MORGANTOWN — It’s not often you get to live out a childhood dream — University senior Stephanie Chmiel was lucky enough to earn the chance.
The soccer standout — who played a pivotal role for a program which won a state championship in 2016 — spent her youth following the West Virginia women’s soccer program. She had aspirations of one day being in the position of the Mountaineer greats she admired. On Wednesday, Chmiel made those hopes reality as she signed her National Letter of Intent to play for WVU in college.
“Being from Morgantown, I grew up watching the program,” she said. “The opportunity to play for WVU and be a part of that atmosphere I saw from the stands, that was a major part of my decision. From the players to the coaching staff, I knew this was where I wanted to play the next four years playing soccer.
“It’s so exciting, and I can’t wait to start. As soon as I graduate from high school, I want to be on the field training and being a part of that atmosphere.”
University girls’ soccer co-coach Graham Peace expects Chmiel to be a perfect fit for the program, which runs a 4-4-3 formation that gels with the soccer player’s style of play.
“As a defender, she wins balls without giving up fouls, and she’s excellent at passing out of the back and developing play out of the back,” Peace said. “She can build plays out the back, which is unusual for a high school player.”
Chmiel also brings experience in the formation to the table for the Mountaineers, which should prove helpful in making the transition to the college level.
“I’m a defender at heart, and the 4-3-3 is exactly what my club team plays,” she said. “Growing up playing in that formation will help me easily fit into the backline at WVU.”
A second critical piece to the Hawks’ recent successes on the pitch was senior Ari Christiansen. She also chose to stay close to home Wednesday as she made her decision to attend Fairmont State University.
“I don’t think we’ve had a player I’ve seen here with the technical skills of Ari,” Peace said. “Her technical ability, understanding of the game and speed of play is at a level you just don’t see at high school soccer. She’s a player I think that can step in and help Fairmont right away.”
Christiansen chose the program because she feels Fairmont State coach Brandon Heembrock’s hopes for the program align with her goals.
Other Division-I signees
Seniors Evan Parow and Amir Richardson caused havoc for opposing West Virginia defenders, and now the pair will look to represent their home state on the national level at different institutions.
Richardson — less than two weeks after having a scholarship offer pulled from WVU — officially committed to play wide receiver at Marshall.
“It was all the genuine support they gave to me after everything went down,” Richardson said. “I felt I owed it to them to go to a school that they really wanted me to be at and where I wanted to be.”
Parow, meanwhile, intends to attend WVU as a preferred walk-on at receiver. He caught the interest of the Mountaineers after a breakout senior season, during which he earned the Randy Moss Award for the state’s best receiver.
“Going into the season, I had an offer at the D-II level, but there was no real thought of me playing Division I, Power Five football,” Parow said. “When I started talking to WVU, it opened my eyes up a bit more that I could do this.”
Joining Parow on the gridiron will be teammate Ben Gribble, who also accepted a preferred walk-on spot for the Mountaineers. Also attending WVU will be Hawks’ swimmer Jacqueline McCutchan and soccer standout Joseph Biafora. Distance runner Nathaniel Edwards rounds out the
Division I recruiting class at University —signing on to run at UNC-Asheville.
Division-II signees
Lauren Huggins doesn’t consider herself a historian by any means, but she did once take a Civil War class. One thing she may have learned was that one of the first battles of that war was fought on West Virginia soil, in the city of Philippi.
If she didn’t know before, she’ll likely hear about it at her new home, where they have a plaque commemorating the battle. Huggins announced Wednesday her decision to attend Alderson Broaddus University to continue her volleyball career.
“I visited a lot of schools, but AB was a lot more welcoming than the others,” Huggins said. “I got along with the girls well, and I could see when I got there I can make an impact right away.”
Joining Huggins and Christiansen in-state at the Division II level is grappler Jacob Simpson — who will attend West Liberty University to further his career on the mat.
