Twinsburg senior Camille Smith signs her letter of intent to play soccer and study biology or sports management at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
"I really like the atmosphere at Mount Vernon; it's not too big or too small," Camille said. "I'm really looking forward to making new friends and traveling the country playing soccer."
Camille transferred from Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy to Twinsburg after her sophomore year.
"I was nervous transferring, but my best friend, Leah Ellis, was here," Camille said. "Things worked out even better than I hoped because the soccer team here was really friendly to me."
"It was wonderful," said her mother, Cynthia B. Smith. "I felt good for her because I believed she deserved it. I visited Mount Vernon myself and was impressed.
"I saw that Camille felt comfortable with the atmosphere and the girls there," she added. "Through prayer, I believe MVNU is the college God wanted her to go to."
Cynthia also is pleased with the team's progress.
"I really feel coach [Lauren] Wilson and coach [Naomi] Ducharme have been great assets to Camille's career," she said. "They were encouraging, but they also demanded that Camille do her best.
"I want to thank her teammates and everyone at Twinsburg for welcoming her when she transferred in her junior year. The whole school made her feel welcome."
Lastly Cynthia B. Smith also thanked her daughter's premier teammates at Cleveland Soccer Academy Impact and coaches Rob Miller and Ali Kazemaini for aiding in her development.
"It feels great; it's also a big relief," said her father, Kevin Smith Sr. "We always believed she had the ability to play at the college level. We pushed her to succeed and now all of her hard work has paid off."
Mount Vernon head women's soccer coach Jonathan Meade likes his new recruit.
"She is a very good player that has versatility and a lot of experience playing at a high level," he said. "She has also proven herself in the classroom and that is key.
"Camille also takes her faith seriously and that appealed to me as well as since MVNU is a Christian University and faith is one focal point of our mission," he added. "Camille has a wonderful personality that will mesh nicely with the current players on the team. I think she is really an all-around quality person that will make us a better team."
Meade said Smith will bring versatility.
"She plays center back and forward between her club team and high school team and those are both needs that we have," he said. "I believe she will make a great run at competing for a starting position as a forward, but it is always nice to know that she can help you in a variety of positions."
Meade looks forward to coaching Smith.
"God blessed her with athleticism and explosive speed and in the women's game, these qualities have a big impact," he said. "I also really like Camille's demeanor on the field. She plays with a lot of composure.
"At the next level, what separates good players with great players is their ability to control their mental game," he added. "I have always been impressed with her team play. She understands that 11 players working together will always accomplish more than one player doing her own thing."
Wilson said Smith was a welcome surprise.
"Two of our best players remembered how good she was from playing against her when she was at CVCA," Wilson said. "It was great when she walked into practice the first day."
Wilson played Division I college soccer at Kent State University and believes that Smith is ready for the next level.
"She has a great passion for the game and you have to have that to succeed at the college level," she said. "She is a very skilled player who also has a great burst of speed. She's versatile because she's dangerous in any position on the field. She's easy to coach, respectful and is a quick learner."
-- From staff reports
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