Cincinnati, Ohio, May 12, 2014 – Four Saint Ursula Academy seniors participated in a signing ceremony on Monday, May 12, 2014 to announce their intent to play college sports.
Becca Bryans of Montgomery, daughter of Andrew and Barb Bryans, has committed to play volleyball at Division III Transylvania University in Lexington, KY.
Sarah Clark of Bridgetown, daughter of Rich and Carol Clark, has committed to Division I Xavier University for Cross Country and Track.
Catherine Hartman of Mt. Lookout, daughter of Nancy and David Hartman, has committed to swim for Division II Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY.
Meg McIlvenna of Madeira, daughter of Anthony and Donna McIlvenna, has committed to swim for Division I Butler University in Indianapolis, IN.
Becca Bryans will play volleyball next year at Transylvania University. Becca is a right side hitter who played four (4) years at St. Ursula Academy – two on the JV team and two on the Varsity team. Becca missed her entire senior season at St. Ursula due to an injury, but was able to rehab and play her last season of club volleyball at Cincy Classics.
Becca played two years with Team Z and her last five years with Cincy Classics Volleyball Club.
During her four years at St. Ursula, Becca has been involved in several activities off the court too! She is a member of the Girls Athletic Association (GAA), she was selected to represent St. Ursula as a school Ambassador, and she is a member of the PAL mentor program.
She has also been a recipient of: 2nd Honors her freshman and sophomore year and 1st Honors her junior and senior year.
Her St. Ursula Academy Volleyball coach, Kevin Lucas, had this to say about Becca, “It has been a pleasure to watch Becca develop and grow over the past four years. Becca has an elite level arm - she attacks with great pace and range. Despite suffering an injury that sidelined her during her senior year, she showed a lot of character and determination to get back onto the court and achieve her goal of playing collegiate volleyball. We are extremely proud of Becca and she will be missed! “
Dan Wanstrath, her club coach at Cincy Classics said: " Through all the injuries and frustration, Becca's will to be best on the court never wavered. She never gives up and is a coach's dream to have on the team. There is no doubt in my mind that she will succeed at the next level."
Sarah Clark is headed to Xavier University in the fall. She has been a member of the St. Ursula Academy Varsity Cross Country and Varsity Track and Field Teams for all four years. She competed at Regionals for Cross Country as a sophomore, junior and senior.
Sarah ran at Regionals for track freshman year in the 4x400 meter relay. She also ran at Regionals last year for the 4x800 meter relay and placed 3rd, qualifying for State. She was team captain for cross country during her junior and senior year.
In the GGCL, she made first team GGCL for the 4x400 meter relay in 2011 and second team all-star for the 4x800 meter relay in 2013.
Sarah placed 8th at Outdoor State for the 4x800 meter relay last year and 4th at Indoor State for the 4x800 meter relay in the winter of 2014.
In the classroom, she has earned first honors for all but two quarters, when she received second honors. Sarah is an officer in the St. Ursula Concert Choir and received a four year member award. She is also a member of the St. Ursula Sign Language Club, Food and Nutrition Club, Classic Music Society, and The National Honor Society.
Her St. Ursula Track and Cross Country coach Dan Bird said, “Sarah Clark is a 4 year varsity athlete in Cross Country and Track and Field and she is looking to repeat with the 4x800 team for a bid at State in 2014. Sarah is truly a dedicated Track and Field and Cross Country athlete. She has developed into a strong leader on the SUA Bulldog distance squad and she always leads by example.”
Catherine Hartman will swim at Bellarmine University in the fall. She has been swimming competitively year round for over eleven years, including the St. Ursula Academy Aquadawgs on the Varsity team. Additionally, she has been a member of the Cincinnati Aquatic Club year-round team for over ten years as well as a member of the Mt. Lookout Swim Club swim team. She will be swimming sprint freestyle among other events, at Bellarmine University in Louisville
She was a Sectional Qualifier for the St. Ursula swim team and was recognized as a Cincinnati Aquatic Club Honor Student-Athlete.
For her strong academics, Catherine received the Bellarmine University Monsignor Horrigan Merit Scholarship, She is a multiple SUA Honor Roll recipient, a member of the Library Club, the Anthropology Club, a volunteer at Twin Lakes Retirement Community, and a volunteer for Matthew 25 youth ministries.
Catherine’s St. Ursula Bulldogs Coach, Ann Gartner ‘77, said, “Catherine was a solid contributor during her four years as a member of the St. Ursula Aquadawgs. Her dedication, determination and work ethic enabled her to improve immensely over her high school career. Catherine set and achieved high standards of training and results, and helped lead our team to successful seasons. She will no doubt continue to maintain those standards as she moves on to college.”
Catherine’s Head Coach at Cincinnati Aquatic Club, Benson Spurling said, “It was a joy to watching Catherine develop as a swimmer and person. She had her best training year this as a senior.”
Meg McIlvenna will swim for Butler University in the fall where she will include backstroke and mid-distance freestyle among her events. She is a three year member of the St. Ursula varsity swim team.
Meg has been swimming competitively since the 6th grade and has been training with Cincinnati Aquatic Club since her sophomore year. She qualified for the Districts meet in the 100-back and 100-free events in her junior and senior year.
In school, Meg has earned first or second honors in every quarter during her four years. She was the recipient of the Bulldog Star Award- an award nominated by teachers who witness a student helping someone, showing a random act of kindness or who is an overall wonderful person to interact with. Meg is also a member of the National Honor Society.
Meg’s Saint Ursula Bulldogs Coach, Ann Gartner, ’77, said. “Meg saw great improvement over her career at St. Ursula. Her desire and work ethic enabled her to go from an inexperienced high school swimmer to an accomplished contributor during her years as an Aquadawg. Meg is a versatile swimmer who helped our team in many areas. Her versatility, work ethic and enthusiasm helped lead our team, and those same qualities will enable her to be a contributor to her college team.”
Meg’s Head Coach at Cincinnati Aquatic Club, Benson Spurling said, “It was very exciting to see Meg achieve her 1st USA sectional cut at Ohio Seniors in the 100 Backstroke. I am looking forward to seeing Meg’s continued progress in college.”
To learn more about St. Ursula Academy, please visit www.saintursula.org.
Shown in digital photo L-R: Becca Bryans, Sarah Clark, Catherine Hartman, Meg McIlvenna.
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. 87% of the class of 2013 earned college scholarships totaling more than $20-million.
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