“I have had a love for sports for as long as I can remember. Since I was born, I was attending my brothers’ games as all of them played 2-3 sports in high school,” said senior Jaqueline Zacharias who recently signed with Elon College for track and field. 

She chose Elon because she will be able to continue her athletic career while still receiving an education that will challenge her and set her up for a successful future. 

“The coaching staff was also so welcoming and made it apparent that I am a student first and an athlete second. Though it will be tough to manage, I know Elon will be a place where I will be supported and prepared for my future,” said Zacharias. 

Zacharias will also be following in the footsteps of her five older brothers. It will be an interesting opportunity to set herself apart from her brothers as they all played baseball. 

“Getting to showcase a new sport in my family is an opportunity I am looking forward to. And even though the sports are so different, I still know I can count on my brothers for advice when it comes to athletics and balancing that with college life,” she said. 

She looks up to her brothers so much, and they spurred her to get involved with athletics as soon as she could. 

“I probably learned to throw a ball before I could even walk,” the athlete shared. 

When she was growing up, sports was just the way her family connected. 

Zacharias had a short-lived soccer career in first and second grade and then began softball in third grade as well as basketball. Following that, she began volleyball in fifth grade and track in sixth grade. Since then she stuck with volleyball and track and kept up with softball until her final club softball season this past summer.

She wants to “continue and develop into a better version of herself.” 

She plans to face her challenges throughout the next four years and hopes to learn from them. She also hopes to form lifelong friendships over her college days.

Sports have built her and made her the individual she is today.

“Now that I am the only one left competing in athletics out of my siblings, I feel a responsibility to keep that tradition alive and inspire that love in the nieces and nephew,” said the Elon-bound senior.