Cincinnati, Ohio, February 4, 2016 –Three seniors from Saint Ursula Academy participated in a signing ceremony on Thursday, February 4, 2016 to announce their intent to play college sports.
Haley Jordahl of Loveland, daughter of Scott and Pamela Jordahl, has committed to play Division 1 soccer at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
Hanna Merritt of Milford, daughter of Tom and Paula Merritt, has committed to play Division 1 soccer at The University of Dayton.
Madeleine Morrissey of Newtown, daughter of Michael and Jennifer Morrissey, has committed to play Division 1 soccer, also at The University of Dayton.
Haley Jordahl will play soccer this fall at Wake Forest University. Haley is a four-year soccer player at Saint Ursula, where she played JV as a freshman and Varsity as a sophomore, junior and senior.
She has earned several GGCL Awards including being part of the 2013 GGCL Championship Team and the 2015 All Conference Team. In 2015, Haley was the GGCL #1 offensive leader with 16 goals and 6 assists, totaling 38 points!
She can also claim city, state and regional awards including Academic All Southwest, Ohio Academic Excellence Award, 2015 Southwest Ohio All Star, 2015 1st Team All City, and 2015 2nd Team All Ohio.
Haley also plays with Kings Hammer Academy where she was part of the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Ohio South State Cup Championship Team. Her Kings Hammer team was also 2014 Midwest Regional League Champion, 2015 USYSA Region II Champion, and 2015 USYSA National Championship Semi-Finalist. Her 2015 USYSA team was ranked #14 in the nation, #1 in region 2 and #1 in Ohio South.
Off the field, Haley has some impressive credentials as well. She earned first honors and was named a scholar athlete all four years. She is a member of the National Honor Society as a senior.
She is involved is several SUA Clubs and Student Outreach. As a freshman, she was an SOS Rookie Club Member. She is a four-year member of the Girls Athletic Association and the Earth Club. She represented Saint Ursula as a Students for Advancement member as a junior and senior, was a one-year member of Arts in Service Club and the Dawg Squad.
Haley’s Varsity Coach at Saint Ursula Academy, Mac Garrigan, said this about her, “SUA’s leading scorer in 2015, Haley was an offensive force, and there is no reason she cannot continue in that role at Wake Forest University. Haley consistently dominated up top the entire season, usually while being double teamed. She is an unselfish player, who is willing to forgo the shot when it is the right thing to do. She will have a great career as a Demon Deacon.”
Her Club Coach at Kings Hammer, Tiffany Roberts says this about Haley. “Haley has transformed into a tremendous player the last couple of years. She has become a beast up top playing against some of the best players in the country. Haley has not only excelled on the field, she has grown into a fantastic person as well. She continues to be committed to the game but more importantly herself and making those around her better.”
Hanna Merritt will play soccer at the University of Dayton in the fall. Hanna has played soccer all four years at Saint Ursula Academy, two of those years on the Varsity team. As a freshman, she also played JV basketball.
Hanna was named 2nd Team All GGCL in 2015. She also received Academic All Southwest and All-Ohio Academic Excellence awards all four years at Saint Ursula.
She is a member of the Cincinnati Soccer Alliance where she played in the 2014-2015 MRL Premier 1 Division. Hanna’s team was a 2015 Ohio South State Cup Semifinalist, 2014 Ohio South State Cup Finalist, and 2013 Ohio South State League Champion.
Hannah is not just a great soccer player, she is a great student! She has earned first honors all four years and has a cumulative 4.0 GPA. Hanna received All-Academic Southwest and All-Ohio Academic excellence awards all four years.
Service to others is also important to Hanna. She was a member of the SOS Rookie Club for community service, and served as a representative for Saint Ursula’s In-School Service Events organization. She is a member of Students for Advancement and was a PAL leader for her advisory group in the 2014-2105 school year.
