With dirt kicking up behind her and the bleachers full of spectators, senior Jackie Rainville is in her element. Starting with Super Soccer Stars in preschool, Rainville has been a soccer player since her earliest memories. After competing in both club and school soccer, she announced her commitment to Williams College in July of her junior year.
As the school year ramps back up again, the Class of 2025 has to start thinking about where they want to apply in the fall. Rainville is among the few at Wayland High School who have already finished the grueling process, though it was not an easy road to get there.
“There was pressure needing to perform at showcases to get the attention of coaches, with some games having 70 to 80 coaches watching,” Rainville said. “Going to a bunch of ID clinics the summer after my sophomore year was exhausting. It’s not easy trying to find the right balance between a Division I or Division III program and other factors like location, school size and academics, but I couldn’t be happier with my outcome.”
On top of the normal difficulty any athlete has when committing, Rainville had a further struggle. Just as she began the academic commitment process, she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). While she was fortunate enough to have already established a connection with the Williams College women’s soccer coach, she was not fortunate enough to be able to play in her junior year of high school.
“I tore my ACL just after I had committed to the academic process at Williams, so luckily not a lot changed recruiting wise,” Rainville said. “I missed much of my junior year high school season and my whole spring club season due to the injury. However, I still traveled with my [club] team to games to stay connected and would catch up with my Williams coach at showcases. She was very supportive throughout my injury.”
Luckily for Rainville, she began soccer at a young age and immediately became passionate about it. Her joy and love for soccer shaped her childhood and her determination grew. As she got older her skills sharpened and she kept going from the youth league to club, to get where she is today. Entering high school she knew she wanted to continue playing in college, so she began the recruiting process as a sophomore.
“With my club team I traveled to Tampa [Florida], Phoenix, San Diego and Seattle for showcase events and tournaments,” Rainville said. “I would email college coaches before these games to come watch. I first met the Williams coach three or four years ago at an ID clinic and loved everything I heard about the school. We stayed in touch through showcases and I would send her video highlights. In September, 2023, I was invited to the Williams campus to watch a game, hang out with the team and go to another ID session with other recruits. It felt like the right match for me all the way through.”
The recruiting process looks different for every athlete, but one of the things they have in common is the dual emphasis on academics and athletics. Staying up to date with work while constantly trying to impress a future coach can be debilitating for some. Rainville felt especially pressured with her grades because of the academic competition at Williams.
“Williams is an academically demanding school so I needed to have the grades to get recruited, and now need to keep up my grades all the way through,” Rainville said. “I first shared my transcript after sophomore year and sent updates to my coach after each quarter.”
Rainville has always valued her academics, and prioritized finding a school that fit her academic needs. Williams is a part of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) which is a conference with Division III colleges that value academics.
“Strong academics were always most important to me,” Rainville said. “I really like the head coach and team when I met them, as well as the campus environment. It felt welcoming and the campus was beautiful. It was the full package that made me feel like Williams is right.”
Starting club soccer in third grade, to being a varsity captain her senior year, Rainville has worked hard to progress as a player. She has greatly valued improving and enjoys the reward of hard work.
“I love competing with my team and then seeing this hard work pay off when we win games,” Rainville said. “I’ve made so many memories and met so many amazing people on both my current club team and high school teams that I am forever grateful for.