On Feb. 4, the Greenhill Athletic Department hosted an athletic commitment ceremony for senior student-athletes who are attending Division III colleges and universities.
The ceremony was held in Phillips Gym and celebrated seniors Grant Colocousis, who will play golf at Rhodes College; Layla Esquenazi, who will play volleyball at Austin College; Zachery Geller, who will swim at Emory University; Oliver Hill, who will play football Wesleyan University; and Connor Lee, who will play baseball at the University of Chicago.
All students and faculty were invited, and those who attended sat in the bleachers facing the five athletes and their respective college-themed tables.
The program began with a speech from Head of Athletics and Physical Education Jarrett Shine, where he congratulated the five student-athletes on their accomplishment.
“As an athletic department, we are proud that these athletes represent our school with integrity, humility and excellence,” Shine said during his speech. “They have left a lasting impact on their teams and programs, and their legacy will continue long after today.”
After, a highlight reel filled with relevant athletic moments for each of the commits played for the audience.
Each student then gave a speech that thanked coaches, family members and friends who were instrumental in their athletic success. Every senior recognized their parents.
“[Parents] are the drivers, the encouragers and oftentimes, the quiet motivators behind the scenes,” Shine said in his speech.
When all five speeches were made, the ceremony concluded with closing words from Shine, who encouraged audience members to join the seniors and their families upon the gym floor to continue the celebration.
Each commit had a college themed table with sweet treats for their peers and pictures and artifacts from their athletic journey or future college.
For Geller, the ceremony served as a celebration of all the people who aided his athletic accomplishments.
“I hope it means something to the people who are here,” Geller said. “I’m glad I got the opportunity to thank other people because I’m really grateful for them.”
Beyond celebrating the commits, the ceremony served as a reminder to some students of what years of dedication to athletics and hard work can lead to.
“It just shows that when you put in enough commitment and enough work into something, you’ll always get something good out of it,” freshman Meena Taneja said.
