Victor Rosado
Staff Writer
As our year as seniors concludes and we head off to college, we all see that every little ounce of work that we put in during our four years in high school has paid off.
If you were an athlete and played any type of sport you always looked forward to having your skills take you beyond the confines of your lovely school.
I want to take a moment and recognize several outstanding senior athletes that were able to do exactly that. They not only excelled in the four years at Foran High School, but will continue to excel as they move on into college division sports. The athletes are Thomas (TJ) Stuart, Michael Howell, Jerry Edmond, Samantha Mitchell, Leandro Jorge, Natalia Hart, Jordan Townsend, Juliet Levesque and Luke Edmondson.
These eight athletes have shown exceptional skill in their sport and will be moving on to bigger and better things.
TJ Stuart will be attending Manhattan College in the Bronx, NY. He will be playing division 1 baseball and will be pitching for their team. He earned a hefty scholarship and is very excited to be attending the university. He will begin conditioning in September 2016 and will begin playing in March of 2017.
When asked what inspires him to play baseball he answered by saying, “It’s my love of the game. Baseball has been part of my life since I remember and to have an opportunity to continue my dream at the next level is surreal”. His favorite part of the sport is “The fact that whether you’re pitching or hitting all eyes are on you, the pressure is on. That’s why all athletes compete, it’s to be in the spotlight. Baseball, it’s like that every pitch. As a pitcher the tone every game stems from you and as a competitor I love that”.
Michael Howell will be attending Southern Connecticut State University. He will be playing Division 2 football. Mike has been offered a roster spot on the team and based on his performance can earn a scholarship. He was recruited as a middle linebacker. However, they may convert him to a stand up defensive end.
When asked what inspires him to play football, he says, “I aspire to chase my dream of college football as my senior year was taken away from me due to tearing my ACL early in the season. I love the sport, the enjoyment and challenges it brings to me.”
His favorite part of football is “looking up to see all the fans cheering, knowing that you’re the main focus and that everyone from your coaches to your family, to random fans, support you and believe in you.”
Jerry Edmond will be attending Central Connecticut State University. He will be play track and was recruited to run the 400 and 800 meter sprints. He received a $5,000 scholarship for his exceptional athletics. He will begin running in mid-October of 2016.
His favorite part of track, he said, is “crossing the finish line”.
Samantha Michell will be attending Pace University in New York, NY. She will be playing soccer and will be the goalkeeper. Her report date is August 14th.
“It’s been my dream to play college soccer since I was little and I really didn’t want to end my soccer career at high school,” she said, “so I worked hard these past four years to be able to keep playing the game I love.”
Leandro Jorge will be attending Albertus Magnus College in New Haven. He will be playing division 3 soccer. He has multiple positions on the field. Pre-season starts late July of 2016. “My love for the game makes me want to play in college,” he said.
His favorite part “is the relationships I make with my teammates and the feeling I get after a win or scoring a goal”.
Natalia Hart will be attending Western Connecticut State University to play softball. She will be playing outfield. When asked what inspires her to play softball, she said “Honestly, the tremendous amount of support I got through my family and the extensive amount of work I put into being able to go and play at the collegiate level.”
Her favorite part of softball is “the intensity of the game, every second and inch matters, that’s what makes it my favorite”.
Jordan Townsend will be attending Springfield College in Springfield MA. He will be playing basketball and division 3 football. His position for basketball is a shooting guard and his position for football is a defensive tackle/end. He will begin his conditioning for football in August of 2016 and start basketball conditioning at the end of November.
“I’ve been doing it for so long and truly love both games and hope it could be my profession,” he said. “I look forward to it and it brings out the competition in me”.
Jordan is looking to transfer to the UCONN division 1 football team after his first two years at Springfield.
Juliet Levesque will be attending Connecticut College in New London CT. She will start conditioning for volleyball August of this year. She will be playing middle blocker on the team.
“Volleyball has taught and continues to teach me mental discipline, and keeps me in good physical shape,” Juliet said. “It has also brought me some of the best friends I have ever made”. Her favorite part of the sport is that “It has taken me to places I wouldn’t have gone otherwise”.
Luke Edmondson will be attending Springfield College as well. He will be playing Division 3 football and will begin his conditioning in August.
“ I aspire to continue playing this sport so that I can prove to myself how successful I can be, and so that I can continue to have fun while staying in shape,” Luke said. His favorite part of the sport is “the team aspect and the brother-like bonds that are created among the team.”
