It’s officially signing day. Childhood dreams were realized in the Napolitano Gym, on Nov. 8, 2023, when seven student athletes from Cape Henry Collegiate made a life-changing commitment to pursue their childhood dreams. Seniors Payton Friske, Nate Jensen, Andrew Hart, Tanner Schaedel, Madeline Keogh, Kiersten Ruby and Emma Hardy signed their National Letter of Intent (NLI) to their college of choice. Each one of these athletes has been playing field hockey, lacrosse, or baseball since an early age and dreamed of pursuing their athletic career after high school.
Each one of these athletes has dedicated their lives to their sport, considering the fact they have been playing since a young age. They have had to learn how to prioritize, find balance through chaotic life obstacles, and maintain a GPA above 4.0, while giving their sport their all on the Cape Henry campus and clubs outside of school. The process it took to reach this accomplishment in their lives was crucial. Each of these athletes has had similar, yet different paths of progression while working toward this goal.
Emma Hardy has been a lacrosse student athlete since the 1st grade and has decided to take her commitment to the next level by committing to Ithaca College in New York.
“I am not gonna lie, the process for college recruiting is grueling,” Hardy said.
Her personal experience with the sport included a lot of exceeding expectations when it came to playing. She is continuing on a family tradition by playing lacrosse and has a lot to live up to. Yet, she has never fallen out of love with her sport throughout all this time.
“I’ve always had a good relationship with lacrosse, it’s a family thing,” Hardy said. “We’ve [the Hardy family] all had that connection with it that a lot of people don’t have and I’m grateful for that. It makes me want to play harder and gives me more to play for.”
Hardy and her family have a special bond with lacrosse that is as tight-knit as a women’s lacrosse stick and it fuels them to play and slay the fields.
Tanner Schaedel is a back-to-back TCIS and State championship baseball winner at Cape Henry Collegiate. He has been playing baseball since age six and has always had a passion for his sport. His motivation is fueled by his desire to exceed the expectations.
“Sure, I’m great at pitching, and I spend some time infield but I like knowing that I can play any position on the field,” Schaedel said.
Schaedel is an athlete that gives his all and more on the field, showing his strong passion in everything he does on the field.
“I spent many hours every week taking thousands of swings, pitching lessons, batting lessons, fielding lessons,” Schaedel said.“Baseball has made me a well-rounded athlete,” Schaedel said.
Schaedel will be continuing his athletic career as a Division I athlete at Old Dominion University next year.
“I’m very proud of myself. It was not easy but it was all worth it,” Schaedel said.
Another athlete under the spotlight at Cape Henry Collegiate is Nathaniel Jensen. Jensen is another back to back TCIS and State championship baseball winner who will continue his athletic career at Chapman University, a Division III school in California, where he was born and raised. Chapman University is a solid match for Jensen due to their extensive engineering program and smaller roster size, which he values.
“I’d like to pursue an engineering degree at Chapman,” said Jensen. “I’m excited to win for Chapman, compete, and get out there in the sun.”
Jensen is excited and deserving of his accomplishments. He has dedicated time and effort into where he is today.
“I’ve worked pretty hard by swinging a lot, lifting a lot of weights, and taking a lot of time to practice defense in the field,” he said.
Although these are only three of the seven, every single one of them has their own story as to why and how they made it to where they are today. Go Lions, Go Panthers, Go Bombers, Go Rams, Go Highlands, Go Kangaroos, and Go Minute Men!