Four St. Ed’s student-athletes were guests of honor in a brief ceremony attended by family, friends, classmates, teachers and coaches when it was finally time to announce their college destinations to the public on National Signing Day, Feb. 3.
The fortunate four will no longer have to deal with campus visits, back-and-forth emails, monotonous application paperwork, meetings with coaches, and most of all the anxiety associated with a decision-making process that can stretch nerves to the limit.
The quartet was introduced by Director of College Counseling Michele Sternberg before inking on the dotted line and sealing the deal. They sat at a table in the gymnasium sporting new logos and receiving enthusiastic hoots and hollers from the audience as each decision was revealed.
The ultimate school choices for Kevin Murphy, Valerie Burke and Karim Hussamy were well known in advance. On the other hand, Brian Carter chose to add a little drama by narrowing it down to two finalists before announcing his decision as the very last of the four signees.
Carter was a one-man wrecking crew at defensive end on the Pirate football team and had to sort through 11 Division 1 full-ride offers. The process got very harrowing at the end when it came down to the University of New Hampshire and the University of Idaho, so he sought counsel from a much higher power.
“Honestly, I sat down and compared the two,” Carter said. “And then I prayed about it. I did a whole lot of praying. At first I thought I wanted to go to Idaho. Then God actually told me in my heart to go to New Hampshire. So I just let it go and let God make the decision.”
His football coach at St. Ed’s concurred with the opinion of the deity. Bill Motta said, “I’m just really excited for Brian. The school size, athletics and academics are all a great fit for him. The school worked to create a perfect relationship with Brian. I’m looking forward to seeing him develop as a player in a challenging environment. He’s got a wonderful future ahead of him.”
Valerie Burke was a competitive swimmer through high school, but rowing was her athletic pathway to Philadelphia and a future as a Villanova Wildcat.
“Villanova has everything I wanted,” Burke said. “It’s a medium-sized school near a large northeastern city – with great academics – and rowing.
“This was kind of a strange and unique process for me because I have only been rowing for one year. I was really interested in the school so I filled out the recruiting form. I ended up getting in touch with the coach and sent her all of my (rowing) times and academic information. She said that if I wanted a spot on the team she would have one for me.
“It was a really exciting process and it seemed like it all happened overnight. I didn’t realize that signing day was going to be such a big deal with all my family and friends here. It was a carnival.”
Kevin Murphy tried soccer, cross country and swimming at St. Ed’s, but lacrosse was the sport that he truly loved since sixth grade when he started scooping up saves as a goalie. He committed to Berry College in Rome, Georgia.
“Obviously this (signing) is a very exciting day,” Murphy told us. “I knew this was where I was going for a while, but it’s kind of surreal how fast this is all happening. From the moment I stepped on campus I knew this was where I could spend the next four years of my life.
“Then when I met the coaches and the team, I realized even more that Berry was where I wanted to be.”
Karim Hussamy’s dream to play Division 1 soccer has come true. He left St. Ed’s for two years to train at IMG Academy before returning for his senior year to lead the Pirates to a 10-4-2 record. He chose Lafayette College for some very basic reasons.
“I was always interested in the Patriot League, which is very competitive,” Hussamy said. “The academics are strong and Lafayette was one of the first schools interested in me. I always wanted to go somewhere where I was wanted.
“It’s always been my goal to play Division 1 soccer since I was in middle school. When I first committed I really didn’t feel it, but (signing) today made it become a reality.”
