Cincinnati, Ohio, April 14, 2016 – Several Saint Ursula Academy seniors participated in a signing ceremony on Thursday, April 14, 2016 to announce their intent to play college sports.
• Kaitlyn Gray of Indian Hill, daughter if Lana and Todd Gray, will be playing golf at division III Saint Mary's College.
• Gillian Gurney of Amberley Village, daughter of Scott and Sara Gurney has committed to play Division III soccer for Centre College.
• Blake Peck of Mason, daughter of Jeff and Michelle Peck, will be playing field hockey at division III Kenyon College.
• Madelyn Torbeck of Evendale, daughter Dan and Shari Torbeck, will be playing volleyball at division I University at Buffalo (SUNY).
• Mary Alice Vignola of Terrace Park, daughter of Larry and Maureen Vignola, will be playing soccer at division I University of Tennessee.
• Mackenzie Young of Delhi Township, daughter Anne Young, will be playing softball at NIAA Division Grace College.
Kaitlyn Gray will hit the links as she joins the golf team at division III Saint Mary's College in the fall. She has played golf for Saint Ursula Academy. She finished 4th overall in Sectionals in 2015.
In the GGCL, Kaitlyn was named Second Team Honorable Mention in the Southwest District. She also earned Honorable Mention in the GGCL All-Star Second Team.
She is involved as a member of Student Council at Saint Ursula. She is also President of Campus Ministry, and a member of the National Honor Society, Girls Athletic Association (GAA) and Students for Advancement (SFA).
Kaitlyn’s Varsity Coach at Saint Ursula, Sara Stephens, said this about her, "It has been a pleasure coaching and instructing Kaitlyn this past year at Saint Ursula. Kaitlyn was no doubt the most determined player on our golf team last year. She is constantly looking to improve as a player and her talent really shows in her ability to go from just picking up a golf club for the first time 4 years ago, to now signing on to play collegiate golf. I am incredibly proud of Kaitlyn's success, and I know she will be a great asset to the women's golf team at St. Mary's College. I look forward to watching her continue to grow and develop as a golfer."
Her swing coach from Next Level Golf, Kevin Jones, said “Kaitlyn has made me, and continues to make me so proud of her effort and heart. Kaitlin has come so far with her game and I know her best golf is still ahead of her. She demonstrates so many great qualities that will not only help her in the game of golf, but most importantly in the real game.....life! Thank you for letting me be a part of your journey, it's been my pleasure to work with you and an honor to help take your game to the next level. Kaizen! ”
Gillian Gurney will play soccer next fall for the Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Gillian started playing JVB soccer as a freshman. Sophomore year, she earned her way to the JVA team and played Varsity as a junior and senior.
Gillian was MVP of her SUA JVB team as a freshman and won the Coaches Award for the SUA Varsity Team in 2015 as a senior.
She earned recognition was Academic All-Southwest and was awarded the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association Academic Excellence Award.
She is involved at Saint Ursula off the field as well. Gillian is a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society, and the Students for Advancement club. She is also a volunteer for the Bulldog Buddies tutoring program, and is a member of the SUA Ski Cub and the Girls Athletic Association (GAA).
SUA Varsity Coach Mac Garrigan said about her: “Gillian will be a great asset to the Centre College Soccer Program. Not only is she an athletic, versatile player - she is a tireless worker, and a team leader. Gillian has a wonderful “team” attitude, both on and off the field, always striving to make her team the best it can be. It is great to know she is continuing to play the game she loves.”
Her club coach at Cincinnati Soccer Alliance, Alex Rawlings, said, “Gillian is an outstanding talent that will grow exponentially at Centre College. She combines unique characteristics that allow her to excel in both areas of athletics and academics. She has spent years in her soccer development with Cincinnati Soccer Alliance and her soccer future is bright. She is incredibly coachable and her tactical awareness will fit into the college game immediately.”
Blake Peck will be playing field hockey at Kenyon College next year. Blake has played Field Hockey at SUA for all four years. She played on the JV team as a freshman and played Varsity during her sophomore, junior and senior years. She was named Defender of the Year at SUA in 2015.
She earned recognition with a GGCL Honorable Mention in 2014 and was named Academic All-Ohio as a sophomore, junior and senior.
Blake also plays with her club team, Field Hockey Life, where she was a National Futures Tournament alternate in 2014.
Off the field, Blake is also an accomplished dancer. She dances at the Cincinnati Ballet and Queen City Dance Academy.
At school, she is a volunteer with the Bulldog Buddies tutoring program and a member of the Ohio Junior Classics Club, the Latin Club and the Ski Club.
Blake’s Varsity Saint Ursula coach Tori Vogelgesang said, “Blake was one of the most focused players on the team. She was an anchor in our defensive unit and will be hard to replace. I know she will be very successful at Kenyon, both academically and athletically. It is a great fit for her and they are very lucky to have her joining them.”
