For Julia Solderitch, the decision about where to go to college was simple. The University of Delaware offered precisely what she wanted.

“I’ll be studying physical therapy at Delaware which is the reason I chose it,” said Solderitch who was the softball team’s starting shortstop. “It’s the number one school for physical therapy in the country.”

Solderitch, an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference first team all-star, said that UD’s campus was another strong selling point. It also had a first-rate athletics program.

Delaware, a Division I school, features players from all over the country. They currently have two Lehigh Valley natives on the roster as Mariah Kondravy and Alyshia Dellatore are Liberty High School graduates.

Solderitch will be joining a Blue Hens squad that finished 30-21 last season. They were fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 9-9 mark, and had their first CAA Tournament win since 2004. They are coached by John Seneca who will begin his sixth season with the program in 2017, the last two as the team’s head coach.

She finished last season batting .410 overall, and .446 in the EPC. The shortstop also tallied 30 RBIs and had six extra-base hits.

Solderitch said that playing softball at Whitehall meant that she had to learn how to manage her time. Both practice and games will cut into study time. That will only increase in college, and Solderitch will apply those lessons learned.

Solderitch will look back fondly on he softball career and the lasting memory will always be the players she player with - her teammates.

“We were really close the last couple of years and we really pulled it together this year,” said Solderitch. “I’m going to miss them a lot.”

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Volleyball player Myles Thomas will be heading to Alvernia College this fall. Thomas said that Alvernia offered him the best of both worlds, both academically and athletically.

“I chose Alvernia because it’s a great school and has a great nursing program which I plan to study there,” said Thomas.

The school is located in Reading, Pa. and competes in Division III.

Thomas said that Alvernia will be adding volleyball as varsity sport in 2017. He’ll be part of the inaugural season as they begin competing in Middle Athletic Conference Commonwealth Division. They will be coached by Deb Schlosser who is a former boys head volleyball coach at Emmaus High School.

Thomas played volleyball for three seasons. He began as a right side hitter, then moved to a middle hitter his junior and senior seasons.

He said that balancing sports and school work isn’t easy, but it’s possible if you give the effort and put in the work to be successful at both.

“I learned that you need to believe and trust your coaches and teammates, and always put forth your best effort and play hard all the time,” said Thomas.

Thomas recalls a match against Emmaus that will stay with him for the rest of his life. It was during 2015 and it was the district semifinals. After being down 0-2, the Zephyrs battled back to eventually extend the match to five sets. Although they lost, it was their fierce competitive desire that will be remembered.

“I truly believe that was the best we as a team and everyone individually played that year,” said Thomas.

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Soccer standout Javaughn Hussett will be packing his bags for DeSales University in the fall.

The reigning Eastern Pennsylvania Conference MVP will be part of a team that finished 8-8-2 last season. The Bulldogs compete in the Middle Athletic Conference Freedom Division and were 3-2-2 inside their division.

Hussett said that he chose DeSales for its proximity. He was also considering the University of Hartford, and that forced him to weigh his options, with both programs needing an answer in a short amount of time. In the end, it came down to where he felt most comfortable.

“I decided that DeSales would be the best opportunity for me,” said Hussett.

Hussett will be enrolled in the nursing program at DeSales.

The Bulldogs are coached by George Crampton who is entering his 18th season with DeSales. Over that time he’s led them to four MAC Freedom Championships.

Hussett said that the lesson he’s learned as his time as a Whitehall student-athlete is that “hard work definitely pays off.”

“The little things you do like running all out to 50-50 balls, it really did pay off,” said Hussett.

The one game that stands out for Hussett is the game against Salisbury last September where he scored four goals. He also had the game-winning assist.