David Wilk '24 Recruiting Profile

When I was 5 years old, I saw my brother play high school football for the very first time, and I fell in love with the sport. The first team I played for was the Virginia Beach Mustangs, a Pop Warner team, and what I remember most is lacing up the pads and putting on the helmet for the first time. While playing with the Mustangs, I won the Sid Pearl Award, which was given to a hardworking and underrated athlete. While playing Pop Warner Football, my mother would always take me to practice, make sure my cleats were nice and clean, and make sure I had all my equipment for game day. My aunt always made sure I ate enough and had water, and both of them were always there in the stands, cheering for me on game day.

My mother raised me to be the person I am—a hardworking, focused person who keeps pushing through tough times. This was due to the fact that she was always working hard, whether it was for family, supporting me in sports, or anything else. My aunt taught me that in order to see things clearly, you have to think with a clear mind, never lose your temper, and always be conscious of the feelings of other people. My brother would always push me to be the best athlete I could be, whether it was running with me, working out with me, or just playing football in the backyard. I think my family is a team and a unit because if one of us fell apart, all of us would pick that person up and help keep it moving. The rest of my brothers would always push me to be better than they were and to be better than I could be. As a family, we were always competitive and outgoing, trying to be better than each other, whether it was football, basketball, or anything else we did.

I feel as if my family has really prepared me for challenges and how unexpected life is. My freshman year of High School was the COVID year, so we only had a 5-game season. During the season, our starting safety was unable to play, and Coach Dewitt, the Defensive Coordinator, asked me to start at safety for the first game of the season at the varsity level. My junior year was my best year. At first, I started at linebacker, and I loved playing the position. During a scrimmage, our starting running back suffered an injury, and Coach Neas, the Head Coach, asked me to step in and start at running back. My first year at running back, I rushed for 721 yards, had 180 receiving yards, and scored eight total touchdowns. I was named 2^nd team All-Region running back, and my first-time running track this year, I qualified for regionals.

My 11^th grade English teacher, Ms. DeAtley, taught me that even if you don’t get something the first time, you have to keep working at it in order to be successful and accomplish any goal you set for yourself. It means to me that no matter how many times I fail, I will not give up because I don’t know what is in store for me in the future. During my sophomore season, in the 3^rd game of the season, I dislocated my shoulder and was out for 5 games. This made me realize that my time as a high school athlete wasn’t promised as I watched the seniors leave high school and move on with life. Playing football, I’ve experienced and witnessed many injuries. Because of these experiences, I have learned many different things about the human body, which I became fascinated with. My college goal is to finish my degree program, get a Physical Therapy internship, and in the future work as a Physical Therapist.