Starkville Academy’s Echols takes her game to Belhaven
Melanie Echols has had the the opportunity to take the sport which she has been playing for 11 years to the collegiate level.
The Starkville Academy soccer player signed the dotted line on Wednesday morning at the school’s media center, and is excited to announce that she plans to continue her soccer career at Belhaven University.
Echols has played soccer six out of her 11 years with the Lady Volunteers.
“Belhaven was my first choice, and I just kept going back to the option,” Echols said. “Throughout my years playing for SA, I’ve had the opportunity to play against older girls at a young age and learn from them. The competition really helped me to get where I am now.”
Starkville Academy soccer coach John Morgan believes that Echols’ strong work ethic and leadership skills will help her to thrive at the college level.
“As a student, she was quiet and hardworking,” Morgan said. “She’s the kind who will put her head down and do what she has to do. That played out on the field. She was a leader who worked hard and led by example.
“One of the things that made her so successful was the position she played and how physical she was. You don’t really see that at the high school level which made her really stand out. A lot of people really didn’t want a piece of her. When you go to the next level you’ve got to be fast and physical. She definitely has the speed and physicality, but also the IQ. Echols reads the game really well. When she gets to Belhaven, they are going to continue to grow those skills and make her even better.”