By Molly Hart

The senior class at Rye Country Day School is nearing the end of their high school journey, and with this comes the decision of how to continue into the future. One exceptional route is to be recruited to play sports in college, as ten members of the RCDS Class of 2026 are doing. The College‑Bound Athlete Celebration Day was held on Thursday, January 15. The ceremony began at 6:00 p.m. in the school Athletic Center, and proceeded to recognize the seniors who had secured recruitment offers to continue their sports at the collegiate level. Each student’s name, sport, and college were displayed in front of each athlete for individual photos, then family pictures, and eventually a group photo of all the athletes. 

The recruitment process for each of these seniors typically began with coaches reviewing game footage, statistics, and academic records. This was followed by initial outreach through emails or phone calls, campus visits that included meetings with coaches, academic advisors, and current athletes, and the exchange of official recruiting documents. These steps allowed both the athletes and the colleges to assess fit across athletic potential, academic goals, and campus culture before final commitments were made. When asked about advice for any potential future-recruits, Ishana Kumar ‘26 stated, “Reach out to coaches early and put yourself out there because there is honestly nothing to lose.”

AJ Bodenstein ‘26 was recruited for squash by Bowdoin College. This private liberal‑arts college in Brunswick, Maine competes in NCAA Division III and emphasizes a balance of rigorous academics. 

Nate Dunlop ‘26 accepted an offer to play soccer for Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. Middlebury is a private liberal‑arts institution in Division III, known for strong programs in environmental studies, international studies and the arts, as well as a student‑athlete model that allows participants to compete while pursuing demanding majors.

Clare Keating ‘26, a masterful lacrosse player, chose Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, a top‑ranked liberal‑arts college also in Division III. Amherst is celebrated for its open curriculum and a lacrosse program with a long history in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. 

Kumar is fencing at Wellesley College, a private women’s liberal‑arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It fields Division III teams, is renowned for leadership development, and supports emphasis on interdisciplinary study.

Keira Lauri ‘26 is committed to fence for Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, an Ivy League institution that fields Division I teams, including a highly respected saber fencing program. Yale is globally recognized for strengths in law, medicine, the humanities and the sciences.

Marlena Masucci ‘26 is recruited to row at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Duke is a Division I school in the Atlantic Coast Conference whose rowing program has achieved national recognition and its campus combines athletic excellence with a research‑intensive academic environment. 

Winn Metralier ‘26 chose to play squash at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The nation’s oldest university, Harvard is an Ivy League school with a Division I squash program, world‑class facilities, and a rigorous liberal‑arts curriculum.

Joseph Rafferty ‘26 earned a place on the lacrosse team at the United States Military Academy at West Point. The federal service academy in West Point, New York competes in Division I lacrosse and provides a military education alongside collegiate athletics. 

Devon Smith ‘26 accepted an offer to row for Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, a private liberal‑arts college that competes in Division III and is known for its strong emphasis on interdisciplinary learning and community engagement. 

Milin Torgalkar ‘26, another top-notch lacrosse player, was additionally recruited for football by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT is a premier research university whose Division III lacrosse team allows athletes to balance a demanding STEM education with competitive sport.

Together, these ten seniors illustrated how Rye Country Day students can thrive in a spectrum of collegiate settings. From the intimate liberal‑arts campuses of Bowdoin, Middlebury, Amherst, Wellesley, and Wesleyan, to the research‑intensive environments of Duke, MIT, and Harvard, and the unique military and leadership focus at West Point, these students  continue to do what they love. Their recruitment to both Division I and Division III programs underscored RCDS’s  commitment to supporting athletes who pursue excellence in the classroom as well as on the field, court, or water. The celebration not only honored individual achievements, but also highlighted the diverse pathways available to graduates who aspire to continue their athletic pursuits while embarking on the next phase of their academic lives.