Playing three sports keeps Michael A. "Mike" Robinson busy and physically fit throughout the school year. Applying himself to his studies has kept him at the top of his class at Donegal High School.

Attention to both has led to an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Having played all three sports since childhood, the 18-year-old senior has been a mainstay for the Donegal Indians on the football field, basketball court and baseball diamond throughout high school.

A quarterback and outside linebacker, Robinson was co-captain of the football team his junior and senior years.

Playing guard for the basketball team, he is co-captain this year.

A catcher for the baseball team, he was co-captain last year.

As a team captain, Robinson is well aware of the responsibility he carries as a role model, both on and off the field.

"It's not always the easiest thing to do," he said. "You have to keep a level head and make sure you're doing the appropriate thing at all times."

It is the teamwork aspect of sports that has kept this team leader playing all these years, starting with his elementary school days with midget football, the Donegal Youth Basketball Association and Mount Joy Athletic Association.

He relishes "the competition and the bond you make with your teammates. Being able to trust someone and go through the challenges … being part of something bigger than yourself."

Robinson is proud of his teams' recent records. This year's football team made it to districts for the first time in a while. The basketball team had a 20-2 regular season record before losing to Manheim Township in the first round of the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs this week. And he expects the baseball team, last year's Section 3 runner-up, to do well.

Robinson's sports honors include being chosen for the league's all-section second team for defense in football and being named the baseball team's most valuable defensive player.

Win or lose, the sports keep him lifting weights before school and practicing after school all year long. He also has helped to mentor young athletes by helping out at a baseball clinic, basketball camp and with flag football.

Outside sports, Robinson is a member and secretary of the National Honor Society, taking part in its service projects, and he is a member of the Math Honor Society. He was named a Rotary Club Student of the Month last September.

He counts math as one of his strongest subjects. This year, he is taking a second year of Advanced Placement calculus. He also is tackling AP language and AP government and political systems along with principals of engineering and German IV.

Currently, he is ranked first in a class of more than 200 students.

"School has always come naturally to me," he said. Still, with all his sports involvement, he places high value in "being disciplined and getting done what you have to get done … using your time wisely."

Robinson is interested in the civil engineering field, specifically as it pertains to infrastructure such as roads and bridges. He will be studying that discipline at West Point.

When he graduates from the academy, he will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. He plans to make the military his career, with the hope of becoming a combat engineer.

Robinson has been inspired by family members who have served in the military, specifically both grandfathers.

"I came to respect soldiers," he said. "There's just an aura about them that I want for myself."

Attending West Point and a life in the military "has been my dream. I knew I wanted to be a soldier. It's something that motivates me."

Outside of school, Robinson, a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, is involved in the youth group at Mount Joy Mennonite Church.

He is the son of David and Sheri Robinson of Mount Joy. He has an older sister, Katie, and three younger siblings: Christopher, Amanda and Rachel.