As Maya Healy and Elizabeth Starnes graduate today from Girls Preparatory School, they can look ahead to college athletic careers.

Starnes will be a distance freestyle swimmer for Washington & Lee University, an NCAA Division III institution in Lexington, Va. Healy will be playing lacrosse for NAIA member Savannah College of Art & Design.

Healy wants to study advertising design and said SCAD was the only college she considered. Lacrosse was only a club sport there when she first became interested, but the Bees just finished their first year of varsity lacrosse.

“That just makes it better,” she said.

Her mother and GPS coach, Annie Sherrill, noted that SCAD loses only one senior and had signed six new recruits besides the 5-foot-8 Healy.

“They needed low attack players, and Maya was a driving force in our attack the last two years, and especially this year,” Sherrill said. “She was one of our tri-captains and what I would call a playmaker. She made lots of assists and became one of our top scorers.”

Starnes, 5-6, has been an All-American the last three years for GPS and helped set a school record in the 400 freestyle relay, although her best performances were in the 200 and 500 and even longer for the Scenic City Aquatic Club. She’s been a year-round SCAC swimmer since the age of 7 and a regular finalist in Southeastern championship meets since 14.

“She was our GPS team captain this year and our only senior swimmer,” said GPS and SCAC coach John Woods. “She has been the GPS ‘most dedicated swimmer’ the past two years. Her competitive drive is an inspiration to me and her team.”

Starnes also applied to Vanderbilt, Rhodes and the University of Chicago before settling on W&L.

“They have really great history and political science departments, and I’m interested in both of those things,” Starnes said. “And they sent the first swimming letter I got, when I was in the ninth grade, so that got my attention.”