Freedom senior diver Sarah Gill hadn’t considered continuing her athletic and academic career so close to home, but everything changed when Coach Christina Sather showed Gill what her future could look like at Lehigh University.

“I didn’t really see myself there until after she contacted me and wanted me there, and I thought, wow, this could be a great fit for me,” Gill said.

Talking to some current freshmen solidified Gill’s college choice.

“One girl told me the coach is really good, and she was able to fix her hurdle in just a week,” she said. “The campus is beautiful, and the professors have been really helpful.

“I was looking at other schools farther away, but with COVID, I wanted to be near my family. [Making the decision] kind of made this year not as bad because I know I can look forward to the next four years if I don’t get a season this year.”

Gill gave Coach Sather a verbal commitment mid-November and signed a National Letter of Intent one week later.

“Some coaches have a specific list of dives, but Coach Sather said I should just come ready to learn, and she said she got a lot of perspective from the videos I sent her,” Gill said.

Gill is planning on majoring in pharmaceutical chemistry and is relieved the college recruiting process is over.

“It was so difficult this year, not knowing if we could visit, or when we could visit,” Gill said. “I just really hope there’s a season this year.”