Sacred Heart Celebrates NCAA Seniors

Even though summer is in full swing, college-bound freshman are already preparing for their upcoming journeys. Sacred Heart Academy celebrated its scholar athletes, including nearly half a dozen from Rockville Centre, who will soon start playing sports in the college arena. 

Five Rockville Centre residents who graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in June were signed to prestigious universities for their athletic acumen and academic performance. 

At a celebration in June, SHA’s Senior Signing Day honored all of its students who were recruited to play in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) for the 2011-12 school year.

RVC’s own at that ceremony included Frances Warren, who will attend Fordham University for swimming; Meredith Speck, who is attending Yale University for soccer; Kristin Brent, who is heading to Penn State University for lacrosse; Katie O’Hanlon, set for University of Scranton and playing soccer; and Ashley Murphy, who will attend U.S. Naval Academy for track and field. 

“I am so proud of these student athletes, but I know that I am going to be so sad in September when school starts up again with these special young ladies,” said Michael Goetz, athletics director at SHA. 

According to the school, Sacred Heart Academy competes in one of the toughest leagues in New York, yet over the past several years has sent more students to play in the NCAA than any other private or public school on Long Island. 

The ceremony marked a tribute to these stellar student athletes for all their devotion to sports and sportsmanship, said Goetz. 

“We gathered to say thank you for getting up at five every morning to practice swimming or say thank you for spending your summer practicing lax or jump shots while everyone else was on the beach relaxing,” he said. “These girls are all leaders.”