Despite the lack of major press or huge cameras, five Jesuit seniors announced their decision to continue athletics in college in Hughes Hall on April 13th. Seniors Matt Horvath, Bryce Bonner, Connor Garvey, Pryor Miller , and Nathan Escanuela have all committed to playing their respective sports throughout their college years. With these additions, the class of 2016 now has 22 students who’ve declared their intentions to compete in college.
Nathan Escanuela ’16, committed to Austin College on signing day, where he will play soccer for the Kangaroos. He described his first experience in Austin College, stating, “[I] felt wanted since the very moment I stepped on the campus,” a feeling he says “[I] will never forget.” Nathan says he decided to continue athletics because “it’s what [he] loves to do.” For many student athletes, the field is a place where all of their problems melt away. For Nathan, “soccer is the tool he uses to escape from the real world,” and, because of this, he feels that he “has to continue [his] journey of being a soccer player.” Even though Nathan is leaving Jesuit, he will surely continue to represent the Jesuit mission on and off the field.
Pryor Miller ’16 will play soccer for the United States Coast Guard Academy. Pryor said, “I always wanted to continue to play soccer in college, but at the same time I want to be able to go to a service academy.” He continued stating that when he got an opportunity to play for the Coast Guard Academy, “the offer was pretty hard to pass up.” Like Nathan, Pryor enjoys soccer as a means of an “escape from the monotony of everyday life,” and says that he “doesn’t want to lose that [aspect of his life] when [he] goes to college.” Committed to the love and integrity Jesuit guides its students towards, he adds that he chose a service academy to “stay true to the humanitarian and service goals ingrained in [his] head.” Coach DeLong agrees that Miller’s choice is a good fit: “Miller enjoys the competition.”  On the field, Miller played an important role in setting up the opportunity for his teammates to succeed, acting, as DeLong said, “the conduit.”
Over on the baseball field, Bryce Bonner ’16 will continue playing at Purdue University in Indiana. Starting his career at an early age, Bryce said, “My parents pushed me to play baseball at a young age.” And although “[he] always loved basketball,” he later “discovered [his] love for baseball.” Besides the fact that it was Drew Brees’ Alma Mater, Bryce knew very little about Purdue University at first, but he says that after visiting their campus and meeting with their coaches, he “knew it was the place for him.” Bryce has 24 hits as of April 13th, fourth most on the team, and hopefully he will continue his success at Purdue.
Also playing baseball in college, Bryce’s teammate, Matt Horvath ’16 committed to play at Spring Hill College. Horvath is among the top of the roster, batting at a .339 average, and he will look to continue his dominance at the plate for the Badgers. Like the previous athletes, “being a collegiate athlete has been a goal [Horvath has] worked for everyday.” Horvath added that the moment he stepped onto the Spring Hill campus, “[he] knew that’s where [he] wanted to be.”
Connor Garvey ’16, after a fruitful cross country season will be running for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Garvey finished second in district this season and 23rd in the regional race. According to Garvey, running in college has been a lifelong goal of his, stating, “I remember my freshman year watching the seniors sign and thought to myself, ‘that will be me one day.'” Connor’s achievements and feats will surely continue into his college years.
Jesuit, along with its academic excellence, has always succeeded in athletics. The 2015-2016 athletic season has been no different, producing 22 collegiate competitors. Good luck to all the Jesuit athletes from The Roundup.
