As a freshman at Columbia Falls High School, Sarah Marcille found her last name on the brackets of the Girls A State tennis tournament – not once, but twice.
It was Marcille’s first time at state and her doubles partner happened to be her sister, Kate, who was a junior at the time.
“I was just going along for the ride,” said Marcille, now a 17-year-old senior starter on the basketball, volleyball and tennis teams. “I didn’t know what could happen if we worked together.”
What happened was a fifth place finish, short of the medals stand but a big achievement for Marcille.
“That accomplishment and being there with my sister, I’ll remember that forever,” she said.
Now, two years later and in her first year as a starter on the basketball team, Marcille said her philosophy is simple: “Remember why you’re playing the game.”
“Leadership has always been making sure people have fun,” said Marcille. “Playing (the game) is why we all play and practice makes us better. But it’s going to make us better when we have fun.”
Marcille, a confessed chocoholic, excels off the court as well, maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
She understands the challenges ahead, such as moving from the post position to guard-forward and becoming more “offensively minded.” But after a taste of state last year where the Wildcats lost out in two, Marcille hopes to help her team back to the brackets.
“Once you go once, you want to go again,” said Marcille. “The rush of it all, it’s the greatest feeling.”