by Rusty Ellis
Livingston Academy senior soccer player Jazmine West made her commitment to Roane State official on Thursday, as she signed her national letter of intent to play collegiate soccer upon graduation.
For West, it’s an exciting day that sees her get the opportunity to continue her soccer career at the next level.
“It feels good just to have everything complete,” West said. “I thought I would give it a try, and I really like the coach. The rest of the girls they’ve recruited are really nice, so I’m looking forward to playing some more soccer.”
Originally, West says her plans were to attend East Tennessee State University and not play soccer, but once Roane State’s coach reached out to her, she committed and decided to give it a try.
And it’s something that her head coach at LA believes she’s prepared for throughout her career.
“She’s one of the hardest workers we have on the team,” said LA head coach Heather Marshall. “She works a lot away from practice and what all we put on them throughout the regular season, so it’s exciting to see her hard work pay off.”
For Marshall, she believes West is in a position to compete for playing time right away, and says that one of the toughest parts about replacing her will be finding someone that will push their teammates as West did.
“Everyone was always looking for a way to rise to her level,” Marshall said. “She pushes everyone else when we’re doing conditioning, so just having someone that always gives 110 percent, we’re going to miss that presence.”
West has been apart of two state tournament teams in her time in Livingston, and while she’s excited about the challenges of the collegiate level, she says she’ll cherish the memories she and her teammates created.
“I’m excited to get on a new level of soccer, but I’m going to miss the girls,” West said. “I love playing and hanging out with them, everything about it. I hope I’ll be ready for the next level, I’m getting prepared to be.”
