For most students, junior year is the time to explore colleges and narrow down their options as they prepare to create an application that gives them the best chances of being accepted into their dream school. For Junior Eleni Stowell, it is a little different. Not only has she completed this process, but she has also been accepted onto a Division 1 (D1) sports team at the collegiate level in the process.
Stowell announced her official commitment to the University of Vermont (UVM) in Burlington, Vermont on Dec. 4th, where she will be entering her freshman year of college as an undecided major while playing on their D1 girls soccer team.
Stowell has been working towards this goal as far back as preschool. She’s been part of multiple different soccer teams, such as the club team FC Stars, since second grade, and was put on the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) in seventh grade. Club teams were not the only feat Stowell took on, as she attended the private school Buckingham Browne & Nichols from eighth to tenth grade and played on their varsity team. Stowell’s newest advancement has been joining WA Girls’ Soccer Team (WAGS), playing at the varsity level for the team
Although Stowell only joined the team this year, she quickly became a key varsity player, and was welcomed into the community with no hesitation.
“Aside from the whole team being such a supportive group, the seniors of WA played such an important role in reaching my goals for high school soccer,” Stowell said. “They brought intensity and humor to every practice and game, […] and set the bar high for how the energy and volume on the field and on the sidelines should be.”
Stowell’s teammates are not the only people that have supported her. Someone else who has been by her side since the beginning of her WAGS journey is her coach, Tracy Capone. Capone has been the WAGS coach for 29 years, and started coaching six years after she graduated from WA herself.
“Eleni has a great first touch and a great outside shot, she has an ability to play the ball out of the air and she sees the field extremely well,” Capone said. “These attributes allow her to be a valuable playmaker for whichever team she plays on.”
Aside from earning her position on multiple varsity teams, Stowell has achieved accomplishments throughout her soccer career which have boosted her choices of colleges to commit to. Before her start at WA, Stowell’s club team had made nationals twice, and her private school league won their New England Division twice as well as their league championship three times. Additionally, since Stowell’s beginnings on WAGS, she has excelled in her new environment allowing her even more achievements. In one season, she was awarded the team’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and got to play on the Eastern Mass All-Star (EMGSCA) team.
“It was exciting to play in the All-Star game and see many past and present ECNL teammates,” Stowell said.
On top of all these accomplishments, Stowell was also UVM’s top 2026 recruit. According to Capone, this means that Stowell has the opportunity to rack up a lot of playing minutes as a freshman.
Although Stowell is not sure what what her major will be yet, she is sure of her choice of college. For the past few summers, Stowell and her family have toured multiple different colleges and involved themselves in the experience by touring facilities and dining with the school’s teams. UVM caught Stowell’s attention because it has multiple different communities to immerse herself in so that she can meet new people throughout her college experience.
“In the end, [UVM] gave me the best balance of academics and athletics,” Stowell said. “I could see myself walking the halls and playing in the stadium. The men’s and women’s soccer programs are making consistent appearances in the playoffs and NCAA tournament. This showed me they had a shared intensity in playing at the highest level.”
Stowell’s teammates and coaches look forward to watching her passion and abilities progress as she finishes out her high school years on the WAGS team, and then brings her skills and dedication to the collegiate level. This excitement for her is a shared feeling among everyone who knows her.
“I’m super excited for Eleni, she’ll find success at any university out there, but UVM seems to be a great fit,” Capone said. “[..] Fortunately, UVM plays against a few local schools so WAGS will be able to watch her play.”
