BHS Seniors Earned Coveted Positions in NCAA Athletic Programs

Five BHS Seniors earned a coveted position in a NCAA Division I, II, or III college athletic program. Parents, coaches, teammates, teachers, staff, administration, and Board of Education Members gathered to recognize this outstanding accomplishment.

This year’s student athletes are (read full bios below):

• Ian Becker – Men’s Football – Washington University in St. Louis
• Alexander Cabeca – Men’s Soccer – Ithaca College
• Finn Hossfeld – Men’s Fencing – Duke University
• Madeline Plank – Women’s Basketball – Princeton University
• Caleb Schumacher – Men’s Squash – Fordham University

BHS School Counselor Dr. Nathan Heltzel said, “These student athletes bring great credit upon themselves, their teammates, their teachers, their coaches and the Briarcliff High School community!”

**************************************************************************

Ian Becker has committed to attend Washington University in St. Louis as a student athlete. Ian will be a part of Washington University’s Division 3 Football program.

Ian’s initial interest in Washington University emerged as a result of parents both being alumni, as a compliment to the phenomenal academic reputation of Washington University. Ian has been a student athlete his whole high school career. He played football and basketball at the junior varsity and varsity level since 7th grade. Ian was a member of the varsity basketball team coached by Cody Moffett that went to the New York State Section I Class B champions as well as the New York Regional Class B champions that made the trip to the New York State Final Four. Coach Skip Stevens, the Briarcliff Football coach, encouraged Ian to pursue college football at the Division III level. Ian was recruited by Washington University’s offensive line coach Brian Allen and Head Coach Kindbom. Ian enjoyed his spring visit and decided to apply early decision in the fall. Ian has had the goal of attending Washington University as well as earning a roll on the football team for years and is proud to achieve both goals. Ian will be studying Political science and is excited to further his athletic and academic careers at Washington University in St. Louis.

In his 4-year career with the Blue and Orange under the direction of Football Coaches Skip and Higle, and Basketball Coaches Friedman and Moffett, Ian has accomplished the following:

Ian has officially committed to play Tight End for the Washington University football team for the 2019-2020 academic year. Washington University Facts: Washington University is a primary member of the University Athletic Association (UAA) and is an affiliate member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin and is coached by Coach Larry Kindbom. The UAA Conference consists of The University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, Emory University, NYU, and the University of Rochester.

Ian is the son of Carri Becker of Briarcliff Manor, New York. Brother Scott Becker is a currently a freshman at Iona Prep and also plays football.

Alex Cabeca has committed to attend Ithaca college as a student athlete. Alex will be a part of Ithaca college’s Division III Men’s Soccer program.

Alex wanted to play for an up and coming team that has all the recourses to be a Division III powerhouse. The team made it to the Liberty league finals and was one step away from making it to the NCAA Championship. Coach Dezotell is the newly appointed coach and has made a lot of positive changes to the program. Playing alongside Briarcliff alumni Alex Leahy was also a driving force for Alex committing to Ithaca, as the duo played together for two years at Briarcliff High School and are close friends.

In his 3-year career with the Blue and Orange under the direction of Coach Brandon Beck, Alex has accomplished the following:

Alex has officially committed to play at Ithaca College and was granted an academic scholarship. As evidenced by the aforementioned stats on top of stats, Alex has been recruited by Ithaca college as playmaker at both the winger position and the center attacking position. After Ithaca reached the Liberty League final last season, Alex looks forward to contributing to the Bombers continued success and helping them reach the NCAA tournament.

Ithaca college competes in the Liberty League Conference and is coached by Kyle Dezotell. The Liberty league Conference consists of Saint Lawrence College, Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute, Hobart & William Smith College, Vassar College, Skidmore College, Rochester Institute of Technology, Clarkson University, Union College and Bard College.

Alex is the son of Olinda and Jon Cabeca of Briarcliff Manor, New York. Alex’s brother Jonathan Cabeca is a 2014 graduate of Briarcliff High School and 2018 graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh. His sister Juliana is a 2016 graduate of Briarcliff High School and a 2020 graduate of SUNY Oneonta.

