Wachacha signs for dual role at collegiate level
Robbinsville – Despite interest trickling in from colleges around the region, Aubrie Wachacha knew what she wanted to do after graduating from Robbinsville High at the end of May: cosmetology school.
However, life had other ideas. Something just felt right when Warren Wilson College requested both the volleyball and basketball acumen possessed by the 6-feet, 2-inches tall Wachacha. After visiting the campus in Swannanoa, she followed her instincts; cosmetology school would have to wait.
Wachacha officially signed with the NCAA Division III Owls on Friday. That attracted a large gathering inside the Robbinsville High gym, where she made a name for herself both at the service line and inside the paint.
“I’m nervous, but we’re going to work around it,” Wachacha said. “But there’s also a lot of excitement. I was ready for cosmetology school, but I got an offer and knew I should go visit.
“The basketball coach (Robin Martin) and three of the players actually gave me a tour of the campus. They were very welcoming and funny, so I clicked with them right away. Martin told the volleyball coach (Kristy Kramer) that I was visiting; she looked over my records and gave me a call one day, asking if I’d be interested in playing volleyball.”
Wachacha set a Lady Knights volleyball program record by launching 101 aces during her time in Robbinsville. During a Sept. 12 home match with Blue Ridge School, Wachacha delivered 19 unanswered serves to the Bobcats – just four shy of the state record for all classifications. She also proved to be a formidable presence as the Knights’ power forward, ending her career with a nomination to the All-Smoky Mountain Conference team.
Warren Wilson was obviously intrigued by her resume – so much that the school’s track & field team reached out as well. As a senior, Wachacha was a state qualifier in the discus throw and also competed in shot put. Should the Owls’ track program land her services, they will be getting Wachacha at a bargain: three sports from one student-athlete.
But for now, Wachacha is eyeing the adjustment to a college schedule as priority No. 1.
“I love volleyball and basketball, so at least I’m doing my two favorite sports,” Wachacha said. “It’s a lot of work to compete in one sport, much less two. So we’re just going to stick with two for right now and see if I can work with that schedule; I still have to be a student-athlete.”
While attending Warren Wilson, Wachacha plans to major in business – which she hopes to utilize fully after finishing cosmetology school.
Wachacha is the first volleyball player from Robbinsville High School to sign with a collegiate program since Daylee Brooms joined the Montreat College ranks in 2015. Prior to Wachacha, Desta Trammell was the most recent Lady Knight to commit to a women’s basketball program, signing with Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2023.
A private institution, Warren Wilson College competes in the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference. Others schools in the division are Christopher Newport University (Newport News, Va.); Mount Mary University (Milwaukee); Salisbury University (Salisbury, Md.); the University of California-Santa Cruz; and the University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, Va.).