Signing day is a special tradition at schools all across the US. The day consists of high school athletes signing their letters of intent to play sports at the collegiate level. The act of signing that letter shows that the athletes are the top competitors in their school and their excellence has earned them spots at various colleges and universities around the nation.
Some of the student athletes at Jesuit College Prep signed their letters earlier in the year on National Signing Day. But for those who hadn’t yet decided on their collegiate futures, signing day was postponed to this past Wednesday May 7th. In total there were 13 athletes from 8 different sports who signed to play in college:
Brocke Stepteau, basketball-Hawaii
Matthew Bender, basketball-Trinity
Kellen McAlone, football-Pittsburgh
Mac Corbin, golf-Spring Hill
John Wheeler, lacrosse-Salisbury
Drew Goethals, lacrosse-Bellarmine
Dillon Smith, track-TCU
Andrew Pott, track-Notre Dame
John Paul Blanton, cycling-Midwestern State
JW Schwab, crew-Drexel
Jordi Perez, crew-Georgetown
Guy Harris, soccer-Trinity
AJ Zaugg, soccer-University of Dallas
The ceremony was held in Hughes Hall and started at 8 AM. Each student athlete was introduced one by one by athletic director Steve Koch.
Each student then signed their letters while parents and friends flashed their cameras to capture the moment. Some students, however, either forgot their paperwork or are instead committed to walking on to the sports teams, so many of them just signed a blank piece of paper.
Nevertheless, it was a proud moment for all who attended. After the signing, each individual got a picture with his family, his coach, and teammates from their respective sports.
“It feels nice,” explained Matthew Bender the Trinity commit. “All of my hard work has finally paid off. I’m so excited for the next for years.”
His teammate Brocke Stepteau, who is heading to the beautiful state of Hawaii, said, “Signing that letter felt amazing. I feel so relieved that I’m officially committed to go play in college. The Jesuit basketball program has been so great to me and I can’t wait to continue playing at Hawaii.”
These student athletes put Jesuit at well over 20 college commits. Although this number isn’t as big as last year’s graduating class, the class of 2014 has top talent going to the top universities in the nation. Follow these soon to be Jesuit alums in the coming years at their respective colleges, because they’re sure to make an impact wherever they go.
