Spring 2022 13 scholarship on a Cedarville team. Not all athletes connect with Cedarville this way, however. Both Smith and Estepp emphasized how transfer students and the transfer portal have affected recruiting in sports. Smith believes the NCAA’s evolution of the transfer portal, which has made transferring an easier process than in the past, marks the biggest recent change in recruiting. However, Smith prefers not to rely on the transfer portal. “We really love to hone in on high school kids and have them here for four years to develop them spiritually, emotionally and academically,” Smith said. “We don’t live in the transfer portal,” Estepp said, but he noted that he will recruit through the portal to deepen his lineup or to stagger the graduating years of players on his team. “Especially in a year like this where we lose five seniors, we don’t necessarily want to bring in five freshmen and start over.” Sophomore Emily Hansen, a former center back on Cedarville’s soccer team, began her collegiate play at another school. Cedarville recruited Hansen in high school, but she chose another college and played soccer her freshman year there. When she decided she needed a change, she contacted Coach Jonathan Meade and expressed her desire to transfer to Cedarville. “Cedarville has always been a top choice for me because they are unashamed of the gospel, and they always proclaim that,” Hansen said. “And I felt like their beliefs lined up more with what I was looking for in a school.” Meade knew about Hansen’s caliber of play from high school, and he agreed that she could join the team. While athletes like Hansen and Leslie reached out to a Cedarville coach first, others, like Joelle Petek, chose Cedarville as a school before exploring its athletic programs. Petek knew about Cedarville because her parents both graduated from the university, and her dad is a trustee. “I wasn’t looking to play tennis,” Petek said, “but Coach Edlund heard that I was coming through the grapevine from my dad.” Petek didn’t believe she could play tennis at the Division II level, but Edlund researched Petek’s stats in high school and invited her to attend conditioning with the current team. Although most recruits will practice with the current team, she did not have that opportunity on her visit. Edlund still offered her a scholarship. As Leslie, Hansen and Petek can attest, the recruitment process looks different for each recruit and might become an unsettling or uncomfortable time. Nevertheless, Leslie kept her focus heavenward as she prepared for her future. “Because Cedarville is a Christ-centered college, many of the players reach out to [coaches] personally because it’s Cedarville first and softball second,” Leslie said. “Growing up, I always wanted to play DI softball. Cedarville literally changed my heart. Now I get to play with people that also love the Lord, and we get to be a light.” Grace Mowery is a junior English major and sports writer for Cedars. She loves reading historical novels, watching football and baseball, and going on spontaneous ice cream runs with her friends. Joelle Petek chose Cedarville before even considering to be a part of the tennis team. “We really love to hone in on high school kids and have them here for four years to develop them spiritually, emotionally and academically.” Jason Smith, Cedarville’s Women Basketball Coach Graphics by Claire Xu
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