- September 13, 2024
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Welcome to the start of a new sports season.
Fall sports are getting underway not just here in the East County area, but across the country, and at all levels. That means some of our East County alumni will be hitting the field at their respective colleges.
These players grew up here and trained here. They left everything they had on our local fields in order to get to where they are now, and in many cases, they are making the most of their opportunities.
Here are four such athletes that deserve your attention as their seasons get underway:
Look no further than Carson Goda for proof that determination gets rewarded.
Goda, a Braden River High alumnus, spent three seasons at Saint Anselm University to begin his college career. Saint Anselm is an NCAA Division II school located in Goffstown, New Hampshire, and it is not exactly a football powerhouse at its level; the Hawks were 15-14 in Goda’s three seasons. But in 2024, thanks to the internet and film apps like HUDL, players can make themselves stand out no matter where they play or their level of competition.
In three seasons, Goda caught 122 passes for 1,456 yards and 12 touchdowns. In 2023, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Goda was second in the Northeast-10 Conference in receiving yards (566) — for all players, not just tight ends.
Goda’s skills as a pass-catcher and as a blocker caught the eye of bigger programs in search of tight end help after spring ball. In May, Goda announced his transfer to the University of Illinois. After years of grinding for an opportunity, Goda will spend his senior season catching passes in the Big Ten Conference — one of the two best conferences in the sport, alongside the Southeastern Conference.
Goda and the Illini will open their season at 9 p.m. Aug. 29 against Eastern Illinois University. The game will air on the Big Ten Network.
One half of a twin running duo during her time at Lakewood Ranch High — we’ll get to her sister down below — Gracie Marston now competes in both cross country and track and field at Georgia Tech University. Marston, a sophomore, competed in five cross country meets in 2023, including the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships. Her best finish came at the Stan Sims Cross Country Opener, where she finished 11th and set a personal record in the 5K (17:55.5).
She did just as well during the outdoor track season this spring, again competing in the ACC Championships and setting a personal record in the 800 meter run (2:08.23). Marston also helped the Yellow Jackets get a win in the 4x800 meter relay (8:51.37) at the Pepsi Florida Relays.
With a full year under her belt, Marston is in position to climb the rankings in 2024, starting with cross country this fall and continuing into the spring track season.
Like her twin sister, Hailey Marston saw success in both cross country and track and field in her first full year of college. In 2023, Marston competed in four cross country meets for Auburn University and set personal records in the 4K (15:03.10 at the Foothills Invitational) and in the 5K (18:41.70 at the Southern Showcase).
During the outdoor track season, Marston won the 1,500 meter run (4:44.12) at the Auburn-hosted Tiger Track Classic in April and competed in two other meets. She also competed in four meets during the indoor track season, running a 5:04.36 mile at the Vanderbilt Invitational in January.
Entering her sophomore cross country campaign, expect even bigger things from Marston in 2024.
Kelly, a former captain of the Lakewood Ranch High girls soccer program, has quickly established herself as a key piece of the University of South Florida women’s soccer team.
A sophomore defender, Kelly’s impact is difficult to measure in statistics, but the trust the Bulls coaching staff has in her can be seen in her playing time. Kelly has played in all three of the team’s 2024 games as of Aug. 23, starting one of them (against Jacksonville University on Aug. 18, a 5-1 win). That is one game shy of the number of games she played as a freshman in 2023. Even in the games she has not started, Kelly has played a lot: she is averaging 51 minutes per game.
Though Kelly will likely never score a lot of points because of her position, she did take three shots in the Bulls’ 5-0 win over Southern University on Aug. 21, putting two of them on net. The more she earns playing time, the more likely she will be to get on the scoresheet.
