CASA GRANDE, AZ – On Wednesday evening, Grande Sports Academy student-athletes and staff gathered with their friends and families at Francisco Grande Hotel & Golf Resort for the annual National Letter of Intent dinner to celebrate the college commitments of ten seniors: Alec Felix, Alex Knox, Anthony Siaha, Elijah Rice, Jared Osgood, Jason Hernandez, McKay Eves, Miles Stray, Sebastien Des Pres and Ethan Shacknai.
General Manager Tim Alai, Head Coach Martin Vasquez, beloved math tutor Connie Dolezal and Director of College Recruitment and Personal Development Tim Marchisotto took turns speaking before handing the microphone off to the boys, who expressed gratitude to their families, coaches, staff members and various individuals who made an impact on their lives during their experience at Grande Sports Academy.
Alex Knox and Miles Stray will be the first Grande Sports Academy student-athletes that will complete the four year cycle at the academy when they graduate in May 2016. Knox, a Wake Forest University commit, gave a memorable speech to close the ceremony in a wonderful way. He thanked numerous people that have helped him along the way, told a couple of inspiring stories and shared a few words of wisdom with all the younger student-athletes who will try to follow his generation’s footsteps.
Listed below are the ten student-athletes honored and the college programs that they will be representing in the next four years:
Alec Felix – Utah Valley University
Alex Knox – Wake Forest University
Anthony Siaha – California State Bakersfield
Elijah Rice – University of Washington
Ethan Shacknai – University of California, Los Angeles
Jared Osgood – Amherst College
Jason Hernandez – California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
McKay Eves – Utah Valley University
Miles Stray – University of Maryland
Sebastien Des Pres – University of California, Santa Barbara.