Hackley School is known for academics, but equally competitive is the students’ athletic talent. Eight graduating seniors have been recruited to play athletics in college. They include Ian Parnell, Chris Cacace, Katie Gallop, Alyza Ngbokoli, Luke Sweeney, Robert Scherl, Ben Jurcic, and Will Walker.
Ian will be running track for the University of Pennsylvania, the third-ranked track and field school in the Ivy League. He has broken just about every Hackley School record and has set many New York State records as well. “I’m excited to be a part of the Track and Field team. They are all good guys and I am really looking forward to my time there,” said Ian.
Chris, also recruited to play Division I, will be part of Georgetown University Rowing. Crew is a huge commitment and Chris spent hours on the erg, the indoor rowing machine, working to improve. Georgetown “is definitely something that I am very happy to be a part of,” said Chris.
Katie will be playing field hockey at Williams College, a small liberal arts school that is Division III in all of its sports. Katie worked hard to get herself recruited, attending camps at Williams all four summers of her high school career, as well as participating in other summer camps, constantly improving her skills.
The recruiting process for her started when she set foot on the field her freshman year and realized that she wanted to pursue a career in field hockey. “I developed a desire to play field hockey at Williams ever since I did my first camp there,” said Katie.
Katie is not alone, as she will be attending Williams with her friend and track runner, senior Alyza.
Alyza started running track in seventh grade and began jumping hurdles in freshman year. She has been running for Hackley ever since. Alyza will be running the 400-meter hurdles for the Purple Cows of Williams in the 2013-2014 season. “I put a lot of time and effort into getting recruited so I want to get the most out of my hard work in college,” said Alyza.
Luke will be playing collegiate level athletics next year. Originally set to play both baseball and football for Endicott College, he will only be playing baseball following a number of concussions. Endicott is a small Division III school with a strong athletics program. Luke will be pitching for the Gulls in his sophomore season. “I am ecstatic about my future in athletics at Endicott and I feel I will make a difference on the baseball field,” said Luke.
Robert is another baseball recruit who attended multiple showcases in the summer leading up to his junior year. When a roster spot become available, Robert landed a spot at the Division III University of Chicago.
Ben will be playing Division III athletics in Maine at Bowdoin College. He started the recruiting process in the summer going into his junior year. His first steps were creating a highlight tape and then attending a Bowdoin senior day camp “and that is where I really got my first look,” Ben said. After doing a mini camp on campus, taking a tour, and talking to all the players and coaches, Ben knew it was where he wanted to play football.
Will began the recruiting process a long time ago when he attended a number of squash camps, and he learned very early in the process where he wanted to go. “I visited [Navy] and I loved it, and there was an immediate connection,” Will said.
Will communicated and talked with the coach who also went to tournaments to watch Will play. In the beginning of junior year, Will decided to take his talents to Annapolis. “There is nothing I am looking forward to more than being able to play the sport I love and serving my country at the same time,” said Will.
