As a two-sport varsity athlete who is committed to continuing his athletic career at the Division I level, Nick Andersen, ‘24 is a valued member of both the football and baseball teams at Belmont Hill. This past summer, he committed to play D1 baseball (his main sport) at the College of the Holy Cross. Nick has been a valuable member of the varsity baseball team for three years. So, this fall marks Nick’s final season of playing football having played tackle football since 2nd grade (and flag since pre-school), Nick feels the weight of this season on his shoulders. Formerly a quarterback, he made the switch to wide receiver because it “came naturally” to him. With the advantage of his height and quickness, the wide receiver position set him up for greater success in the past couple of years. When asked about his favorite memories of BH football, Nick quickly jumped to the nature of brotherhood and the close-knit bond of the team. Even though it’s not his main sport, Nick is extremely grateful that he played, and he will hold onto the lessons he learned as he moves forward.
The football team, under the new head coach, Coach Fucillo, has high hopes for the year. Nick spoke on behalf of the team stating that they “are very lucky to have someone with experience at all levels leading our team, such as Coach Fucillo.” The goal is to make a bowl game. While the team didn’t have much success last year, Nick believes that “the program is in good hands under Coach Fucillo.” With talented leadership and coaching Nick reflects on his athletic career through Belmont Hill and can’t believe where he is at.
As a senior, Nick looks to be a role model for all rising athletes trying to find their way. He knows how younger kids on the team put the seniors “under a microscope… watching what they do and how they react,” as he remembers his younger years. Some of the older guys Nick looked up to included athletes like Mike Ahonen ’23 and Jack Winnay ’23. Now in their shoes, he strives to be as influential a role model as they were.
However, the star-struck catches and game-winning touchdowns are not all that Nick cares about. By participating in Advanced Action Research last year and giving back to the younger students through the peer leader program, he has shined a light on what it means to be a true Belmont Hill student-athlete. When asked about his academic workload, Nick states that he “balances playing both varsity baseball and football by doing my schoolwork when I need to and focusing on sports outside of school.” With the support of Belmont Hill and his teammates, Nick shares his love for his school mentioning that he “finds it pretty easy to balance it all because baseball and football are in different seasons and Belmont Hill is structured for us to succeed.”
After graduation, Nick looks forward to joining the baseball team at Holy Cross. He is excited about the combination of a prestigious education and the opportunity to start on the field from “Day 1.” Nick also plans to maintain his strong relationships and friendships with his Belmont Hill classmates given that Holy Cross is only a short drive from home.
The Panel staff and all of the Belmont Hill community wish Nick good luck in his future endeavors and can’t wait to see what he does next at Holy Cross!
