Sounders Academy Players Commit To Colleges

by Dave Clark on Feb 2, 2012 12:00 PM PST in Puget Sound College Soccer

Aaron Kovar Will Take His Skills To Stanford (photo courtesy Chris Coulter / SoundersPhotos)

Last season, Seattle Sounders Academy players seemed scattered around the country, with only a handful local. This year, there are many more in the Greater Puget Sound, with three each committed to the University of Washington (Coach Jamie Clark), Seattle University (Coach Pete Fewing) and Western Washington (Coach Travis Connell). Talking to Academy Technical Director and Sounders U-23 Coach Darren Sawatzky, that could shift, as a few players are still undecided.

There's probably about four more guys that, within the next two weeks, will announce and add them to the list. A couple of them will go out of state, as well. It seemed a little scattered last year, but in reality, once that entire senior class chooses the schools they want to attend, we'll have a pretty good scattering again this year.

At this point there are 14 commits; here they are ordered alphabetically by school:

Bucknell: Jesse Klug

Denver: Jordan Schweitzer

San Diego State: Keenan Townsend

Seattle University: Joe Mancini, Justin Solomon, Austin Sweeney

Stanford: Aaron Kovar

University of Washington: Dom Dismuke, Michael Gallagher, Ian Lange

West Virginia: Nick Raskasky

Western Washington: Austin Curtis, Kurtis Pederson, Sawyer Preston

For those interested in tracking Academy Alumni, it will be much easier this season, and not just because of the new Sounders U-23s.

Below the fold you will find the UW Women's Soccer Commits and when their Men's side is finished (they are also waiting on a few players) that will be added.

Isabel Farrell, Midfielder, Interlake HS, Bellevue, WA

McKenzie "Jammer" Karas, Defender, Arbor View HS, Las Vegas, NV

Allyson Brahs, Defender/Midfielder, Corona del Mar HS, Newport Beach, CA

Falon Miller, Forward, Arbor View HS, Las Vegas, NV

Victoria Burns, Goalkeeper, Bishop O'Dowd High School, Oakland, CA

Berkley Gamble, Defense/Midfielder, Fairview HS, Boulder, CO

Charlotte "Charlee" Garcia, Midfielder/Defender, Amador Valley HS, Pleasanton, CA

Katey Fawcett, Defender, Mission Viejo HS, Mission Viejo, CA

For more details on the UW women's team you can check their website with comments from Coach Lesle Gallimore about each player.

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Keenan Townsend

Goal Keeper Keenan Townsend should be added: San Diego State University

by coulterchris on Feb 2, 2012 12:08 PM PST reply actions

This would be a more interesting exercise if the players also chose to reveal their expected major

by ubelmann on Feb 2, 2012 12:18 PM PST reply actions

why?

majors tend not to be declared prior to enrollment

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
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by Dave Clark on Feb 2, 2012 12:19 PM PST via Android app up reply actions

It would just be fun to know

Obviously it wouldn’t need to be declared, but some of the players probably have an idea. It’s not like they’d be held to it or anything, but it’s really easy for me to be cynical about collegiate athletics this time of year, and the more mention that academics got, the better I’d feel about it.

by ubelmann on Feb 2, 2012 12:25 PM PST up reply actions

I just think back to my various majors

As a freshman – undeclared, leaned international relations
As a sophomore – broacasting
As a junior – Middle Eastern Studies

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
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by Dave Clark on Feb 2, 2012 1:04 PM PST up reply actions

I started off as...

…CS/Math/Physics, thought about dropping physics, was talked into keeping it by a counselor, dropped CS after my freshman year, and eventually went on to grad school in physics. My experience, coming from a small high school, was that I probably should have spent more time thinking about what I would major in before I even got to college. And of course, I repeated this mistake going to grad school, not thinking enough about what sub-field of physics I would want to study before getting to grad school.

by ubelmann on Feb 2, 2012 1:14 PM PST up reply actions

I disagree

I know so many people who knew exactly what they wanted to be all through high school and changed their minds in college. I myself am a CS major turned ChemE turned Chef. I worked through high school as a software engineer and still decided it wasn’t for me.

by Derek R on Feb 2, 2012 10:58 PM PST up reply actions

I think you're misunderstanding my point

My point is that people should be exposed to more options, and what choosing those options would really mean, before they make the leap to the next level. I think a big reason why people change so often is that they have made a choice without being presented many of the alternatives. Even then, I’m not suggesting that there wouldn’t be people who changed their minds, but people would be making decisions with more information in hand, which I think is a very good thing.

For instance, I have some friends who did graduate Bioengineering, and before you ultimately choose your research group, they have you rotate through a few different groups to get an idea of what it would be like to be in those groups. That sort of exposure to the different options, even on a smaller scale, seems to be really helpful to people I know who have been through it.

by ubelmann on Feb 3, 2012 12:13 PM PST up reply actions

I know there are schools where you aren't allowed to declare a major until after sophomore year

which means that engineering and hard sciences wind up taking much longer, but the individual has a better idea of what their options are.

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart | Follow Dave on Twitter @bedirthan

by Dave Clark on Feb 3, 2012 1:47 PM PST up reply actions

For what it’s worth, Kovar had been planning on going pre-med. Not sure how far he’ll get with that as barring injury, he’ll be playing professionally somewhere in the next few years.

by coulterchris on Feb 2, 2012 12:20 PM PST up reply actions