By Shannon Blankenship
Sports Information Student Assistant
Wearing his Maryland baseball cap backwards and a Redskins jersey, junior Boone Prentice appears to be a typical college student. But after only a few moments talking with him, you realize Boone is far more than typical.
Before coming to Longwood University, Boone was a standout student at Quince Orchard High School in Maryland. There, Boone was known for his dedication in the classroom as well as his equal desire to be successful as a member of the varsity soccer team. He earned All-State Honorable Mention, 1st-Team All-County, and played in the All-State soccer game during his senior year before graduating with honors, and an outstanding 4.64 grade point average (GPA).
Upon arrival at Longwood his freshman year, Boone already possessed the skills and determination to be successful – skills that some students can never fully acquire during their entire college careers. He received a ‘Citizen Scholar Award’ for his academics in high school before he had even begun his college classes. He had studied hard throughout high school and was now ready for the opportunity to work even harder in his college career. He was facing a great deal of class work by majoring in chemistry, and added even more work with the decision to pick-up minors in both biology and mathematics.
As a chemistry major with a double minor, and a member of the Longwood men’s soccer program, Boone knew that there would be days he would have to miss an important class for an away game. He knew there would be long bus rides and sleepless nights. He was well aware of the consequences of the student-athlete lifestyle. But what Boone also knew, from his own experiences, was that all of his hard work would pay off in the end.
“I took AP [Advanced Placement] classes in high school, so now I’m able to take smaller course loads in the fall, which gives me more time to focus on and prepare for soccer,” Boone said. Staying on top of his academics throughout high school gave him the advantage of taking the 12-13 credit semesters at Longwood, instead of the average 16-17 credits for some students.
Having helped recruit him for Longwood soccer, men’s head coach Jon Atkinson, who was an assistant at the time, was aware that Boone excelled in academics as well as athletics.
“He came in with the highest SAT scores for all freshman athletes,” Atkinson said. With a reputation like this, Atkinson believed that the high expectations Boone held for himself could eventually help to influence his team to set high academic goals for themselves.
Through his first two seasons, Boone continued to thrive in academics and soccer, staying focused by an embedded work ethic as well and continuous support of his family. He was named a ‘Scholar-Athlete’ during his first two years as a Longwood student-athlete for his academic performance. He became a member of the ‘Honors Program’ his freshman year and maintains a spot in the program for the third year with his 3.39 cumulative GPA. Boone is also a representative for the men’s soccer team on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Atkinson believed that Boone was well qualified to step-up to a higher role on the team this season, naming him ‘Full-Captain’, because of his evident determination to make a difference, and his ability to maintain good grades in the classroom. As a captain, he would provide a positive example for team members about how to manage their time to make academics as important to them as athletics. He would also be put in the position to help lead the young team through the last year of transitioning to NCAA Division I athletics.
After being named a captain, Boone was sidelined for a couple of matches earlier this season after suffering an injury. Atkinson said that not starting was a “true test of character” for Boone. He was forced to maintain his authority and be a leader despite that he was sometimes not on the field during the games. It was “tough” not starting games Boone said, but it gave him new ways to help the team.
He began working with the player’s during practices and on the sidelines, helping to get them prepared emotionally and physically for the game.
“It takes more than wearing an armband on the field to be captain,” Boone said, proving that he had the ability to be a leader off the field as well as on it.
The past two summers, Boone started thinking more seriously about his future plans after college by participating in an internship program at Longwood. The internship, which was funded by an Army grant, was set-up through Virginia Commonwealth University to conduct research that could help in the development of biosensors. In the future, this research could be used to produce biosensors to detect airborne toxins in chemical warfare.
This internship helped Boone realize the important contributions he would be able to make after completing his education at Longwood, and eventually going on to graduate school to possibly study chemistry more in-depth in the field of forensics.
Although he is not sure where he is headed after finishing with his education, Boone has proven he is prepared for anything. But, if what he has accomplished during only two years of his college career is any indication of his future, Boone will without a doubt have a life that is beyond typical.
