National Signing Day: Meet the Thirteen Seniors Set to Become College Athletes

On February 3rd, Saint Ignatius celebrated thirteen student-athletes taking the next step in their athletic careers. Each of these men has put in a tremendous amount of work to get to where they are today. Without further ado, let’s meet the thirteen Wildcats who signed their letter of intent to become student-athletes at the next level.

Bennett Adler has committed to the University of Akron for football. Bennett has been a staple defensive lineman for the Wildcats throughout his time here. He credits Coach Gibbons from freshman year to teach him the basics and mentor him to love the game. Adler seeks to major in computer engineering and is excited to be in a phenomenal program at Akron.

Fielding Carlson will be attending Saint Bonaventure University for rugby. Carlson began playing rugby at nine years old and stuck with it the whole way. Carlson was a tank on the ice and played hockey for the Wildcats for three years. His relentlessness and aggressiveness got him to be named “Most Outstanding Freshman.” Carlson was only getting started as he worked his way up the ladder and was a 2019 state champion team member. He joins an excellent program for rugby and will undoubtedly do great things for the Bonnies.

Will Claus is heading to the University of Cincinnati to join their swimming and diving program. Claus has been in a pool for as long as he can remember. Claus comes from a great family of divers as his brother Alex Claus ’18 is now at the University of South Carolina as a diver. Claus’ favorite moment from diving was beating his brother at the sectional meet in Fairview; he also won sectionals from grades 10-12. Claus also holds a seventh-place finish at states from freshman year and a sixth-place finish in sophomore year.

Matt Giberti’s next chapter is to be a student-athlete at Harvard University for baseball. Giberti is all around an excellent young man. He is a force on the field and outstanding in the classroom. Giberti is one of three captains on the varsity baseball team as well as a 2019 state champion. As stated, Matt works very hard in the classroom, holding down a 4.38 GPA. The Ivy League is perfect for him as he can combine outstanding education with top tier athletics. Giberti looks on to help the Crimson retain their Ivy League championship.

Tyler Hong has entered the admission process for Princeton University to join their swimming and diving program. Hong is a monster in the water; there is no other way to put it. He struggled with a back injury in his sophomore year yet still finished fourth on the state championship podium. Junior year Tyler pushed himself more for success and training with his teammates. He also trained for the Canadian Olympic Trials; unfortunately, the trials got canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hong then placed third on the podium at his junior year state championship meet. Tyler is eager to be a tiger and continue his career as a student-athlete.

Aidan Hubbard will play football at the next level for Northwestern University football. From the beginning, anyone can see that Hubbard is a freak of nature and quite the athlete. However, even with a lot of his time spent with coach Ryan Franzinger ’02 and Anthony Rubino, Hubbard holds a 4.0 GPA. After a great final season with 35 tackles, 5.5 of those tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and one interception, it’s no wonder Hubbard got so much attention. Multiple D-1 offers came in, but in the end, Aidan will remain a Wildcat and join the BIG-10. Chasing a national championship is Hubbard’s next goal.

Nick Longano will continue hitting the green at Queens University for golf. Longano is quite the golfer, no doubt, being a four-year letter winner. However, the most significant accomplishments for Longano came this past season. He led the team to 12 team wins, broke the school record, shooting 280, helped the team hold a two-day score of 609 at the state tournament (beating another school record and taking the number three spot on the OHSAA record book for best score in state tournament history). Nick was a core piece to winning the Runner-Up trophy at the state championship. He now joins a highly anticipated golf team over at Queens.

Gavin Moore will be heading to Mount Saint Mary’s University this fall for rugby. Moore didn’t even know about rugby until now teammate Aidan McCarthy ’21 talked about his freshman year Rugby experience in Latin class. Head rugby coach Dan Arbeznik ’00 taught that class and immediately took Gavin under his wing. Moore has been a big help in bringing rugby to the younger students of Welsh Academy and has aided in camps hosted at Saint Ignatius. He, too, is a member of the 2019 state championship team and can’t wait to continue his rugby career.

Adam Ormstead will take his lacrosse talents to Canisius College. Ormstead’s story is a tremendous one and the definition of resiliency. His father was his biggest supporter throughout his career and tragically was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Ormstead’s father was there for him when he tore his left ACL freshman year in football and then his right ACL in sophomore year basketball. Before coming to Saint Ignatius junior year, Ormstead was a varsity athlete for lacrosse and logged 16 goals in the three playoff games he played. Through all the trying times, Ormstead pressed on and is excited to play D-1 lacrosse as a griffin.

Henry Raynor is heading to Hillsdale College for basketball. Henry has been a dominant 6’7 beast down in the paint for the basketball team. Raynor is the Vice President of the Student Senate, a member of the National Honor Society, and the Ignatian excellence model. Being the leading big man on the floor, he averages nearly 15 points per game and seven rebounds. He looks forward to being a charger and reuniting with former teammate Austen Yarian ’17.

Marko Rimac will be playing soccer at the next level at Bowling Green State University. Rimac’s soccer career began at Saint Ignatius as a JV A squad member for two seasons. In 2019 Rimac joined the varsity team and notched in 11 goals with five assists. That team went on to win states. Rimac and the team went back to work in the 2020 season, Rimac now a captain, put up 14 goals and 11 assists. The team was going through a “rebuilding year,” and Marko and the soccer Wildcats still won the state championship for the tenth time in a row. As a member of the D-1 soccer program at the next level, Rimac is excited to see how he performs at the next level.

Gus Salopek is heading to Lafayette College for football. Salopek is one of two returning starters on the offensive line who knew that leadership would be crucial this season. Having started every game since his junior year (fortunate to have not suffered any injuries), Salopek was named a captain and set leader of the team. Salopek boasts a place on the All-District team and third-team All-Ohio. Salopek is also a member of the Honor roll and is excited to pursue football and economics at Lafayette.

Christopher Speelman will be attending Marian University and play rugby at the next level. Speelman has worked extremely hard as a rugby cat and will forever remember his trip to Ireland to compete against high-quality competition. During that season, Chris played alongside his brother, and as a sophomore star, the team took home a state championship. He, like the other rugby men on this list, was named a chief this season. Speelman is excited to join a new structure over at Marian with a new coach to help guide him.

Although National Signing Day at Saint Ignatius was a bit different and limited to parents and guardians, these student-athletes enjoyed a day to remember, signing their letter of intent to continue their academic and athletic career in college. Saint Ignatius will always be a home away from home for these student-athletes.