A lot of kids dream of playing sports in college. It can be a big goal, especially when the sport isn’t offered by every school out there. Four girls who play national level tennis with a club in Kirkland all achieved that goal, and will play at Division I universities next fall.

The four friends will be at different schools spread across the U.S. next year, but their years playing together built a solid foundation of what to expect in the next step.

Maggy Lehmicke will head to Nebraska, Lana Robins will play for George Washington, Megan Lalone for Boise State and Mackenzie Bowman will play for the University of Toledo. All four have worked with the Central Park Tennis Academy, which has helped some of the top players in the Northwest, under coaches Dan Willman and Mike Calkines.

While each player is from a different area, goes to a different school and will go to a different college, tennis is their common bond.

“They are my second family,” said Robins. “I spend so much time with them and it’s like we’re basically sisters. I’ve seen the entire country with them.”

The girls all got involved with tennis early in their lives, most starting playing or watching a family member and caught the bug. Lehmicke began later than most, when she was 11 with her step dad, while Robins was much younger, around six, after taking over her mom’s tennis lessons. Lalone also started when she was six, hitting with her mom, but starting playing seriously at 12. Bowman, like the others, started playing when she was six, and has been working with the club since she was 12. All four play at the National level, traveling the country for various tournaments, facing some of the toughest competition in the U.S.

Lehmicke, attends the Chrysalis School in Woodinville, largely because it offers a flexible schedule, making traveling easier for the tennis player. She lives in Kirkland. Lalone, who lives the farthest away of the group in Stanwood, travels south for the morning group, running 6:30 to 8 a.m. before heading back home. She also trains with a private coach in Mill Creek. Bowman, who lives in Mill Creek, attends Henry M. Jackson High School. Robins attends Overlake High School in Redmond, and has trained for five years with the group.

“I can’t believe it’s coming to an end,” said Robins.

Each of the four have different schedules and training plans, but found the common denominator in the club. The club’s space in Bridle Trails Park went under a renovation at the end of 2011, and was scheduled to reopen in early 2012.

“Central Park felt like home,” said Lehmicke of the old building going away. But the club is changing just as the quartet prepares for a big life change – college.

The girls said it took hard work to get the recruiting process started, as the Pacific Northwest isn’t typically a go-to place for Division I tennis coaches to find collegiate talent. They put themselves out there, and it paid off.

Lalone said she knew she wanted to go to BSU after her unofficial visit.

“It was No. 1 on my list and I thought I need to go there,” she said. “It just felt right. I had other offers, but I didn’t think that I would feel like that at any other school.” The senior committed in Sept., before even going on her official visit a month later.

“The girls on the team are great. It’s a perfect fit,” she said of the school. “I’m really glad it all worked out the way I wanted.”

Lehmicke, who had long dreamed of playing in college, had hoped to play for a Big 10 school. With family living in the mid-west it seemed like the right place. She had offers from Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Missouri.

“It was between Nebraska and Missouri and I had to go with my gut,” said Lehmicke of picking the Huskers. “It felt right and it fits with what I wanted. It’s a strong program.”

Unlike Lehmicke, Robins wasn’t always sure she’d play in college, or even that she wanted to. She did know, however, she wanted to go to school on the East Coast.

“I didn’t think I would play college tennis. I always thought I would go to George Washington, but at first they didn’t have a spot when I would be there and it was up and down, always changing,” she said. “Then they offered me and I met the team and if I could choose my sisters, that’s who they would be.” In the course of her recruitment, between going to Washington D.C. and other schools Robins said she made six trips to the East Coast in one month.

“You meet so many new people and you really learn a lot about yourself,” she said. “You figure out what you like and who you are.”

Bowman said she had a lot of reasons for choosing Toledo, but largely she felt a connection with the coach and with the team.

“I narrowed it down to my top five and there were a lot of schools, but when I went for my visit I loved the girls on the team,” she said. Bowman thinks she’ll study biology or bio-engineering, but for now is just preparing for her next step.

Now that the recruiting fervor has died down, most of the group are playing in tournaments, or beginning to focus on getting ready for college.

“My entire high school career I focused on tennis,” said Robins. “I won state my sophomore year, but I never really got to enjoy it. This year I want to making my high school season fun and get the benefits out of it and enjoy it. Of course I would love to win a doubles championship.”

Lalone said she plans on working on getting back into great shape before heading to Boise.

“I’m trying to get in really good shape, because when I get there we go right into tournament season,” said Lalone. “That’s my main thing, getting back into shape.”

Bowman also wants to focus on preparing for college tennis.

“When I first started tennis I was playing another sport, but I fell in love with tennis,” said Bowman. “It’s a versatile game, and about working hard. I have a lot of smaller goals, but the big one is just to get fit and ready for college tennis.”

Lehmicke, who still trains every day, said she’s slowed down a little from before when she made her decision, but the intensity is still there.

“I spend about five hours on the court,” she said. “Everything you need to learn from life I’ve found you can learn on the tennis court. There is always something new.”