Senior Athletes Commit on Signing Day

Senior+Athletes+Commit+on+Signing+Day

On Tuesday, November 14th three Sahuaro student athletes took the next big step toward achieving their childhood dreams of becoming collegiate athletes. Travis Cole and twin sisters, Madi and Abi Nash, signed on the dotted line…

Travis Cole signed to play baseball at Christian Brothers University and says it is amazing and indescribable. He has worked on the recruiting process since the end of sophomore year. Travis had four offers from other universities and colleges, but was extremely excited about CBU in Memphis, Tennessee. However, he struggled a bit making the decision to sign knowing it would affect his future sports and education. He would like to study either business management or civil engineering. Going on his official visit earlier this year was extremely helpful as he found that the “education program was perfect” and that people were very “nice and caring”. He would like to thank his parents, sister, coaches; Joe Ochoa, Gil Madrid, Mike Gray, Josue Ortiz, and Anthony Fernandez. Something that has kept him motivated is “There is always someone working harder than you.” He also feels inspired by this quote said by Yogi Berra, “Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical.”

Madi Nash signed to Pima Community College to play volleyball and explains that she thought it was a really fun experience and “felt like a big part of the school as a whole!” Her recruiting process took a few months of her talking to her coach, who was also her club coach, who helped her make the decision and “figure things out.” She didn’t have any other offers because she wanted to stay in town. She would have loved to go to Eastern Washington University if she could. Madi struggled a bit because she didn’t know if she wanted to stay in Tucson for two more years, but concluded that the money saved would be worth it. She is going to study sports medicine. She didn’t have to visit the school because she has gone to tons of open gyms and practices before. She wants to thank her dad for teaching her the basics of volleyball and coaching her for a few years as well. She also wanted to thank all the other coaches who she’s had in career.

Abi Nash signed to play volleyball at Lamar University and describes it as a very proud moment in her life. Her recruiting process has been going on since the end of her sophomore year as well. Abi had one more offer from a Division 2 school in Amarillo Texas.  She committed with enthusiasm and felt so blessed to have been offered a full ride. She wants to study English and Education, but she may change her interest before she goes there. She loved her official visit and fell in love with the school and their gymnasium, ESPECIALLY the locker room. Abi likes the town as well because she has family 2 hours away. She would like to thank her mom, dad, sisters, coaches; Adam Shingler, Rachel Balseiger, Aj Malis, Michelle Malis, Tara Olding, Dan Bithell, and everyone else who helped her get to where she is now. She feels “So blessed” and is extremely competitive in every aspect, which keeps her motivated and her standards high. She is very excited to play at such a high level with great players and coaches surrounding her.