Aug. 31, 2009

Beth Reed isn't sure if anything totally prepares a student for the demands of the U.S. Naval Academy.

But the busy schedule she kept while attending Bishop Chatard High School probably was as good as anything, she said.

"I was going 100 mph at Chatard," said Reed, a senior member of Navy's women's soccer and basketball teams. "It's kind of the same way here. I get up early. I go to bed late. I was doing so much in high school, it wasn't a big transition."

But it has been a successful one.

Reed is the starting goalkeeper, and her teammates voted her the lone captain. She was a reserve guard in basketball last season.

"You cannot watch her play and not have athleticism pop out at you," Navy soccer coach Carin Gabarra said. "The major things we look for (are) athleticism and work ethic. She definitely does have that."

Reed is also ranked second out of 1,032 students in her class. She's sixth in military performance and 12th in academic order of merit, which are used to determine the total class ranking, according to the school's sports information department.

For the complete article by Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star click here