By Steven Barrera
After a 10-3 senior campaign Zach Van Bennekum decided to continue his football career at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). “Our 10 wins this season would not have happened without Zach’s contribution both offensively and defensively,” said head coach Christopher Varner.
Image by Cory Rubin
Although he shows promise on both sides of the ball he will play on the defensive side of the ball at CMU. With West Ranch he had a total of 98 tackles and a team high of six interceptions.
Along with great athletics academics is key for the CMU commit. “Carnegie Mellon had the blend of athletics and academics that I was looking for” said Bennekum “It’s a great school academically and they have a great football program.”
Image by Cory Rubin
“Zach is extremely hard working in all aspects of his life” said Varner “The most impressive aspect is his ability to balance multiple sports and still maintain a high GPA.”
Although the recruiting process was not affected by the current pandemic the season may be. An increasing number of California colleges plan to offer all fall classes online to protect students and staff from the corona virus. However some schools plan to give students the option of how they want to attend their fall 2020 classes.
“That’s definitely a concern of mine. It would suck to have the season cancelled.” said Bennekum
Even though he can miss his first season he is still excited to compete against others at the collegiate level.
