Nine Student Athletes Celebrate National Signing Day
Senior athletes officially sign off to continue on their sports careers at a collegiate level
Hayden Duenwald begins to smile as his cheer coach hugs him.
April 14, 2023
With senior year coming to an end, nine athletes attended the last sports signing to further their education and sports career at the collegiate level.
“These students have put in a lot of hardwork and dedication into their sport,” athletic director Mr. Eldredge said.
On National Signing Day, senior student athletes sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) committing to their college of choice. Athletes all around the country wait for this moment for their whole life because all of the time and effort put into their sport have finally paid off. At Liberty, the signing is little bit more informal to make the athletes more comfortable with the questions they are each being asked by Mr. Eldredge.
Hayden Duenwald gets asked how the weight room has helped change him into the athlete he is today. He said you have to be strong in order to be a good athlete.
Mason Main will be staying close to home by attending St. Louis Community College to further his baseball career.
“I just think it was the best fit for me,” Main answered.
Madalyn Breckenridge will be attending Truman State University to keep playing golf. She says that Truman is icing on the cake because her dad went there and she feels that it is a very positive environment.
Domenic Nordman has been playing baseball all throughout high school and has decided to continue playing for Westminster. Eldredge asks how his experience at Liberty is going to help playing in college. He mentions that it helps him with lots of good competition.
Hadyn Sweaney, who is recovering from an injury, still finds his way to play baseball at the collegiate level this next year.
“I chose Elms College because it will give me a good chance to explore new places and see where it will take me for the future,” Sweaney said.
Nate Bobikiewicz will be continuing his basketball career in Illinois. Mr. Eldredge goes on to ask him how Liberty basketball has helped him prepare for college basketball.
“Liberty basketball has always had such a good culture and this helped me realize that I wanted to further my basketball career in college, even though the school is small,” Bobikiewicz said.
Blake Cunningham will be attending Ottawa University in Kansas for basketball. He gets asked who is his biggest sports influence is, answering, “definitely Kobe Bryant.”
Tennis player, Tyler Gonzales, will be continuing his sports career at Webster University this next year. He says that tennis has been a really fun journey and is a perfect fit for him.
Samantha Borton-Center will be continuing her volleyball career attending Principia College in Elsah, Ill. Eldredge asked how Liberty has prepared her for college volleyball. She mentions that Liberty has very good competition and that she wants to stay on a winning team throughout the rest of her time playing volleyball.
By making their mark on LHS grounds, they will always get to come back and realize that the beginning to their next chapter began here.
