Once again, Belmont Hill’s senior class has seen success in athletic recruitment with 27 graduating athletes recruited to play nine college sports. Athletic recruitment has always been an important gateway into college for many students at Belmont Hill because of the strength of our student-athlete model. Many students try out new sports during their years at Belmont Hill and become proficient enough to be recruited for that sport by the time they graduate.
Over the past couple of weeks, I interviewed three members of the senior class who have been recruited. Their responses have helped me understand how they came to be such successful athletes and how they feel about playing college sports.
First, Aidan McGaugh ‘20, who was recruited by Bates College to nordic ski and row, said that he is excited to compete at the collegiate level. If he had to choose someone who motivated him the most, “Mr. Richards and Mr. George taught me a lot about how to push myself physically/mentally and train intelligently, which I am hugely grateful for and contributed a lot to my success.” Aidan’s success was facilitated by the great coaches at Belmont Hill and also an unrivaled drive to compete and improve.
Second, Tim Brown ‘20, who was recruited by Williams College to play football and wrestle, is also extremely excited to play at the collegiate level, and he also is considering playing professionally if given the opportunity. Tim says the person who helped him succeed was, “my football kicking coach from National Kicking Service, Gene Muriaty, who helped me develop my skills as a kicker and punter the most, he’s been coaching me since first form and helped me become the player I am today.” Tim has always been a hard-working athlete, and kicking in football requires a great deal of carefully developed technique.
Third, Luca Foschi Walko ‘20, who was recruited by UPenn to row, is looking forward to rowing and sees it as a great extension to athletics at Belmont Hill. He says his mother contributed the most to his success: “driving me to practices and feeding me, getting me interested in rowing during middle school, and ultimately convincing me to come to BH.” Luca, who only entered Belmont Hill junior year, has worked hard since joining and has become a crew captain and role model for younger rowers.
There are many other successful college recruits in the class of 2020 and many others who used athletics as a strong extracurricular to bolster their chances of getting into their desired college. The cancellation of spring seasons and summer tournaments and identification camps have made recruiting precarious for all students who counted on this period of time to gain the attention of college coaches.
No matter what next fall looks like, Belmont Hill is extremely proud of the strong athletes in the Class of 2020. The Panel wishes all recruited athletes the best as they continue their careers at their respective colleges and universities.
