Taking the next step

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Kelsey Mitchell, a Woodland graduate, runs in a cross country meet during her freshman season at the University of New Haven. -UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN ATHLETICS/CLARUS STUDIOS

There are no guarantees in the pursuit of athletic excellence. Athletes must rely on their own effort, determination and hard work, especially when making the leap from high school to collegiate athletics.

Tyler Collodel showed what determination can achieve as a freshman on the Post University basketball team. The criminal justice major and former Woodland point guard received a tryout and made the most of his opportunity.

“Post gave me a chance,” said Collodel, who started at point guard for two years at Woodland, leading the team in assists and steals. “To be given the opportunity to try out and then be told you made the team as a walk-on was surreal. I played on the junior varsity team and have worked on my game and will get an opportunity this season to play on the varsity.”

Track and cross country is all about effort, and several local freshmen made their mark on the collegiate scene.

Fejiro Onakpoma, the former All-State and All-New England champion at Naugatuck High, finished fifth in the triple jump at the North East 10 championship as a productive member of the Southern Connecticut State University track team.

Adjusting to the college speed can take some time.

“It was certainly an adjustment,” said Kelsey Mitchell, the former cross country runner at Woodland who ran for the University of New Haven. “Going from high school where I was always in the top pack of runners to Division II where there are so many great athletes I had to learn how to compete at that level.”

Mitchell will be transferring to Merrimack College in the fall where fellow former Hawk, Brian Sardinskas, competed in four cross country meets as a freshman.

Adjustments also must be made in the classroom.

“Being a pre-med student, I think the biggest challenge in my first year as a collegiate athlete was time management,” said Jackie Aronin, the All-NVL and All-State outfielder at Naugatuck High who started 25 games for Utica College and batted. 293 as a freshman.

A lot of hard work goes into competing at the next level and making the grade. The results of Aronin’s first year at Utica College showed what hard work can achieve.

“I just went into the season with the mindset that I had to prove everyday why I deserved to be there,” Aronin said.

Aronin missed two weeks due to a concussion, but when she came back there was a familiar face across the field: her good friend, Cam Caswell.

Caswell, who played three sports at Woodland, made a good first impression playing softball for the RPI Engineers. She was named to the All-Liberty League second team, started all 41 games, batted .298 and was second on the team in runs and RBIs.

She tore her rotator cuff and labrum in December, but through hard work became a viable member for the Liberty League champions.

“There was no way I was going to miss my first season,” Caswell said. “I think the biggest challenge was getting used to the coaching expectations.”

Making the grade at the collegiate level can be a process, and several other athletes have their sights set on making their mark.

Former Woodland All-State quarterback Tanner Kingsley spent his first season for the Central Connecticut Blue Devils as a red-shirt freshman along with former Naugatuck running back Matt Harris.

Tyler Boisvert, a Woodland graduate, was 2-2 in 11 games pitched for the Post University Eagles and will be looking to make an even bigger impact next season.

Alexa Casimiro made an impact as a freshman on the biggest stage.

Casimiro, the former Woodland All-NVL and All-State midfielder, played in 21 games with 12 starts for the UConn Huskies women’s soccer team, which finished ranked 18th in the country. She scored two goals for the Huskies (19-3-1).

“I didn’t really expect to get a lot of playing time as a freshman,” Casimiro said. “But by the second half of the season I was starting. My freshman season was so much fun, and I’m looking forward to this upcoming season.”