Greeneville senior Marley VanBuskirk has had a soccer ball at her feet for as long as she can remember and that will not stop anytime soon.
On Wednesday afternoon in front of her friends and family VanBuskirk signed a letter of intent to join the women’s soccer program at Johnson University.
“It feels great to sign today. It means so much to me,” VanBuskirk said. “I’ve played soccer as long as I could walk, my mom put soccer balls in my crib. It means so much to me to get continue to play soccer and prove that I can play at the next level.”
Johnson University is a NAIA program that competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference and is located in Knox County. The Royals are coming off a 5-11-1 campaign this past season.
VanBuskirk felt immediately welcomed when she visited the campus, and that was a big reason she chose to join the program.
“The environment at Johnson was so great. As soon as I stepped on the campus everyone was so nice. Everybody was smiling and was friendly to me,” VanBuskirk said.
VanBuskirk has been a standout in the middle of Greeneville’s backline and helped the Lady Devils reach the state tournament four times during her high school career.
Her dominance on the back end was highlighted in the state sectionals where she led way to a 100-minute shutout and eventual 1-0 win on the road over Anderson County.
The Tennessee Sports Writers Association recognized her skill and named her to the Class AA All-State Team. She was also the Region 1-AA Defensive Player of the Year and District 2-AA Defensive Player of the Year.
VanBuskirk loves playing at the back of the formation and shutting down the opponents chance to score puts a smile on her face. She is excited to get to Johnson in the fall and compete for her spot in the lineup.
“I’ll hopefully have a chance to fill in for some seniors who are graduating,” VanBuskirk said. “I don’t know that I can explain the adrenaline I get from stopping someone. I feel like it is so much more rewarding to stop someone than it is score. I just love crushing people’s dreams, I guess. I love that thrill of getting a stop.”
The Greeneville senior knows that the challenge in front of her is a big one. She will experience a new level of speed and physicality at the college level, and she knows that she has to work on her craft over the next few month to get ready for that.
“I’ll have to get used to a new speed of play, and work on my game IQ,” VanBuskirk said. “I’ll have to work on reading offenses and knowing where to be. The game is lost faster and a lot stronger. I’m excited to take this step. But I’m also nervous, knowing I may get humbled by some good players.”
VanBuskirk plans to major in criminal justice and wants to go to law school after graduates.
