Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

Plans After Graduation:
My plans are to return home to Chicago and move downtown while I continue looking for jobs in Finance or Accounting industry. Currently studying to take the CFA, so over the next couple years are planning to complete that certification as well as potentially go for my Masters at a school in or around Chicago. A few possibilities are DePaul and University of Chicago.

Thank You for Family & Friends:
The biggest thank you I owe is to my parents for always pushing me into sports from the beginning and allowing me to play everything under the sun until I settled on soccer. Thank you for putting up with all the ups and downs that come with playing the game of soccer and for spending the countless hours traveling to games all over the country and the thousands of practices and tryouts that it took to get where I am today. Thank you for being my biggest fans and love you guys. Also have to say thank you to my grandparents for always being my second biggest fans and coming to almost all of my games not just growing up but throughout my college career. Another huge thank you goes out to Jill our athletic trainer for the first three years of my career, she has been like a second mom to most of the guys on our team as well as for me, and is always there for us whenever we need anything, and we couldn’t do what we do without her. She has always been one of our biggest fans and couldn’t thank her enough for all that she has done for me and for our program over the past 4 years, love you Jill. Finally a big thank you to all of our fans who have come out and supported us throughout my career because I know it hasn’t always been easy but we thank you for always coming out and cheering us on in the good times and the bad times.

Best Class You had at Saint Mary’s & Why?
The best class I had at Saint Mary’s was definitely Coach Tadie’s freshman LCT class because it was all about soccer. But it was the way we talked about it and the application of soccer into people’s lives and the examples all over the world of how influential soccer is for people. The reason it was so interesting was it was a seminar class so we just would talk about the effects sports in general but soccer specifically can impact people’s life and give them hope, and happiness and a sense of purpose and we would read books and watch videos to show this and it was overall just a great first experience at Saint Mary’s in my first semester of college.

Best Sports Memory at Saint Mary’s:
I have made some amazing memories from scoring goals to beating teams that Saint Mary’s of the past would never be able to even compete with. But coming into my freshman year the soccer program here was a joke and were never any good, so when we came in freshman year with 30 something freshman our goal was to change this program for the better and I think we have accomplished that and set the building blocks for the younger guys to carry on what we started and take this program to the next level. But my best sports memory is honestly today, Senior day. Never once in our four years have the 12 of us who stuck it out all 4 years and been through so much together trying to make this program what it is today been on the field together at the same time. So today when we all get to go out there together and walk out as a starting 11 for the first time and play together is so special and is my best sports memory here by far.

Reflections for the Team:
Guys, it has been an honor to be your captain for the past three years and a lot of you guys have become like brothers to me and I know that sounds cliché but truly are the best friends I have and wouldn’t want to play with any other group of guys. I know it hasn’t always followed the script or the seasons haven’t always gone the way we wanted but we stuck together through it all and always competed and I couldn’t ask for anything more. Dinger, Blank, Larson, enjoy it next year and I hope it is enjoyable as my senior year has been. You sophomores Butch, Blake, Grunk, Jimmy and everyone else this is your team now and I know you guys are going to be the class to take this program to the next level over the next two years and its been a blast getting to know you guys over the past two years. Freshman you guys have so much to look forward too and enjoy it because before you know it you are going to be walking out for senior day so enjoy every moment and live it up. Coach Watkins and Coach Rizzo, thank you for everything you have done for me over the past four years and for keeping us together through it all and being the conductor to keep the train moving. Coach from all your crazy sayings to the trust you have had in our group of seniors by starting 8 of us freshman year and sticking with us for all four years its been an honor, and thank you for making this an amazing career. To the seniors it is crazy to think senior day is upon us already feels like yesterday we were walking out the turf to run the beep test for the first time. But we have made some awesome memories together from freshman year to now and I will never forget those or the bond we have. It has been a long long ride and we have been through a lot of ups and downs but like I said before wouldn’t want any other group of guys to go out and play my last collegiate game with. Love you all like brothers. Now lets go get one last W.