Kate Whitmire got off the phone with the James Madison University volleyball coaching staff on April 23 and started to dance. The T.C. Williams junior had determined where she was going to college and it was time to celebrate a weight lifted off her shoulders.
Whitmire, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, committed to play at JMU, a Division I program in the Colonial Athletic Association, for head coach Lauren Steinbrecher. A first-team all-Patriot District selection in 2011, Whitmire had considered Miami of Ohio and the University of Virginia before deciding on JMU, where she will receive a full scholarship.
"There were a lot of things that went into it," Whitmire said of her decision. "It’s two hours away from home, it has a really strong volleyball program … [and] a lot of people from T.C. go there. It just felt right when you put everything together."
Whitmire said she is relieved to know where she’s going to college.
"I danced around the house for an hour after," she said. "It felt so good to know where I was going. … I don’t have to deal with the stress of applying to colleges. All I have to focus on are my grades and volleyball."
Whitmire plays club volleyball for Virginia Elite and once again figures to be T.C. Williams’ main offensive threat for the 2013 season. Her brother, Jay, is a 2011 T.C. Williams graduate and an offensive lineman on the University of Virginia football team.