Today, October 20, is NJCAA Day. This is the day we recognize our student-athletes for their dedication to junior college athletics and their education. The theme this year is “The Journey Begins Here.” This theme will center around highlighting the amazing accomplishments of NJCAA student-athletes, coaches and administrators on and off the playing surfaces.
Some student-athletes have shared their stories about their personal journeys to junior college athletics and how they ended up at FTCC.
Kylie Reswik- Softball
Kylie is a sophomore on the softball team this season and plays pitcher & 1st base. She graduated from James Martin High School in Arlington, Texas where she was born and raised. In 2016, Kylie married her high school sweetheart, Ben Reswik, who is in the Army. In August of 2017, they moved to North Carolina from Texas because of the Army and have been here ever since. Kylie has two daughters, Presley who is almost six years old and Avery who is two years old.
After high school, Kylie was burnt out from softball and never thought about playing collegiately. She became a stay at home mom to her two daughters and a wife to her husband, Ben. In 2020, Kylie started coaching softball from a travel team and it made her realize how much she missed the game and she felt at home again, in her natural element.
Coach Newman (Head Softball Coach at FTCC) met Kylie back in 2020 through his daughter. They would bond over the knowledge of the game, so when Coach Newman received the Head Coach position in 2021 at FTCC, he continuously asked Kylie to join the team. She was hesitant at first and would just laugh him off because it had been seven years since she had played softball. Coach Newman wouldn’t give up on her, calling her every week until she agreed. Kylie, at first, doubted her ability since it has been so long, but with the support of her husband, her parents, David Pait and Coach Newman, she was reassured she still had what it takes to play.
Kylie started playing for the Trojans in the Spring of 2022 and is now entering her second season. “It was an experience I didn’t even know I needed. It has given me the chance to be myself again, to do something that I love again,” said Kylie. “It’s a very difficult time in my life balancing school, softball, being a mom and also a wife but it’s still a great experience to be apart of. I thought the softball chapter of my life was closed forever, but it was opened again and I’m very grateful for everyone who has helped me along the way.”
Ending her freshman season, Kylie had 10 hits on the offensive side and 12 strikeouts when she was pitching. She has returned to FTCC this year to play on the 2022-23 softball team.
Eternitie Denton- Volleyball
Eternitie is a freshman on the volleyball team and is a positive impact on the program. She comes to FTCC from Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville, NC where she earned Player of the Year her senior year for volleyball and her team also placed third in their conference. Eternitie and her family have only lived in Fayetteville for the past two years and she decided to stay close to home to start out her college career.
Coach Moe (Head Volleyball Coach at FTCC) gave Eternitite volleyball lessons and that is how she was recruited to FTCC. She plans to stay here for at least two years, maybe three, if she gets into the Radiography program for a 3 year license.
Something about Eternitie that not many people know is that she has ADHD. This causes her to be stressed in certain situations or hyper focus and be very calm in other. In high school, she had a 504 plan for class accommodations to help her learn and achieve in the best way possible for her. This plan has carried over to her college classes, which has made the switch from high school to college a very smooth transition. It is a faster pace at FTCC than high school, which can become stressful, but it has been a good start to her college career so far.
When Eternitie feels stressed before a game she listens to music. The music is very calming and helps her focus. This season at FTCC has been very good to her. When traveling with the volleyball team to Tennessee and New York, when she gets out of her home element, she has been able to remain calm because she is with her teammates and favorite people.
When asked about what advice she would give to someone in her similar situation she said, “Use your resources. People are here that are designed to help you and they will help you. It makes it an easy transition.”
Eternitie is an offensive key factor in the success for the volleyball team this year. So far, she has 110 kills on the season and 7 service aces. She will be back, at least one more year, at FTCC with the hopes of getting her license in Radiography and maybe attending Methodist University after.
Frederich Montero- Baseball
Freddy is in his second year of baseball at FTCC coming from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He came to the United States playing on a summer ball league in Georgia looking for opportunity. Freddy was looking for a good fit for his education, baseball and financially.
When he first came for a tryout at FTCC, he was very nervous. Once getting through the tryout and the recruiting process, he realized that this is the place he has been looking for. The biggest key factor was the affordability. International students do not qualify for any financial aid, so the cost of FTCC worked out for Freddy to be able to attend school and play baseball.
The first year in Fayetteville was an adjustment for Freddy, but it helped him having his sponsor and his friend Raebert De los Santos, also on the FTCC baseball team, by his side. The smaller class sizes and tutoring have helped Freddy because of the language barrier. The academic support is very beneficial at the junior college level with one on one attention.
“My English has improved a lot since I first got here last year. I keep adjusting to the culture and I keep my faith by talking to my mom. It is good to have a friend from the same place to relate to and keep my mind off of problems. I want to tell international students to not give up and have a strong mentality. Rely on your friends and teammates and you will be able to get through a lot of stuff,” said Freddy.
Freddy gets to travel home twice a year at Christmas and for summer break, but he keeps in touch with his family throughout the year. “The opportunity is great here, I learn a lot from my coaches and that is why I decided to come back for a second year. My goal is to attend a 4-year program after this season at FTCC. Hopefully in Florida, but I am open to go anywhere,” said Freddy.
Freddy is a catcher for the baseball team at FTCC and had a lot of success his freshman year. He had 16 hits and 8 RBIs for the Trojans. He is looking forward to this 2022-23 season.
Jack Clancy- Baseball
Jack is a sophomore from Jupiter, Florida on the baseball team at FTCC. He came last year as a transfer from Adrian College in Michigan. Jack came to FTCC for the opportunity to develop after dealing with injury.
The biggest obstacle for Jack is believing in himself. He has a fear of failure and rejection but his Faith has helped him through it.
After his first year at FTCC, he had multiple offers to play at a higher level but decided to come back for another year. “Nothing was the right fit, it has always been my dream to play division one baseball,” said Jack about returning to FTCC for a second year.
“I want to make an impact on the team this year and be a leader for my sophomore season. I came back because of the coaching staff and the opportunity to develop more with the amount of time junior college’s get to practice compared to the NCAA,” said Jack.
He is excited for this season of baseball. “We have a listening team, if we figure out our identity together we can be good. I have learned to not be scared about what others think. The Lord has a plan.”
Jack is an outfielder for the Trojans and finished with 43 putouts his first season. Offensively, he had 29 hits and 28 RBIs.