In a school that has won over 120 state championships, many students arrive at CHS with the intention to participate in athletics and continue partaking in sports beyond their high school career, more specifically, college.
Seniors Elliot Shebek and Megan Rauh both have committed to playing sports in college.
Shebek has committed to DePauw University to play baseball. He said playing college baseball has always been a plan for him.
Rauh has committed to Auburn University in Alabama for equestrianism. Unlike Shebek, she said she did not know until her sophomore year of high school that she wanted to do so.
“I started riding when I was eight, just taking lessons. Then I started showing through fourth (grade) and now nationally through the AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) circuit,” Rauh said.
According to Shebek, he has been playing baseball for as long as he can remember and said he started around the age of five.
“It’s taken lots of work, countless hours of training, but (playing in college) has always been the goal,” Shebek said.
Athletic Director Jim Inskeep said playing sports in college is often a goal of many student athletes; however, the number of students who receive scholarships from schools is not as large as most may think for a school like Carmel.
“The numbers are probably not as high as most would think. There are not that many Division 1 scholarships available, and when you break that down into individual sports, that number gets a little bit lower. Looking at our sports, the highest percentage is from our swimming programs, girls being number one and boys being number two,” Inskeep said. “From there, there are a variety of different sports: women’s soccer has a high number of Division 1 commits, our boy’s soccer kids don’t have as high of a number, mainly because there are a lot of boys that play for the developmental academy that don’t play high school soccer and then they decide on a Division 1 scholarship.”
Inskeep and Shebek both said an important part in the process of picking schools involving sports is picking a school that both goes with the sport and what takes place after college.
“I had many offers from around the Midwest, but after many months of talking to family, we felt (DePauw) was the best school for me,” Shebek said.
Rauh said she visited a few schools to find the one that best fit her.
“I visited a few schools that have equestrian as a sport, and I quickly realized how great of an opportunity it would be to sign with a school, an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,” Rauh said.
According to Inskeep, it is important to look past the college years in the sport and what comes after college.
Rauh said she will be training over the summer, as well as the rest of the academic year, to prepare.
Rauh said, “I’m mostly excited, especially for the new people I’m going to meet, the warm weather and to experience a new part of the country. I’m also nervous about being 10 hours away from my friends and family.”
Shebek said leaving Carmel and going to DePauw will be different; however, he said he is excited and ready for this change.
According to Shebek, he will be practicing and training during the summer.
“I’ve always dreamed about it as a kid. I’m very grateful that I get to play the greatest game for at least four more years,” Shebek said.
According to Inskeep, coming out of Carmel can be a large change for many students.
“There’s a lot more publicity that goes into going to a larger school for college, but that’s not always the best fit for the student,” Inskeep said. “To me, if they’re going to a school for sports, then I hope they’re going because it’s a great opportunity that they’re going to be able to play somewhere and planning for their futures.”