BUCKHANNON – Three senior Buccaneers will continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level.
Last month, Laikelyn Leggett, Zachary Barcus and McKenzie Reynolds signed on to their chosen colleges during a March 10 signing ceremony at Buckhannon-Upshur High School.
Leggett has played soccer since she was three and decided to continue at Alderson Broaddus University.
“I like being able to travel everywhere, seeing new things, meeting new people throughout, and of course, I like seeing how far we can go – that’s what I love about it,” Leggett said. “I’m just happy I don’t have to give it up. I would miss it, so now I can have four more years, and then I’ll see where my life actually takes me.”
Barcus signed on to the track and field team at Salem University, where he clicked with the coaching staff clicked. Plus, it’s not too far from home, he said.
“I got really interested in the coaching staff, and I feel like the environment there would be a lot better suited for me than other schools,” Barcus said. “It’s also not too far which means a lot to me because my parents are one of my biggest supporters, and it’s important to me, to have them there.”
Barcus said he appreciated the competition in track, and he encouraged high school athletes to work hard if they also want to make it to the collegiate level.
“I love being able to run, knowing the person next to me wants to win just as much as I do,” Barcus said. “The best advice I can give is to get in the weight room early, stick with it throughout high school and get yourself a great coaching staff. If it wasn’t for the coaching staff, I never would have made it this far.”
Reynolds decided to play volleyball at Glenville State because it felt like another home.
“I think it was when we went on a tour for school,” she said. “When we went there and I noticed how it was close to home but it wasn’t too close, it was a small school and I know there’s a lot of kids from Buckhannon that went there, so it kind of just felt like another home,” Reynolds said.
She said her teammates at B-UHS were always close, and they helped each other reach their goals.
“It was always like a family – we were always there for each other, even though we weren’t the greatest team out there, we were always there for each other and always supportive,” Reynolds said.
