On February 1, Brady Vlha signed his National Letter of Intent to continue playing Tennis at Hood College in Maryland.

Vlha started playing tennis his junior year at Linganore, and he never imagined he would end up signing with Hood college. 

Throughout his childhood, Vlha was a baseball player, until he got to high school and the competition made it difficult for him to keep up with the team. So, he decided to give tennis a try. He ended up being much better than he anticipated. He became captain of the team and earned a winning record for the season. 

Vlha is excited about his opportunity to play tennis at the collegiate level and hopes to encourage more students to play tennis.

“I know tennis at Linganore hasn’t always been that popular or [had]that many kids, so actually being able to sign at the next level and go to college to play tennis … will actually [provide] inspiration for them. [It may] encourage more kids to step it up and hopefully play at a high level,” said Vlha.

His coach, social studies teacher Joseph Hawkins, expressed that Vlha is “competitive and determined,” and he is always working to improve and be a better teammate.

In addition to his success on the court, Vlha has made great contributions to his community.

“Brady is a leader … he is the SGA president, he ran for the student member of the board last year. He is literally the definition of a leader… [and] always looking to make Linganore and FCPS and the community a better place,” Hawkins said.

Outside of school, Brady Vlha also holds two jobs and volunteers for the fire department.

Last season, both Hawkins and Vlha were new to the team, and it only had one returning player. But despite the difficulties, they worked hard and the team grew a lot. Vlha worked hard over the season and made it to the number 1 doubles team.

His dad, Greg Vlha, could never have imagined Vlha would end up playing tennis, but he is looking forward to it and hopes he has a great experience and learns a lot.

“Honestly, I couldn’t be more proud of Brady … I never imagined him playing tennis, because it was something new. But like I said, it came naturally, and he has surprised me in so many ways,” said Greg Vlha.

Hood College has a long history in the sport of tennis and Vlha is most excited about the amazing facility they have to offer and the specific trainers he will get to work with.

Vlha is determined to work hard, improve and keep learning at Hood college, and he is very happy with his decision.

“I am looking forward to really develop[ing] as a tennis player and tak[ing in the] experience of all the things Hood has to offer,” said Vlha.