According to Mr. Ron Marquez, Director of Sports Information and Communication, less than one percent of 7.7 million U.S. high school student athletes receive an athletic scholarship to continue their high school sport in college. With this statistic in mind, more than ten percent of Cathedral seniors signed a sports scholarship to their prospective colleges this year, and this number will rise. With an astonishingly high percentage of talented athletes pursuing their sport on a collegiate level, what can all of these students’ success be accredited to?

Hannah Labrie-Smith, a Stanford-bound track and field runner said that her personal success evolved due to “the coaching and teaching here that’s so awesome and has prepared me for future competition. My parents and Coach Geiger have been so inspiring for me to try my best,” she said.

With success in mind, seven student spring sport athletes walked into the Guadalupe Center around 7:30 a.m. and sported either a shirt or sweatshirt of his or her future college, and all were eager to talk about their future. These Cathedral student athletes sat with their parents and coaches as their names were called to walk up in front of the stage, sit down at a table, and sign their intent letters.

Three Lady Dons will compete in track and field next year, including Hannah Labrie-Smith (Stanford University), Claire Chandler (Naval Academy), and Audry Jawor (Regis University). Senior Gabi Foyle will run cross country (Dominican University of California), and Mary Roberts signed to pursue collegiate swim (Georgia Southern University). Two spring sports male athletes signed, also. Jordan McBrayer committed to play college golf next season (Regis University) and Dallas Booker will play baseball (St. Edward’s University).

Gabi Foyle, cross-country runner committed to Dominican University, has already prepared herself for the future. “I met the whole team who came to run at UCSD,” she said. “I’m nervous and excited for this new experience.”

Hannah Labre-Smith also made sure to ensure Stanford was the right choice for her, too. “I visited in September, liked the vibe, and loved everything about it,” she said.

Cathedral Catholic has celebrated the incredible success of its 42 students from the 2015 graduating class that signed collegiate sports scholarships. With such a broad range of talent leaving in a few months, Cathedral can only look forward to continuing to foster success in the future classes of student athletes.

Jordan McBrayer, golf player committed to Regis University, offered the following advice to future college-bound athletes, and said “start talking to coaches and don’t be afraid to send them a lot of stuff.” His mom chimed in saying, “Don’t give up!”