is always putting in her best efforts. Singhurst explains how Grosso is different from the rest of the team.

“She cares just as much about her team and the people around her as she does the game,” Singhurst said. “It makes her really likable to the entire team and she is really inspiring and everyone loves her.”

ROWING – UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

One sport not known very conventionally is the art of rowing. However, Bowie hosts one of the most talented rowers in the country. Senior Olivia Branch committed to the University of Texas at Austin. 

Most rowers start when they are young, but for Branch she got introduced to rowing in a unique way. She elaborated on how she got into the sport.

“My friend did rowing and they had a ‘bring a friend to rowing’ day and she ended up bringing me,” Branch said. “After that day the coaches kept telling me to start coming to actual rowing practice and I ended up loving it.” 

Since that day when Branch started rowing, Texas has been her number one school to go to. Texas is currently the top school in the country for rowing.

“Texas has always been my dream school. My great-grandparents went there, my grandparents went there, and my parents went there,” Branch said. “As well, the rowing team was a big part of the reason I wanted to go there, they were always a big inspiration to me.”

Mentality is a big part of an athlete’s life. Having a good mentality and strong surrounding group in ones sport can help one succeed.

“I feel like I have a lot of internal motivation to push myself to the extremes because I want to see what I am capable of,” Branch said. “The team that I am on right now is a really great support system. We all push each other because the faster each individual is, the faster we go.” 

Lots of times teams are split up once everyone goes to college but that is not the case for Branch. She stated how one of her closest friends is going to Texas and her excitement over it.

“I am super excited to be on the team and be able to use all the resources and the coaching,” Branch said. “I am also excited because one of my best friends is also recruited to Texas with me.”

Despite having her best friend along with her in her commitment process, Branch recollects her emotions during that time. She described her feelings while committing.

“It was definitely a little scary. I had to get used to talking to adults and coaches,” Branch said. “I got better at it and got used to it.” 

SOFTBALL – UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

Bowie has a strong softball program, which includes junior Josie Busceme. Busceme has committed to the University of Texas at Austin. Busceme has always wanted to be a Longhorn from a young age.

“There were other schools but it was always Texas from the beginning,” Busceme said. “Since I was little it has been my dream school because of the culture and the atmosphere there.”

Busceme has been playing softball since she was very young. She credits her friend as the one who provoked her love for the sport.

“I started because one of my friends in second grade started playing,” Busceme said. “She was my best friend so I thought it would be fun to join her and play with her. I really liked it so I decided to continue playing.”

Busceme always has a high work ethic and strives to continue to improve. She explains what pushes her to succeed and get better. 

“I think having other competition and knowing there is someone better than you pushes me,” Busceme said. “I always want to be the best so the people around push me to succeed.”

Busceme knows that college is going to be difficult and strenuous but she also knows that she will have lots of fun and will improve a lot. She is looking forward to playing all the good teams that Texas will be matched up against.

“I am excited about the competition which is going to be a good competition,” Busceme said. “I am wanting to win a lot and I am just excited for this next step along with making new friends. I am also excited about the college culture and atmosphere.”

To be able to fight hard against top notch competition one needs a strong work ethic. Bowie softball coach Elizabeth Wissel praises how determined and dedicated Busceme is.

“Josie works very hard. She has since she was a freshman,” Wissel said. “The work that she puts in outside of practice, on her own time, shows up in her game. This is a big reason for her success.” 

SOFTBALL – TEXAS STATE

Not only is Josie a softball star, so is senior Valeria Feeney who is committed to Texas State. Feeney revealed the reasons that she chose Texas State to host her for the next four years of college.

“I chose Texas State because their softball program is really good, for the past four years they’ve been ranked as a top-20 team in the country,” Feeney said. “It also has the best campus in Texas along with it being close to home and I like the coach and players.”

For an athlete to play a sport in college they need to love the sport they play. Feeney absolutely loves playing softball. She illustrates why she enjoys the sport so greatly. 

“Since softball is such a low success rate sport, when you do well it feels amazing to celebrate with your teammates.” Feeney said. “There is a lot of competition out there and it is especially special when we beat good teams.”

Playing a sport might be exciting and exhilarating for some, however the journey of the commitment process can be daunting and scary. Feeney reflected on how her road to committing went.

“It was definitely a long road, when the coaches come to your game it is a lot of pressure,” Feeney said. “I play on a team where there are power four coaches at basically every tournament and watching us play”

After completing the gruesome process of committing Feeney has now become very excited for her college experience. She described what she is looking forward to.

“I want to win a lot of games while playing softball and show that it doesn’t have to be a power four school to be a great softball school,” Feeney said. “I think it is super important and exciting to just have fun playing softball.”

Feeney is always striving to make herself and the team better. Coach McGill points out how she helps the team dominate.

“Valeria pushes her teammates by example. She is a clutch player and wants to win at all costs,” McGill said. “She pushes them to be better and will pick up her teammates when they need it.” 

SWIM – UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

Junior swimmer Rowan Cox is another future Longhorn. Cox competed in the U.S. Olympics trials this past summer and is committed to the top swim university, the University of Texas.

Cox is one of the best swimmers in the entire country so it is no surprise he has decided to continue his swimming voyage as a Texas Longhorn. He explained the  reasons as to why he chose the longhorns to be his next home.

“Texas has a really historic swimming program with many national championship titles,” Cox said. “The coach is one of the most famous coaches of all time and the facilities at Texas are way nicer than anywhere else.”

One cannot only succeed alone, they need their special people surrounding them. Cox said his supporters were his team, his family, and his friends because they propel him to do his best.

“My biggest supporters are definitely my teams, my club team and the team here at Bowie are amazing,” Cox said. “My family and friends outside of swimming also are great supporters of my swim career.”

Swimming has always been Cox’s passion since his youth. He has always had this dream of being able to continue his talents in college.

“I have always wanted to swim in college,” Cox said. “Although I didn’t necessarily know where I wanted to swim till I got on the campus at UT and it was amazing.”

Cox’s effort is nothing short of lengthy. He practices constantly over the week and always puts in maximum effort. He knows he has to keep this up in college to succeed with the team.

“I practice about 15-20 hours per week and I have been swimming for six years,” Cox said. “I am going to continue what I am doing and I will be with the team and we’ll be working together.”