Bruins have recruited 77 freshmen or transfer students to eight of their sports teams this year, ranging from baseball to cross country and volleyball to basketball. These three freshmen are just a few of the promising athletes joining the Bruins’ ranks.

Freshman soccer player Micah Hennegan is ready to take the next step as a new player on the Bruins’ men’s soccer team.

Born in Barriguda, Guam, Micah had multiple opportunities to play soccer before coming to Bob Jones University. In Guam Micah had the opportunity to play soccer for Guam’s national team. Through this experience he was able to learn and grow as a player. He traveled to many different countries and gained valuable experience that now helps him with his time here at BJU.

Micah said that moving to the States to play soccer has created a challenge.

“One of the challenges is [that] in Guam and across the world, the soccer is more strategic . . . but over here at BJU and in the States, soccer is a lot more physical, and that’s something I have to adjust to,” Micah said.

Though this is a new challenge, Micah is confident he can succeed as a freshman this year on the team.

Freshman volleyball player Aya Cathey has had an interesting journey on her way to Bob Jones University.

Aya lived in Japan for the first 10 years of her life before moving to her home in Yona, Guam. During her middle school and high school years she was a multi-sport athlete. She ran cross country amd played soccer and volleyball, but later on in her high school years, she decided to put all her focus into volleyball.

After deciding to come to BJU, she was met with a dilemma: should she run cross country or play volleyball? “Playing cross country has always been in the back of my mind, but I knew God wanted me to play volleyball for BJU this year,” Aya said.

While she is currently on the reserve team for volleyball, Aya hopes to improve this year and help the team for the upcoming year and the years ahead.

Katelyn Ashmore, freshman soccer player, is excited to get her first season underway.

Born in Canton, Georgia, Katelyn has been playing soccer since she was young. Through her high school years, she played junior varsity soccer for one year and varsity for her last three years. This year one of the challenges she is excited to face is improving on the technical aspects of soccer.

“Speed is definitely one of my strengths for soccer, but with that speed I’ve never been the most technical or skillful when it comes to the ball,” Katelyn said. “That is one of the things I really want to improve for this season.”

Katelyn will be working hard to improve upon the skills that she knows and the new skills she is trying to learn.