Local athlete wins U.S. scholarship

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Rochester Institute of Technology announces Cassie Barnes on its Instagram page. Photo from Instagram

Starting hockey at the Uxbridge arena when she was three-years old, Cassie Barnes has honed her skills enough to be awarded a full scholarship at Rochester Institute of Technology.

  Barnes, who graduates from Uxbridge Secondary School this month, will leave for Rochester in August to begin playing for the RIT Tigers, with whom she signed earlier this year.

  "I'm very excited," Barnes said. "They have some of the top (college) players in the U.S."

  She said the Rochester team finished fourth in their division last year. RIT plays in the Atlantic Hockey America conference of the NCAA Division 1.

  Playing as a forward, Barnes started on a boys' team in Uxbridge and then went to play in Markham-Stouffville before moving on to teams in Brampton and Etobicoke. Finally, she played Junior hockey in Mississauga, where her team won bronze in the provincials.

  Barnes said she received the scholarship mostly for her hockey skills but also for her academic standing at USS.