On Wednesday, March 2, 2016, Hatboro-Horsham senior Maddie Slemmer was recognized for signing a letter of intent to play soccer at Chestnut Hill College. To view photos of the signing event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Maddie Slemmer – Chestnut Hill College (Soccer)
Major: Chemistry
Final list of colleges: Chestnut Hill, Penn State-Abington, Philadelphia University, Ursinus
Reasons for choosing Chestnut Hill: “It was the overall atmosphere when I went there – the feel of the school is small since it’s a private school with only about 2,000 kids. It felt comfortable for me to be able to know my professors and know the team. The way the team played together was very comfortable to be around.”
What was the progression that led you to playing soccer at the collegiate level? “I’ve always known that I wanted to further soccer, and I wanted to get as far as I possibly could. Last year I realized – I cannot stop soccer, I just had to keep going with it, so I decided that I wanted to play in college. I reached out, and I had a lot of responses from coaches in a positive way, and it made my decision easier.”
Coach Ike Onyeador says: “The things that stand out about Maddie are her tenacity and her intensity. She had a real knack for what we call ‘last-ditch tackles’ and just being in the right place at the right time and being able to give us a little bit of stability in the back line and help us out in that way.
“When you have players like Maddie who demonstrate that kind of drive and intensity that you’re looking for, the hope is that it usually becomes contagious, and others around it are inspired by it and start to play the same way.
“The reality is this is a big deal. When you’re going through the whole process – playing club soccer, playing in high school, for a lot of people, it ends. If you look at statistics, most people don’t get a chance to do this and pursue their dreams at a higher level. It’s a rare occurrence, and it’s a big deal. Hopefully, this shows her teammates that if you want to be able to play at the next level, you can achieve that. It’s just a matter of working hard and deciding it’s something you want to do.
“We’re very proud of what (Maddie) has been able to accomplish and what it means to the program and what it means going forward.”
About Maddie:
Favorite food: Lobster
Favorite movie: Just Friends
Favorite music: 21 Pilots
- Log in to post comments
