Benish Signs With Doane University Multi-Sport Star Signs with Tigers for Basketbal

DALTON--It was a time of celebration and some tears as Leyton senior Zaili Benish signed a letter of commitment to attend Doane University and to play for the Lady Tigers Basketball team. Benish is a multi-sport standout, excellent in volleyball, basketball, and Track & Field. However, she is going to focus athletically on basketball at Doane, which seems appropriate as she hit nine three-point shots in the previous night's win over Paxton.

A big turnout was on hand for the signing, with Benish surrounded by family, friends, and teammates. She said, "None of this could ever have happened without my teammates, they were always there for me, I was there for them, and we are always there for each other," and then she hugged her teammates and tried to hold back a few tears.

Her father Jed Benish, who is also the Leyton Girls Basketball Head Coach, was able to reflect upon Zaili's achievement and said, "she's a smart and disciplined young lady, and I'm sure she's going to be very successful. When we visited she really liked the coaches and the girls on the team. You have to go with your gut instinct, and she feels that this is the place for her. She'll be very successful at Doane."

Zaili's sister Axi is a 2023 graduate of Leyton High School and signed a similar letter of intent a few years ago when she decided on University of Nebraska - Omaha. The two schools are not very far from each other, so the can visit when time allows. Axi said, "It's good we're close-I can give her some advice and help her get through the first year and help make the adjustments she needs to make."

Zaili's mother Holly Benish has been by her side when it comes to sports, traveling with her to games, meets, and tournaments with her camera ready to capture the action. "I'm so proud of her, she works so hard at everything she does, and I'm just so happy to see it pay off," Benish said.

Zaili Benish said, "It's always been a dream of mine to play college basketball, and when I started going on visits it was a little hard because everyone was so nice. It's a little hard to read what a place is really like when they are all putting a lot of energy into getting you to go there. But Doane was the last place I visited and I just had the feeling that this was the place for me, and it was an easy choice for me."

Benish plans on studying education, and praised the education program at the school.

"The education program at Doane is well-known to be very good. If you want a career in education, Doane is a great place to go."

Benish has earned multiple scholarships for her education at Doane, and has already been accepted into a Leadership Program at the University.