Despite reaching the end their high school careers, numerous Jesuit athletes from the class of 2011 will take their talents to the collegiate level this fall. With successful seasons in nearly all sports it isn’t a surprise that so many Jesuit athletes have committed to prestigious colleges to keep competing.
In baseball, two incredibly talented players, Josh Bell and Kevin Terry, have committed to the University of Texas and the University of Nebraska, respectively. Both players have been key in Jesuit’s playoff run to state.
Andrew Hooker departs for a crew career at Cornell.
For golf, Phillip Rosengarden committed to Lafayette College, while Jesuit celebrity Jordan Spieth will be attending the University of Texas. Spieth has incredible potential to go pro, some comparing him to Tiger Woods in his youth. Spieth remarked about Jesuit, “It has taught me to handle situations with humility. Staying level is extremely important for anyone to succeed and Jesuit has really helped with that.” He will be playing at the Byron Nelson Championship for the second year in a row from May 23-29, 2011.
In soccer, some notable commitments include Will Diebold to the University of Cincinnati, Kristian Garciamendez to Davidson College, a liberal arts college in North Carolina known for its academics and, more recently, 
its March Madness success in basketball, and Ini Bryce to St. Louis University, a Jesuit university and power house in soccer. Although Garciamendez sat out his senior year because of injury, he, along with the other two senior captains, helped to lead a team predominantly consisting of juniors. Garciamendez said he was “extremely excited to play at the next level. Jesuit has given [him] a true love for soccer. It has inspired [him] to become a better soccer player.”
In lacrosse, Richie Sapp committed to the Air Force Academy and Buck McClure committed to Air Force Prep. 
These two athletes were phenomenal attackers for Jesuit as the team finished runner-up at the State Championship game against Coppell. When reflecting on his Jesuit career, Sapp was extremely thankful to Coach Chris Surran, saying, “He has taught me how to see the game and play a step ahead. Also, he has enabled me to be mentally tough and embrace adversity. He is the best coach I have ever had, and Jesuit will have continued success because of his leadership.”
Max Montague is the only tennis player that will continue playing in college, attending St. Joseph’s University, the Jesuit university of Philadelphia, in the fall.
Out of all the sports, football has the most athletes who will continue to play in college. James Hairston will kick for Louisiana State University; Brian Wetzel will play wide receiver at Fordham University, the Jesuit university of New York City;
Luke Zeske will play offensive lineman at Incarnate Word; Preston Paine will play offensive lineman at Central Oklahoma; Jeff Schoettmer will play safety at the University of North Carolina; David Kaplan will play running back at 
Washington University in St. Louis; and Elliott Schermerhorn will kick at John Carroll University, the Jesuit university of Cleveland.
Photography by Jack White ’13
