Battlefield athletes to continue sports careers in college
By Dan Roem
Two Battlefield athletes are set to become trailblazers in their sports for the Bobcats when they enter college this fall.
Seniors Marianne Mannix and Alex Strittmater have both declared their intentions to continue their athletic careers after they cross the graduation stage at the Nissan Pavilion in June.
Mannix
Mannix, a middle hitter, is the first volleyball player at Battlefield to have attended the school for all four years before earning the right to continue her career in college.
She has declared her intention to join the Division III Eagles of Mary Washington University in Fredericksburg.
Rising college junior Kristin King, who plays for Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., was the first Battlefield graduate to play volleyball in college, according to Chris Lem. Unlike Mannix, King did not spend all of her high school years at Battlefield, the county's newest high school.
Standout Sidney Harbold declined the opportunity to play college volleyball after the 2006 season. She is now a freshman at James Madison University.
As for Mannix, the 6-foot-1-inch senior earned recognition from Maxpreps.com as one of the top 100 (No. 92) blockers in the country by averaging 1.6 blocks per game.
“She can actually hit with both hands from the middle,” said Lem, who has worked with Mannix since her freshman year, both on the court and inside the classroom. “With her intelligence, she plays smart on the court.”
Lem said he expects Mannix to be one of the taller players on the Mary Washington roster.
“She is definitely has the work ethic to be coachable,” Lem said. “She is a team player.”
Battlefield's volleyball team finished above .500 this season, with a 12-10 record, though the Bobcats were 7-9 in the Cedar Run District. After beating Osbourn 3-2 in the first round of the district tournament, Battlefield fell to Osbourn Park 3-0 in the semi finals.
Strittmater
Strittmater is making history of his own as the first Battlefield cross country runner to accept an athletic scholarship for college.
Last week, he signed up to join Longwood as a member of the cross country and track-and-field teams.
Strittmater finished 21st out of 114 runners at the Northwest Region cross country championship last November in Charlottesville, clocking in at 17:18:18.
He finished directly behind sophomore teammate Garrick Clemente (17:17.60) and four spots above freshman Bobcat Kyle Beach (17:27.33).
The boys' performance led Battlefield to a six-place finish overall at regions, which was only two spots behind Cedar Run District rival Osbourn Park.
“Over the past four years Alex has developed into one of the best distance runners in the region,” Battlefield cross country coach Joseph Huddle wrote in an e-mail. “His strong work ethic has served as an example for others on the team to follow.”