Part 1 of the DigitalSports' interview with Dave Vaeth.
by Brandon Hopp
(To watch Part 2 of the interview, click the 'Videos' tab above left)
Patapsco High School's senior midfielder Dave Vaeth has an amazing resume on the soccer field but it is his achievements in the classroom that makes him the prototypical student-athlete.
On the field, Vaeth is a three-time First-Team All-Baltimore County selection. This season, he was also named First-Team All-State at his midfield position after scoring 16 goals and adding 12 assists in 14 games despite drawing double teams from the opposition.
He is a four-year starter with over 40 career goals scored.
After receiving over 20 offers from schools that want him to play for their soccer programs, Vaeth has accepted a full athletic scholarship to the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) where he will undoubtably have a stellar college career but it was UMBC's academics that helped him make his final decision.
In the classroom, the young man from Dundalk has a "school-first mentality" and it shows in his grades.
Vaeth is currently enrolled in all Advanced Placement courses, holds a 4.0 GPA over his four years at Patapsco, is an AP Scholar Award Winner and is ranked No. 1 in his class out of 342 students. He plans to major in engineering when he steps on campus in the fall.
"Dave currently holds a 4.0 GPA and is a model student-athlete," said Patriots head varsity soccer coach Mike Griffith. "He is what I believe to be one of the top two or three players in the state of Maryland and plays his club soccer on the U17 State Champion Baltimore Bays."