This is a story in a series on local high school athletes signing to continue their athletic and academic careers at the next level.
Apollo’s Natalie Estes is taking talents on the tennis court just across town as she’ll be suiting up for the Bearcats next season.
Estes went 1-1 this week in the 3rd Region Girls Doubles Tennis Tournament this week at the Owensboro Tennis Center.
How does it feel to finally know where you’re going to attend next year and to make it official?
Knowing that I have finally committed to Brescia this fall is a big relief. It is one thing to say you are going somewhere, but it is another to finally have the feeling of it being official. I love knowing this next step in my life is going to be very memorable and nothing but the best decision. In the beginning, having multiple offers from different sports and colleges became stressful, but as time went forward, I am more than happy to make this final.
Why did you choose the school you did?
I chose Brescia because of multiple reasons. The biggest thing that stood out to me was how eager everyone was to make me feel welcome and to answer all of my questions. It has been a smooth ride of making Brescia my college this fall. On top of that, with Brescia having a small class size, I knew I would get to know my teachers on a personal level and find the help easily when I needed it.
What stood out about the program and the coaches?
What stood out to me about the tennis program and the coaches is that Coach Riley is all about putting academics first. Not only am I going to college for sports, but also for academics. It is wonderful to know you have a coach that is going to want you to excel in both academics and athletics. That being said, he is amazing with keeping me in touch with what is going on and is eager to know how each of his players is doing.
What are you going to study?
I plan on studying communication sciences and disorders at Brescia where I plan to become a speech-language pathologist.
What are you going to miss about your team and school?
Apollo High School will always have a special place in my heart. I am going to miss all the great friends I have made, the memories, and all the coaches I have had through numerous sports at Apollo. Everyone has pushed me to be able to live out this dream and I couldn’t think everyone enough. My teammates have also given me some good challenges to help me improve and get to this point, they always make practice fun and I know they will go to great places in life. I would also like to thank Coach Janie and Rodney Dame for being amazing coaches since I started playing in eightth grade.
