Former Kingsway Academy and Bishop Michael Eldon student Preston Rolle Jr. is making a name for himself in soccer at St. Andrew's University, in Laurinburg, North Carolina.
Rolle and the St. Andrew's Knights turned back the 11th seeded Thomas University Night Hawks, 2-1, in the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Tournament, and were scheduled to play in the round of 16 yesterday, but the result of that match was unavailable up to press time.
For the season, midfielder Rolle has started 13 of 17 games, has scored five goals and has 10 total points. The 21-year-old Bahamian has come a long way, especially after tearing his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and being forced to sit out while his leg was healing. The upstart Knights is the first team from the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) to win a game at the NAIA Nationals since Bryan College, based in Tennessee, beat the Missouri based Columbia College in 2010. Bryan College finished that year 18-2-2.
Rolle and the Knights will play the remainder of their games at the Seacrest Soccer Complex in Delray Beach.
He entered the university during August 2011 to pursue a bachelor's degree in biology and to play on the men's soccer team. Rolle started at every game when he first joined, but the team won very few. He ruptured the ACL in his left leg in April 2013, and was forced to sit out an entire year.
Following surgery, Rolle began the long comeback process and finally returned for his senior year at St. Andrew's. The team went on to win the conference title and 25th nationally ranked squad kept rolling through higher ranked opponents.
Rolle began playing soccer at the age of six. He is the son of Audrey Major-Rolle and the late Preston Rolle Sr. His mother was passionate about he and his sister being involved in some extra curricular activity, hence they both were on a soccer field every Saturday. Young Preston Rolle joined the Truckers soccer team under the leadership of Leslie Minns. This team won numerous championships during that time. He very quickly excelled at the game and won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award on several occasions along with other awards. Rolle was affectionately called "Papa", a nickname he acquired from his coach because he walked and talked like an old man.
At Kingsway Academy, Rolle played on the soccer team from 1999 to 2005. During his tenure at that school, he was a member of the 2004 national under-15 team that played in Trinidad & Tobago.
In 2005, Rolle moved to Grand Bahama where he enrolled in St. Paul's Methodist College for three years. He continued to make a name for himself by playing at the Y-Club on the weekends.
For his final years of high school, Rolle transferred to Bishop Michael Eldon High. He played with the Bishop Michael Eldon Warriors under Wayne Smith and Cletis Smith, and was instrumental in taking the team to the Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Association (GBSSAA) Championship.
Upon graduating from high school, Rolle was awarded with a soccer award and within that final year, he was spotted by some college scouts from the United States and offered a partial scholarship to attend St. Andrew's University. Now in his senior year, he has the St. Andrew's Knights aspiring to win the school's first ever NAIA title.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
