Alaska Sullivan, a senior at Pine High School, recently signed a letter of intent to play soccer for Culver Stockton College in Missouri.
“I had been looking at a few other colleges. With this one, I kept in touch with that coach (Tyler Tomlinson) more. He seemed more interested in me. I feel like I can make a bigger difference on this team and help them out more,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan talked about the school.
“It’s a smaller school, which I like because I feel like I fit in better,” she said. “The team is really nice and welcoming and I feel like I fit in with them.”
She has been offered both athletic and academic scholarships. Over the weekend she made a visit to campus to attend a camp and workout with the team. This was her third visit to campus. In the last year she was heavily recruited, visiting 12 colleges and universities throughout the country. She is the first student athlete in Washington Parish to receive a soccer scholarship.
Sullivan has captained the Lady Raiders varsity team since her sophomore year. Both years she was named first team all-district. She has been a starter since her eighth grade year.
Sullivan has mainly played attacking mid, but was a striker this season.
This season, Sullivan scored six goals and dished out three assists. During her career at Pine, she has netted 27 goals and recorded eight assists.
Pine coach Matthew Butcher said Sullivan is an excellent young player.
“She’s very skilled. She’s a self-guided hard working team leader. She brings a lot of passion and emotion to our team,” Butcher said.
Butcher said they are very excited anytime a player can continue on their road of achievement. He added that it is awesome to see.
Sullivan played one year of club soccer in Madisonville, and she played for the Slidell Lightning last season.
Slidell Lightning coach Danny Clavier spoke highly about Sullivan.
“She is a very dedicated, hard working player that is focused and always trying to get better. She is a very cordial player. She got along with her teammates and meshed with them very quickly, which I think will be a great attribute going to the next level,” Clavier said.
Sullivan plans on majoring in Kinesiology with a discipline in sports management. Sullivan said she eventually wants to become a sports agent.