Five Windham seniors signed college athletic letters of intent during a special ceremony at Windham High School on Thursday, May 14.
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| From left, Windham seniors Jack Henry, Addison Shanholtz, Grace Hansen, Gracie Rulman and Jake Watson gather after signing college letters of intent to compete in college sports programs during a ceremony at Windham High School on May 14. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA |
Jack Henry
“Unbelievable consummate two-way player on the soccer and lacrosse fields,” said WHS boys’ lacrosse coach Peter Small. “He helps everybody out; an individual who plays the game the right way, with his chin up helping other people, looking to better himself and those around him.”
Henry will major in electrical engineering and after college is committed for five years to serving as a U.S. Coast Guard officer.
His brother got him interested in lacrosse when Henry was in the third grade; it was Henry’s brother who encouraged him to play.
“It felt good, it’s a relief,” said Henry about signing his letter of intent. “All my friends are always pushing me to get better and playing with them is the most fun thing in the world.”
Grace Hansen
Hansen will major in college in exercise science and hopes to earn a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Her goal is to help athletes prevent and recover from injuries and she’d like to work for a college or professional sports team.
“I wanted to participate in the signing and celebrate my commitment with my friends, said Hansen. “After I signed, I was excited.”
She became interested in tennis during her freshman year.
Tennis specifically has also given her a lot of mental strength, because it's really easy to get in your head on the court.
“Grace plays tennis with incredible grace, incredible form, smooth swings and strong sportsmanship,” said varsity girls’ tennis coach Katy Dresnok. “She ... brings positivity to the entire team. Grace represents everything you could hope for in a student athlete.”
She will major in biomedical engineering in college and be part of the honors program. She’s interested in medical research, such as medical devices.
Shanholtz started in the WHS track program during her freshman year while in the classroom of WHS girls’ track and field coach and earth science teacher Jeff Riddle.
Riddle said she is relentless in whatever she puts her mind to and has put in a tremendous amount of work to achieve her accomplishments.
“It was definitely the team that made me stay with it,” said Shanholtz. “I’ve never met another group of girls that has the community that track does, and the endless support I get from the entire team made me want to stay.”
Gracie Rulman
“Gracie leads by example,” said WHS varsity volleyball assistant coach Cassie Fleck. “She’s the kind of teammate who makes everyone around her better and someone the coaches can count on to give her best effort.”
Rulman will major in criminal justice and forensic science in college. She would like to be a crime scene investigator or detective.
Eighth grade is when Rulman began playing volleyball; she got the hang of the game quickly and loved it.
She says that she wasn’t thinking about playing volleyball in college but changed her mind during senior year. She loves the game and wants to keep playing.
Jake Watson
“Gives everything I’ve done purpose,” said Watson about his signing. “I’ve always wanted to wrestle in college and hopefully coach one day.”
He will major in marine engineering technology in college and wants to work on ships as an engineer.
His dad was a wrestler and when Watson began wrestling in middle school, he loved it instantly.
“The off-season work that you do is second-to-none,” said varsity assistant coach Nick Buckley. “He’s a tremendous kid, never have to push him to work hard. No matter how you shuffle him in the lineup, what sacrifices we ask him to do, he just goes and does it.” <
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