Her club coach, Keli Smith Puzo said, "It has been an honor to coach Blake over the last few years in our club program and watch her strive for excellence in everything she does. Today is a celebration of Blake's desire and determination to go after her dreams. I have no doubt that she will be a major asset to Kenyon's field hockey program and institution as a whole."
Madelyn Torbeck will be playing volleyball for the University at Buffalo in the fall. Maddie played volleyball all four years at Saint Ursula, two on JV and two on the Varsity team. She was libero and co-captain of the JV team in 2013. Her junior year she joined the varsity team as libero and was co-captain of the varsity team as a senior.
Maddie has many accomplishments on the volleyball court. She helped her JV team finish in second place in the conference and her varsity team was sectional champs and third in the conference. In 2015, she won the SUA Coach’s Award. Maddie was also ranked in the top three in digs in 2015. She was named to the All-City All Stars Team in 2015.
She currently plays for the Elevation Volleyball Club. She was team captain for four years and played on the national team for six.
Maddie is also very involved at Saint Ursula. She currently serves in the Earth Club, Students for Advancement and the Girls Athletic Association (GAA) Board. She has also participated in the SOS Rookie Club and the Food and Nutrition Club. Outside of school, she has volunteered at Matthew 25 Ministries and was Assistant Volleyball Coach for the 4th grade girls at St. Columban School.
Maddie’s SUA Varsity Coach, Kevin Lucas, said “Maddie is one of the most fearless defenders I have coached. She is one of those kids who will run through a wall to make a play for her team. Maddie consistently brought a great attitude to both practices and games. She plays with great effort and passion that is contagious to the team. Maddie finished the season with 388 digs, good for 3rd in the GGCL and her 44 dig performance against Ursuline was good for the second most digs in a single game in SUA history. Maddie will be missed not only as a player but more so as a leader in our program. Her play helped SUA win three consecutive district championships. We hope Maddie enjoyed her experience playing at SUA as much as we enjoyed coaching her. Good luck Maddie!
Mary Alice “M.A.” Vignola will play soccer this fall at the University of Tennessee. MA played Varsity soccer at Saint Ursula all four years.
She was selected to the First-Team All-Conference three times in 2012, 2014 and 2015. In 2013 she was selected to Second team was the high school conference leading scorer in 2013.
She also earned honors in 2014 at All-City All Southwest Ohio and was MVP in the Lady eagles Invitational.
In 2015, M.A. was named All-City All Southwest Ohio, was a Cincinnati Enquirer 2015 Division 1 First Team All-Star, and was selected to the 2015 High School All American Team.
M.A. also plays with her club team, the Ohio Elite Soccer Academy where she plays in the ECNL, or the Elite Club National League. She helped lead the team to three consecutive division titles and two ENCL top-10 finishes! She is a nine time US National Team Camp Participant from 2012 to 2015 in Carson and Chula Vista, California. In 2014, she was selected to participate in the ECNL Nike National Training Camp Top XI.
M.A. is a member of the Girls Athletic Association (GAA) at Saint Ursula. She also makes time to volunteer for the Stepping Stones Center and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
M.A.’s Varsity Saint Ursula Coach, Mac Garrigan, had this to say. “Mary Alice was a star with St. Ursula and will be a star at the next level with the University of Tennessee. M.A. has a tremendous combination of physical attributes and technical soccer skills, which made her a four year starter as a Bulldog. Wherever she would be on the field, the opposing team knew if M.A. received the ball, she had the potential to score. Perhaps more important than her ability to score was her ability to make her team and her teammates so much better through her unselfish play. With career totals of 35 goals and 26 assists, M.A. will be greatly missed on the soccer field at St. Ursula.”
Her club coach from the Ohio Elite Soccer Academy, Douglas Bracken, said, “Mary Alice is one of the most talented athletes I have ever coached. She has grown from a shy and hesitant player to an ultra-competitive player. She overwhelms opponents with her ability. As she embraces the college level and the demands that go along with it I can only imagine how successful she will be.”
Mackenzie Young will play softball in the fall at Grace College in Indiana. Mackenzie has been playing the sport since she was a young girl. She excels in several positions, infield and outfield. She has more experience with her club teams as first baseman, and plays more in the outfield at Saint Ursula.
After a break from the game in grade school after the passing of her father, Mackenzie picked up softball again in high school. She says she picked it back up at SUA because she had been really missing it and thought, “why not?!”
Mackenzie is a determined young woman who joined the Saint Ursula Varsity Team as a junior and through her focused hard work, has continued to steadily improve and hone her skills. She worked with club teams, including the Freedom Elite Softball Club, in the summers and that has led to steady improvement on the field each year at SUA.
Mackenzie said, “I love the sport because it's exciting for me and I've always been able to really get into it. I just don't really find that I love anything more than getting a good hit on the ball when my bat connects with it! I already loved Grace College to begin with, so getting an offer to play was just icing on the cake!
Her Saint Ursula Academy Coach, Terri Smith said “As our co-captain, Mackenzie has been a very helpful leader for our team this year. We look forward to seeing her contributions to Grace College in the years to come.”
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.