Hanna’s varsity coach at Saint Ursula, Mac Garrigan said “Hanna was our everything defender in 2015. While playing as a center defender, with an uncanny ability to anticipate, time-after-time she would shut down the opposing team’s attacks. As an outside back she would dominate the outside player on her side and provide an often needed offensive threat up the opposing team’s flank. Hanna is going to be a great addition to the Dayton Flyers.”
Her club coach, Alex Rawlings, said this, “Hanna finishes her club play with Cincinnati Soccer Alliance incredibly successful. Her team competes in the Midwest Regional League’s top division and is continually at the higher rankings of Ohio South’s State Cup. However, she still has the highest ceiling of development on her current squad. This center back rarely sees the bench and is only getting better and better. Her distribution continues to improve while dominating play in the air centrally and to both sides of the field. Her leadership and communication combine with her physical strength to organize and lead any defensive group at the next level. Hanna also brings a smile to any training session and is the glue to a cohesive winning “team” in all aspects of the word.”
Madeleine Morrissey will play soccer in the fall at the University of Dayton. Madeleine played on Saint Ursula’s Junior Varsity “A” Soccer Team as a freshman and sophomore, but finished each of those seasons on the Varsity team. She continued as a Varsity player for her junior and senior year. She was team captain as a sophomore and a senior.
In addition to playing for Saint Ursula Academy, Madeleine has experience with club teams. She played with Classic Hammer F.C. from 4th-8th grade and then joined Cincinnati Soccer Alliance, where she has played from 9th through 12th grade.
An all-around great athletic, Madeleine is also a 4-year team member of Saint Ursula’s varsity basketball team, where she is serving as a team captain as a senior. She also plays AAU Basketball for Cincy Swish, where she has played from 4th through 12th grade.
She claims several awards and recognition for soccer and for basketball.
In 2013, she was named 1st team GGCL in basketball and also earned a spot on the 1st team GGCL in soccer in her junior season. She also received honorable mention All-City for basketball in 2015.
She also plays for Cincinnati Soccer Alliance where she played in the 2014-2016 MRL Premier 1 Division. Hanna’s team was a 2015 Ohio South State Cup Semifinalist, 2014 Ohio South State Cup Finalist, and 2013 Ohio South State League Champion.
Madeleine is also quite accomplished in the classroom. She earned first honors every semester at SUA and is a member of the National Honor Society, with an overall GPA of 3.92. Saint Ursula selected her for a Bulldog Star Award for going “above and beyond” in living the ideals of a Saint Ursula student through random acts of kindness.
She is involved in several student organizations as well. Madeleine is the Head Ambassador liaison, a member of Students for Advancement, a member of Earth Club, and the Girls Athletic Association. She also spent time during the previous three years volunteering at St. Leo’s Food Pantry.
Madeleine’s varsity coach at Saint Ursula, Mac Garrigan said “Madeleine has been a standout player at SUA the last two years. As a holding central midfielder, she dominated as our first line of defense, while also being the highest scoring defender on the team. Madeleine plays with great composure. A true team leader, Madeleine has a mature, calming presence that will serve her well while playing for Dayton at the next level.”
Madeleine’s Cincinnati Soccer Alliance coach, Alex Rawlings said this, “Madeleine will bring the University of Dayton an immediate boost in becoming more athletic. Currently a High School Dual sport athlete her main strength is her field awareness while working under pressure. She can play any position on the field while preferring an attacking role. Currently her abilities make game situations perfect as she attacks out of the center and left midfield play. Over the past couple of seasons she has also become more comfortable with developing her leadership role for the Cincinnati Soccer Alliance squad. She is always willing to train with her friends and to get in extra training sessions with the boys side of the club. There is a combination of interests that come with Madeleine…strength, athletic, hard work and toughness.”
St. Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. St. Ursula welcomes students from more than 70 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. In 2002 the Academy was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of St. Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. The Class of 2015 earned college scholarships totaling more than $19-million.