Six DLB athletes take part in Signing Day festivities

N.D. – Each February, the opportunity for outstanding high school athletes to take their game and education to the next level rolls around with the arrival of National Signing Day. On Wednesday, Des Lacs-Burlington High School sent six female student-athletes off to bigger and better things as their high school careers draw closer to their conclusion.

Reese Sys, Ava Wille, Zoey Reed, Addyson Hughes, Brooklyn Benno and Brynley Benno all put pen to paper in the DLB library Wednesday morning, making commitments to three different schools to continue on in their respective sports and chosen career-paths.

While continuing their careers on the field or court is the reason for the gathering, each stressed how big of a factor the future of their education played in their decisions.

Sys, who signed to join the track and field squad at Minot State University, is following in her mother’s footsteps by pursuing accounting. Dealing with math and numbers is something she enjoys doing, and she brings prior knowledge of the subject from watching and learning from her mom.

Taking this into consideration, she believes she can excel in her studies, and is excited to take the next step on the field. She also looks fondly upon her time at Des Lacs-Burlington while noting her understandable disappointment regarding lost time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Track has been limited because we didn’t get it last year,” she recalled. “But it’s been very sentimental and it means a lot to me to have my friends be with me all the time and having that support.”

Wille, a volleyball player planning to take her talents to Valley City State University, described the opportunity as a realization of a lifelong dream to attend college and play sports. She knew this was the right spot from the moment she stepped foot on campus.

“The campus itself is so pretty, and the coaches and the team that are there now are great,” she reasoned. “I just felt really welcomed when I was there. Academic-wise, it’s a perfect fit for me, so it was a great opportunity.”

She will continue her education with the Vikings as a health science major, and said the university’s department in that area aligns with what she wants to accomplish as a new pupil.

Reed, who signed with the Beavers to continue playing volleyball, noted her great feeling of accomplishment that the big day had finally arrived.

She is excited to join a school she’s heard great things about from others, and cited the proximity to home as one of the deciding factors in her choice. Reed will go on to study to become a social worker, or perhaps go into nursing. She has a passion for working with kids, and can’t wait to get started.

Hughes, the third Lakers student-athlete to sign on for volleyball, will join Reed and Sys at Minot State. She could hardly contain her elation to make the commitment.

“It’s really exciting, I’ve worked my whole volleyball career to get to this point, so it’s exciting to see it pay off,” she said.

The future biology-major will also follow in a family member’s trail.

“My uncle is an eye doctor, and that’s also what I want to be,” she added. “Taking the first step to go to Minot State, and then following my career somewhere else after the four years there will be exciting.”

Brooklyn Benno and her cousin, Brynley, will both join the softball team at Bismarck State College. Not unlike Wille, Brooklyn fulfilled a lifelong goal when she signed with the Mystics.

“It’s a great feeling, the goal since the very beginning, has been to get to college ball,” she said. “All the support I have here with teachers, coaches, parents and family, it’s overwhelming. It’s a great feeling.”

She will study occupational therapy at Bismarck State, following her mother’s example at a school that “checked all the boxes.”

“It’s a great way for me to follow my passion working with kids and working with people who need that extra help, and I just felt that was where I was meant to be,” Brooklyn said.

Brynley, unable to attend the event in person out of an abundance of caution due to COVID-19, still made a virtual appearance to discuss her decision.

“It’s always been a big dream of mine to play since we didn’t get a season last year,” she said. “It just made me want to play more, because I didn’t get those opportunities in high school.”

She also made sure to bring up the impact her coaches had on her both on and off the diamond. Even through the offseason, she said, she will always have their support no matter what.

Such a sentiment was not uncommon, as all six student-athletes had nothing but glowing remarks for their experiences at Des Lacs-Burlington. They will now use what they have learned with the Lakers to aid them in their new endeavors, each stepping into a new world with a village in their corner.

Six DLB athletes take part in Signing Day festivities

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Six DLB athletes take part in Signing Day festivities

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