Winter 2013 Issue - De La Salle Institute

ATHLETICSAlvin Ellis ’13 & RicardoRamirez ’13 Sign withDivision I CollegesWhile Alvin Ellis ’13 and Ricardo Ramirez ’13 arecurrently and will always be “Meteors”, you can soonadd “Golden Gophers” and “Flames” to their respectivedescriptions.Ellis, a member of De La Salle’s basketball program, hassigned a national letter-of-intent to play at the Universityof Minnesota next season, while Ramirez, a member ofDe La Salle’s baseball team, will stay closer to home andattend the University of Illinois at Chicago.“Both Alvin and Ricardo are outstanding young men,”De La Salle president Fr. Paul Novak, OSM said. “Theyboth have worked exceptionally hard to reach their goalsof becoming Division I student-athletes.“Not only do they excel in the classroom, they are alsoexemplary leaders who have brought a great deal ofpride and success to everything they have done at DeLa Salle. I look forward to watching them thrive andcompete at the highest levels of college basketball andcollege baseball in the future.”Ellis, who was a member of the 2011-12 All-ChicagoCatholic League basketball team, averaged 20.4 pointsper game through the first 16 games of this season.Ramirez, a member of the 2012 All-Chicago CatholicLeague baseball team, batted .435 with three home runs,11 doubles, 32 RBI and 21 runs scored last season.Frankie Castagna ’12Receives IHSA HonorFrancesca “Frankie” Castagna ’12 has been honoredby the Illinois High School Association as a “Do What’sRight Sportsperson of the Year” for 2012.Castagna was one of seven student-athletes acrossthe state recognized by the IHSA. Castagna, who waschosen the Division I winner, was nominated by De LaSalle’s athletic department after meeting the necessarycriteria of competing in at least two sports and havingabove a 2.5 grade-point average.Castagna, who was required to write a 500-word essayabout sportsmanship during her competition as anathlete, also received a $500 prize from the IHSA.Castagna, who is De La Salle’s first-ever recipient of thisaward, was a Girls Catholic Athletic Conference All-Conference and All-Academic basketball and softballplayer as a student-athlete. She graduated De La Sallewith a grade-point average of 3.822 and was enrolledin the Honors Program. Castagna is currently attendingLewis University in Romeoville, IL.Castagna was honored at halftime of De La Salle’s girlsbasketball game on Dec. 8 as her alma mater celebrated“Frankie Castagna Day.”Congratulations, Frankie!Congratulations, Alvin and Ricardo!sAlvin Ellis ’13 and Ricardo Ramirez ’13 arehappy young men after signing their NCAAletters-of-intentsDe La Salle vice president Lawrence Blakley ’83, DeLa Salle – Lourdes Hall Campus for Young Womenprincipal Diane Brown, Francesca Castagna ’12, DeLa Salle president Fr. Paul Novak, OSM, De La Salleassistant athletic director Anna Marassa, De LaSalle girls head basketball coach Jenna MarkoffAthletics 21