Five seniors participate in National Signing Day

Morgan+Eckerle+signing+her+National+Letter+of+Intent.+Photo+via+%40Eagan_Athletics+%28Twitter%29.

Morgan Eckerle signing her National Letter of Intent. Photo via @Eagan_Athletics (Twitter).

Jacob Braginsky, Staff Writer

Every year, over 100,000 seniors in America sign a National Letter of Intent, indicating their commitment to play Division I or II sports at a college or university. On November 11, National Signing Day, five outstanding Eagan athletes made this very commitment. 

 

Abby Moe

Abby Moe is a middle hitter for the Eagan High School volleyball team. Since the age of nine, Moe has loved the sport of volleyball because she loves the team aspect and the opportunity to meet and make new friends, as well as the feeling of dominating on the court. Moe has now signed her National Letter of Intent, signifying her position on the North Dakota State University volleyball team. When choosing her college, school came first for Moe; her parents’ alma mater NDSU  fit the schooling criteria in addition to the volleyball criteria. Moe knew this would be a perfect fit, as she “always wanted to be a bison.” Her short-term goal is to make the best impact possible as a volleyball player, after first recovering from a knee injury occurring in the 2020 season. Academically, Abby is set on achieving a master’s degree and becoming a high school teacher, and hopefully getting some opportunities to coach volleyball in the future. Looking back on her high school career, Abby has nothing but praise for the Eagan athletics program; “The people involved that make the Eagan athletics program happen are amazing. Especially this year with COVID-19, the Eagan staff gave us this season.” Moe also said that “the people, the coaches, the trainers- the people that make it run are everything.”  Finally, when it comes to who has helped her the most throughout her journey, Moe gives credit to her parents for being her biggest support system throughout her career. Having signed her National Letter of Intent, Moe is eager to suit up for the NDSU Bisons on the court.

 

Kennedi Orr

Kennedi Orr is a setter for the Eagan High School volleyball team. She has been playing volleyball for nine years and loves that volleyball is a team sport, as she gets to grow with teammates over the course of the season and build friendships with players that she meets. Orr signed her National Letter of Intent with volleyball powerhouse Nebraska University. Being the nation’s top recruit, Orr had specific criteria for determining her post-secondary ventures. Her top priority was finding a good school for volleyball, specifically team culture and coaching. Orr also plans to pursue a major in either communications or international business at Nebraska. Her main short-term focus is to recover from her ACL surgery fast and suit up for D1 volleyball. Orr also plans to continue volleyball after college, saying that “playing professionally overseas, somewhere in Europe would be cool.” As the Wildcat-turned-Cornhusker reflects on her past, Orr comments on what makes the Eagan High School volleyball program so successful; “It’s just the Eagan volleyball culture. Everyone understands that every day you walk into the gym you have to focus on getting better and leave everything else you were thinking about that day out the door.” When asked who helped her the most throughout her journey, Orr said Coach Kathy Gillan. Coach Gillan has been coaching Orr for six years and is a major contributor to Orr’s personal success as well as the Eagan volleyball dynasty. With the signing of her National Letter of Intent, Orr will continue to dominate on the court for years to come.

 

Grace Erickson

Grace Erickson is a swimmer for Eagan High School. Erickson has been swimming since fifth grade and loves that she can make friends and meet new people through the sport. Recently, she signed her National Letter of Intent with the Providence College of Rhode Island. Erickson noted that she looked for a college that was out of state, has a boys and girls team, and has a good balance of academics and athletics, as a major in marketing is her priority. Short-term, Erickson plans to make more friends and have fun while swimming for college. She believes that the best aspect of the EHS swimming program is that it is a close-knit family, that is encouraging and positive. Throughout Erickson’s journey, her parents have helped her the most, providing her with financial support as well as overall support of her athletic endeavors. With the signing of her National Letter of Intent, Erickson looks forward to representing the Friars in the swimming pool.

 

Morgan Eckerle

Morgan Eckerle is a forward for the Eagan High School girls’ soccer team. She has been playing soccer since the age of four. She loves the team aspect of the sport and enjoys the process of performing a hard-earned skill during a game. Eckerle signed her National Letter of Intent, committing to the University of Minnesota Duluth. Eckerle chose UMD because the college has a good engineering program and she liked hanging out with the team and the coach. Short term, Eckerle’s goals are to recover from an ACL tear and to get as many minutes as possible as a freshman. After college, Eckerle will hope to play in a women’s league and hopefully coach young soccer players. Looking back at her success as a Wildcat, she says that the best aspect of the EHS soccer program is the number of friends and people you meet. By signing her National Letter of Intent, Eckerle signifies a new chapter in her athletic career.

 

Delaney Foerster

Delaney Foerster is an outside and right-side hitter for the Eagan High School volleyball team. Foerster has been playing volleyball since age eleven, playing for Northern Lights, the club that she still plays for. Foerster loves the human aspect of volleyball; “the people you meet, and the experiences you make”. She also enjoys traveling around the country and the world with her volleyball friends. During the 2020 school year, Foerster signed her National Letter of Intent committing to the University at Albany. While Foerster loves the midwest, she believes that college is a new chapter in her life so she wanted to go somewhere farther away to experience something new and be more independent. She also loved the size of the school, its surrounding environment, as well as a good team and good coaches. Foerster hopes to major in a scientific field, such as biology. Right off the bat, she hopes to start strong in her freshman year, playing for her school and meeting new people. Foerster believes that the best aspect of the EHS volleyball program is its competitiveness and that Eagan athletes work specifically to improve, not merely going through the motions of practice. She also credits her parents for her success, saying that they support her travel and club volleyball and that her friends and coaches have been there every step of the way as well. With her National Letter of Intent signed, Foerster looks to join another team in her lustrous athletic career.