On May 18, Wyatt Valenzuela signed his National Letter of Intent to continue playing soccer at St. Mary’s College of Maryland in St. Mary’s City, Maryland. He will be playing Division III soccer and is entering the school as a member of the Class of 2030.
Valenzuela began playing soccer when he was 3 years old. Coming to Linganore High School, (LHS) he strived to be the best player he could be. This led him to earn a spot on the LHS varsity soccer team in his sophomore year, where he played as a left winger for three years.
In his senior year, Venezuela was selected to be a captain. Linganore boys soccer coach and social studies teacher Zack Yurich made this decision, with no doubt that Valenzuela would be an excellent role model for his underclassmen teammates.
“He was a huge difference-maker every day for us,” Yurich said. “He was someone I was able to rely on day in, day out, [at] every practice and game. I’m really proud of not only the work he puts out on the field but the man that he’s grown into over the last four years.”
Valenzuela felt comfortable making the decision to commit to St. Mary’s college with Yurich’s recommendation, as Yurich himself signed to play men’s soccer at St. Mary’s College in 2016.
“Coach Yurich reached out to me about St. Mary’s [College],” Valenzuela said. “Me and Yurich talked about it, and he was willing to get me in contact with the college coach at St. Mary’s. “We built a relationship through [Yurich]. After a lot of time and thinking, I just felt like it was the right place.”
Yurich’s encouragement and Valenzuela’s own self-determination were not the only factors that pushed him to play soccer at the collegiate level. Valenzuela’s parents, Sara and Oliver Valenzuela, are one of his primary motivators to continue pursuing a higher level of athletics and education.
“They [my family] have been with me throughout every step of the way,” Wyatt Valenzuela said. “Playing in college has definitely been a dream of mine since I was little. Being able to play again for my friends and family will always make me happy. They definitely push me a lot.”
According to his mother, leadership has always come naturally to Valenzuela. His family has helped to guide him in this role.
“We always ask our children to lead by example [and] to try and always look out for others, always look out for the person that might want to be included or [to] try to be inclusive of everyone,” Sara Valenzuela said. “Wyatt has done that his whole life, while remaining humble.”
At St. Mary’s College, Wyatt Valenzuela plans to study business and finance. His priority is to be the best he can both on the field and in the classroom and to enjoy his college experience as much as possible.
