ROCKINGHAM – A groundbreaking senior season on the soccer field led Jayla McDougald to want to pursue her playing career at the college level.
That dream came true this week for the prospective Richmond Senior High School graduate who announced her oral engagement for Shaw University.
In her post on Twitter, McDougald said this was “an opportunity I couldn’t miss” and that she is “100% committed to Shaw University this fall to play the game I love most.”
McDougald has been a striker for the Lady Raiders since midway through their sophomore season and is the youngest Richmond student athlete to survive the pandemic storm to be recruited into a college program.
She joins her senior teammate Caroline Whitley (Methodist University) as the second Lady Raider soccer player in this year’s senior class who is committed. Before joining Shaw for football, McDougald wanted to attend North Carolina A&T State University.
“I had a great season this year and I wanted to keep playing football,” said McDougald. “I think I decided to join A&T too early and didn’t want to regret not having played when I got the chance.
“I was able to get a full scholarship between academics and athletics and it was something I couldn’t miss,” she added. “What made me play there the most was that it was an HBCU, which was very important to me.”
McDougald also received interest from Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, The Citadel, Hampton University (VA), and Jacksonville State University (Fla.). Following her decision to attend NC A&T on May 1st, McDougald said two people really helped her move on to Shaw.
The first was former teammate and current Bears player Jayana Nicholson, who graduated from Richmond in 2019. McDougald said that in addition to being “one of my best friends”, Nicholson told her a lot about Shaw’s program that got her to play there.
The other was Shaw’s head football coach Randy McClure, who has been in close contact with McDougald over the past month. McDougald said McClure made her feel it was a really good program and that she could “be part of the family” there.
In 15 games for Richmond this spring, McDougald led the Lady Raiders by 14 goals and added five assists.
McDougald scored two goals three times in one game. They won against Jack Britt, Hoke County and Purnell Swett High Schools, and they found the end of the net at least once in 11 games.
McDougald’s 14 goals were the fifth best at the Sandhills Athletic Conference that year, which helped her get into her first all-conference team.
During her four years in Richmond, McDougald also played basketball and volleyball, and was appointed to the All-SAC basketball team as a junior and senior. She said her time as a Lady Raider student and athlete with the help of multiple trainers helped her prepare her for the next level.
“I also love basketball and volleyball, but soccer was the sport I wanted to play the most in college,” said McDougald. “I’ve been going to camps and playing travel soccer since middle school.
“Coach (Chris) Larsen, Coach (Bennie) Howard, and Coach (Michelle) Denson all believed in me enough to get me to college in 10th grade,” she added. “They’ve all taught me a lot, but Coach Howard really stayed on top of me to help me reach my full potential. Richmond Soccer and my teammates made me a better player all round. “
McDougald will join a Bears team that played a shortened spring season in 2021 after failing to play in the fall due to COVID-19. Shaw went 2-4-1 and will return to a full 21-game schedule this fall.
Shaw, a Division II program, participates in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Joerail White, a 2020 graduate from Richmond, also plays soccer for the Bears.
“I’m excited and ready to train more and learn how to be a better soccer player,” said McDougald. “I also hope to put Richmond County on the map.
“Jayana was one of my first friends in college and she has experience that will help me guide me through college,” she concluded. “It would be great to have someone to help me.”
McDougald plans to study mass communication with a focus on broadcasting or public relations.