Jordan Rayford, Class of 2022, Indiana University Men’s Basketball:
“I play basketball for Indiana University. The best thing about it is playing against the best of the best, having extremely high-level coaches, and just the whole experience. The college atmosphere is very good with big-time games and stuff like that, so it’s all just pretty cool to be a part of. From a student-athlete perspective, [Andover] helped me with the balance of my academic and athletic demands. Time management is probably the best thing Andover gave me as I went into college basketball.”
Joey Zheng, Class of 2023, Bowdoin College Men’s Hockey and Golf:
“I play both hockey and golf at Bowdoin College. For golf, we had a spring break trip we did last year where we went down to Naples. One of our teammates hosted us, and it was just such a great time being with the guys, going to the beach, playing around every day, and being with alumni who had us out to their courses, which was awesome. We got to meet some cool people and play some nice courses down there. For hockey, we have this thing called Bowdoin-Colby. It’s basically our A/E for our college. Last year, the hockey team beat them 5-1 at home. We broke the fire capacity of the stadium with how many people were there, so it was just a super cool atmosphere to be a part of, and it sucked that I was out with an injury, but it was still awesome to see the boys catch a win in such a big game.”
Kiley Buckley, Class of 2023, Stanford University Softball
“The season last year was something that I will never forget. The experience of going to the World Series was incredible, and the friendships, memories, and lessons will stick with me forever. My time at Andover prepared me to cherish these moments and relationships.”
Brooke Birdsall, Class of 2023, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Women’s Crew:
“I’m now a sophomore rowing for MIT. A few weekends ago, we raced at Head of the Charles Regatta and had a program-best finish, medalling in the Women’s Club Eights. I row in seven- seat, right behind Emily Warren [PA ’21] who stroked the piece and set the rhythm for the boat over the course of the race. Hearing current Andover rowers cheering on my race made me push even harder, and it was exciting to watch the eights of Andover boats race the next day!”
Nate Bechard, Class of 2024, Cornell University Men’s Lightweight Crew:
“Rowing with the [Cornell Lightweights] this fall has been so much fun. Andover prepared me well for the level of focus and competitiveness required to excel at Cornell, and I was grateful for the opportunity to row in the Varsity eights at the Head of the Charles this year. The electric atmosphere of the regatta was unlike anything I had raced in before, yet we threw down a fast race, earning a second-place medal.”
