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NATCHEZ — AC senior Madi Cooley took three soccer balls and dropped them on the field and a stack of cones out of her backpack Wednesday afternoon. She is preparing for the next chapter in her career as graduation is coming soon. 

Cooley is our Female Best of Preps Winner for March. A hardworking and quiet athlete, she never thought tennis would be the sport she won Best of Preps in. She and her doubles partner Olivia Edgin recently made it to the South State semi finals, which is the furthest they have ever been. 

“I thought I would have gotten it during soccer season. I put in a lot of work during this tennis season,” Cooley said. “It feels good to be noticed by the community. I think it is a really big honor. I don’t play sports to be noticed but it feels good to be noticed.” 

She is practicing currently for the next step in her athletic career. Cooley plans to play soccer at Meridian Community College. Practice with Meridian will begin in July but she wants to be prepared. 

AC seniors will graduate on May 20 and Cooley will be one of them. She looked around the soccer field as she sat on a bench. 

“I‘m not ready to leave behind everything. I’ve never been good with big changes and this year is a big change,” Cooley said. “I like how familiar I am with everything here and how comfortable I am here. I like all of the memories I made here. It is very comfortable and familiar.”