Eight Sacred Heart Greenwich seniors plan to take their athletic abilities to the college level next year.  Devoted to their sports, these seniors reflect on what “Honor, Heart, and Hustle” means to them and what it takes to be a collegiate athlete.

The Sacred Heart varsity lacrosse captains, Ryan Smith, Hilary Hoover, and Athena Corroon, will all play lacrosse at the Division I level.  Ryan will bring her skill to Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) powerhouse Boston College. Boston College entered the 2019 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament as the number two seeded team in the country.

Ryan believes Sacred Heart’s competitive yet nurturing environment prepared her to play Division I lacrosse.

“While leaving high school sports behind can be intimidating and even sad, I am very confident that Sacred Heart has prepared me for the next step on my athletic and academic journey,” Ryan said.

Hilary is joining Cornell University’s women’s lacrosse team, the 2017 Ivy League Champions.  Here, she will play for Mrs. Jenny Graap, the 2017 Ivy League Coach of the Year.

Athena will continue her lacrosse career at the United States Naval Academy to play for the winningest Division I coach in women’s lacrosse history, Ms. Cindy Timchal.  Athena believes playing a college sport requires mental and physical perseverance.

“Playing lacrosse at Sacred Heart has allowed me to feel prepared for college lacrosse because we train and play hard with each other every time we step on the field,” Athena said.  “Everyone on the team pushes each other; practices are always extremely competitive, in a good way, because we all want to grow as players.”

Two Sacred Heart varsity field hockey players, Ellie Manriquez and Olivia Batal, are headed to play their sport at the Division I and Division III level.  Ellie is off to Princeton University to play for the third best team in the nation, according to ncaa.com.

Olivia will play for Hamilton College, the eighteenth best Division III school in the country, according to ncaa.com.

“I’m excited to play for a new team,” Olivia said.  “I love my Sacred Heart team so much, but I have been playing with them for a while.  It is going to be nice to work with new girls, and incorporate my skills into the team’s playing style.”

Katelin Ulmer and Catherine Hamilton will further their aquatic skills in college.  Catherine will be attending Villanova University, swimming for the team that just won its sixth straight Big East conference title in 2019, according to villanova.com. Katelin will swim with the fourteenth best Division III team in the country, Tufts University, according to ncaa.com.  Catherine is looking forward to embarking on the next level of her educational and athletic life.

“My whole life swimming has been a pretty individualized sport so I am excited to be more a part of a team in college,” Catherine said.  “I am also excited to meet new people who love a sport just as much as I do.”

Juliana Collins is the only senior that will row at the collegiate level.  She will take her coxswain ability to Bucknell University and help the Bison in their 2019-20 season.  Juliana appreciates the opportunity she has to continue her rowing career past high school.

“I am so passionate about the sport of rowing and love every minute, whether it’s on or off the water,” Juliana said.

The Sacred Heart Athletic Department develops a mission of “Honor, Heart, and Hustle,” in each of its athletes.  Ryan believes that these words have remained constant throughout her four years of varsity field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse, and hopes to carry them throughout college as well.

“While I was playing different sports and had different coaches and teammates,” Ryan said, “I found the ‘Honor, Heart and Hustle’ remained consistently contagious throughout each season, and I am sure these values will follow me for the rest of my life.”

Featured Image by Amelia Sheehan ’20