Three seniors sign National Letters of Intent

by Amber Francis

On Wednesday, Nov. 10, EHS held an assembly to recognize three student athletes who signed letters of intent for their education and athletic career next year.

The NCAA recognizes November 10th as an early signing day for high school athletes. “We were excited to host an Early Signing Day for 3 of our high school athletes. We dismissed all high students to the gym to watch these athletes sign their National Letter of Intent.  Parents and families were invited to this event as well,” said Principal David Rotert.

Senior cross country star Daelen Ackley signed his letter of intent to attend the University of Notre Dame, which is a private research university inspired by its Catholic character to be a powerful force for good in the world.

This is a huge honor for Daelen, as Notre Dame is one of the top universities in the country and at the bare minimum a 3.6 GPA is needed to be granted acceptance. Even with a 3.6 GPA, most students had trouble getting into the school and most were denied. Notre Dame accepts only 19% of applicants, denying 81% of applications.

He was sought out for his running experience and will be joining their athletic department. He chose a chance to run for the Fighting Irish after taking visits to a few other Division I programs.

“Coach (Sean) Carlson has a great plan for me and they have great guys,” Daelen said. “The team is very supportive in everything.”

Senior volleyball stars Tevi Gurley and Reese Schaaf signed their letter of intent to attend Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.

Again, this is a fabulous school with a competitive acceptance rate for seniors. Applicants require very good grades in high school to get into Drury University. The average high school GPA of the admitted freshman class at Drury University was 3.7 on the 4.0 scale indicating that primarily “A” students are accepted and ultimately attend. The school ranks #4 in Missouri for highest average GPA. Drury University admissions is more selective with an acceptance rate of 71%.

The Drury Panthers are the athletic teams that represent Drury University in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Panthers compete as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference for all 18 varsity sports.

Tevi will be playing volleyball next year at Drury. “I picked Drury because my aunt Tedi played volleyball there and it felt like home when I visited. Also the campus environment is beautiful.”

THREE SENIORS SIGN – Pictured from left: Tevi Gurley, Daelen Ackley and Reese Schaaf.

Reese will be playing basketball next year at Drury. “I picked this school because they have an outstanding basketball program, the coaches are amazing, and they have a beautiful campus,” she said.

The high school was excited to host this event for their first three signed athletes. In the spring, EHS hosts a Senior Signing day for all seniors. At this event, all seniors will be recognized and have the opportunity to reveal their future plans.

Photo by Logan Schwalm