On Thursday, February 6, nine Jesuit student athletes signed their National Letter of Intent (NLI) to pursue their dreams of participating in collegiate athletics. Although a simple action, brushing a pen against a sheet of paper, it represents years of hard work and dedication in honing their craft to not only be the most skilled player on the field, but also the best leader and teammate possible, adding value to any team through their Jesuit-instilled Men for Others virtues.
Fulton Lawrence ’25 and family signing to play at Centre College.
Located in the Terry Center, many filled the room to watch the event. Each athlete was surrounded by the coaches who had guided them for many years, the family and friends who cheered for them, and the teammates who challenged them to play at their best. The community celebrated each athlete and their accomplishment, proud of their past and hopeful for continued success in the future.
“Seeing all my family, friends, teammates and coaches there was really awesome. Everyone coming out to show support for me and all the other guys signing made all the hard work worth it.” -Trenton Giles ’25
The following nine individuals have committed to play collegiate athletics:
Football:
Blake Bodnar- Washington University in St. Louis
Phoenix Derichsweiler- Tulane University
Jaeger Krauss- Johns Hopkins University
Charlie Peters- Dartmouth College
“Signing day was a great experience and I’m beyond excited to continue playing the game I love at Washu. It was amazing seeing my friends and teammates signing as well and I couldn’t be happier for them.” -Blake Bodnar ’25
Jaeger Krauss ’25 signing to play football at Johns Hopkins University.
Baseball:
Trenton Giles- Buena Vista University
Barrett Kasprowicz- Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa
Fulton Lawrence- Centre College
Asher Levy- Trinity University
Cooper Thomas- Southwestern University
Trenton Giles ’25 and family signing to play at Buena Vista University.
“It felt good signing to a school knowing I’ve worked so hard all of my life to achieve this goal. It had been a dream of mine since I was young to play baseball at the next level. It was also cool to be surrounded by my family while signing knowing how much effort and sacrifices my parents have made to get me to this point.” -Asher Levy ’25
With the addition of Winter Signing Day, Jesuit is up to twenty signed athletes, with many more seniors still to sign in the spring, and many current junior commits ready to sign next year. The future of Jesuit athletics looks bright as they go beyond their home here and make positive impacts on their teams in the future, putting into practical use the attributes they learned. Congratulations to each athlete and good luck on future endeavors!
“Signing day was a very exciting experience and it was so cool to recognize the achievements of all my classmates who worked so hard to earn the opportunity to play college sports. I was reminded of how grateful I am for not only the opportunity but also the community that has supported me since the beginning.” -Jaeger Krauss ’25
Stay tuned to The Roundup for more Jesuit Athletic coverage!
Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas offers young men an excellent, Catholic education in the classical Jesuit tradition with the purpose of forming a community of men with high moral principles and service to others.