Finn Hossfeld has committed to attend Duke University in Durham, North Carolina as a student athlete. Finn will be a part of Duke University’s Division I Men’s Fencing program.

Finn started fencing when he was just seven years old and immediately fell in love with the sport. Over the course of the last ten years, nothing has been as influential and crucial to Finn’s life. His love and passion for this sport, as well as his commitment to academics, were driving factors in his college decision process. After visiting numerous schools and meeting with their respective coaches, it became clear to Finn that there would be no better place to continue his academic and athletic journey than Duke University.

In his 10-year fencing career under the direction of his coach, Slava Grigoriev, at the Tim Morehouse Fencing Club, Finn has accomplished the following:

Finn was officially accepted to Duke University on November 20, 2018. He will be joining the men’s fencing team for the 2019-2020 academic year and is hoping to qualify for the NCAA Championships in his freshman year.

Duke competes in the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and is coached by Alex Beguinet. The Atlantic Coast Conference’s fencing division consists of Boston College, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Notre Dame.

Finn is the son of Amy Harte and Martin Hossfeld of Briarcliff Manor, New York. Finn’s sister, Ada Hossfeld, will graduate from Briarcliff High School in 2022.

Maddie Plank has committed to attend Princeton University as a student athlete. Maddie will be a part of Princeton’s Division I Women’s Basketball program.

Maddie has always been intensely focused, so when it came to selecting a university, there were very few that met both her academic and athletic prowess. She received nearly 15 Division I offers and eventually narrowed her choice to Northwestern, Penn, and Princeton. After seeing the recent success of Princeton’s basketball program and falling in love with the team, Maddie knew that Princeton was the place for her.

In her 5-year varsity career with Briarcliff under the direction of Don Hamlin, and throughout her AAU career playing on both the Adidas and Nike sponsored circuits, Maddie has accomplished the following:
Maddie has committed to play and has been admitted to Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Maddie is one of four student athletes in the country recruited by Princeton in 2019. In 2019, Princeton University was ranked by US News & World Report as the #1 university in the country. Princeton competes in the Ivy League Conference. The Ivy League consists of Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and Yale University. Princeton women’s basketball team has made the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament in eight of the last ten years.
Maddie is the daughter of Steve and Julie Plank of Briarcliff Manor, New York. Steve is a 1989 graduate of the US Military Academy and Julie is a 1988 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Maddie has three brothers. Tyler is a sophomore at Briarcliff High School, and Cooper and Justin are in the 8th grade at Briarcliff Middle School.

Caleb Schumacher has committed to attend Fordham University in the Bronx, NY as a student athlete. Caleb will be a part of Fordham University’s Division I Men’s Squash program. Caleb signed his intent on attending Fordham University on April 1st, 2019.

Caleb was actively recruited by several top 30 colleges squash teams, prior to accepting a position to play for the Rams at Fordham University. Caleb was drawn to Fordham because of its outstanding academic reputation, its longstanding history of squash excellence and the opportunity to live in New York City. The Fordham squash coach, Sahel Anwar, first approached Caleb while he was a junior, in order to gauge Caleb’s interest in Fordham. The more Caleb learned about Fordham, the more interested he became. Caleb plans to study computer science at Fordham.

Accomplishments in Scholastic Squash: In his 3-year career with the Blue and Orange under the direction of Squash coaches James Tranchida and Greg McArthur, Caleb has accomplished the following:

Caleb is one of three student athletes in the country recruited by Fordham University to play squash for the 2019-2020 academic year. College squash consists of 9 singles matches and Caleb will be competing for a position in the top 9. Fordham University competes in the College Squash Association Conference and is coached by Sahel Anwar. Fordham University was ranked 33 in 2018/2019 season and is the defending Chaffe cup champions. Traditional rivals of Fordham Squash include Boston University, Duke University, Navy, Johns Hopkins, University of Virginia, Hamilton College and NYU.

Caleb is the son of Michael & Pamela Schumacher of Briarcliff Manor, New York. Caleb‘s brother Jonah is a 2016 graduate of Winston prep and is currently a student at Mitchell College. His sister Isabel is currently a sophomore at Briarcliff High School and is the Captain of the girls Varsity Squash Team.