For some high school athletes, college commitments represent dreams made reality.

Multiple Malvern student-athletes committed to play a sport in college during this past summer, a prime time for college athletic commitments.

Among many other commits, seniors Quinn McCahon, Harrison Naughton, and Joe Basiura are three Friars who committed. Quinn McCahon committed in July to play lacrosse at the University of Notre Dame, after decommitting from the University of Pennsylvania. He has had his eyes set on Notre Dame and chose the school for a variety of reasons.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Previously I was committed to Penn which is not very Catholic-based, but I will be going to theology classes and I will still be connected with God because that’s a huge part of Notre Dame.”

-Quinn McCahon ’18[/perfectpullquote]

“Notre Dame has always been a dream of mine. The combination of athletics, academics, and the Catholic aspect of Notre Dame has really intrigued me,” McCahon said. “The community there is also amazing as are the alumni connections. Just the support that you get from everybody was just amazing, from football games to playing in front of thousands of people for lacrosse was just something that really intrigued me.”

With all these great aspects that Notre Dame has to offer to Quinn McCahon, his favorite part about the school is their Catholic identity.

“Coming from a school like Malvern, you have Mass, chapel, you have that Catholic part,” McCahon said. “Previously I was committed to Penn which is not very Catholic-based, but I will be going to theology classes and I will still be connected with God because that’s a huge part of Notre Dame.”

Talking about what caused him to switch his commitment, Quinn McCahon said that both places are amazing, but he felt that Notre Dame was the better fit for him and that Notre Dame was the place for him when he stepped on campus.

Decommitting from one school and committing to another is not a matter to be taken lightly, and McCahon now knows how it feels.

“I had to call up both my coaches and I was shaking telling them that I had to decommit. It was probably one of the hardest decisions and calls in my life. It was definitely really, really hard,” McCahon said.

McCahon also said that he had a lot of great friends at Penn that he had developed a lot of relationships with, so leaving them was very tough.

“But I also now have a bunch of great friends that I met coming into Notre Dame as well. But, that was definitely one of the toughest things leaving ten great guys,” McCahon said.

Another Malvern student to commit over the summer is senior Harrison Naughton. Harrison committed to play lacrosse at Gettysburg College in July. He chose Gettysburg for its proximity to home, solid academics, great connections, and great lacrosse program. With all these aspects of the school, Naughton still has favorites.

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I really felt at home and I really felt like I made the right decision in choosing Gettysburg and I’m very happy about it.”

-Harrison Naughton ’18[/perfectpullquote]

“My favorite part of the school is probably just its location, and it’s got a great size of the school, too,” Naughton said. “I was looking for a small liberal arts college, and it just felt at home.”

Even though he found a school he loves, Naughton still had a little trouble finding the right school for him.

“I narrowed down a small list of schools, and it was really hard to make that decision because there were several other school that I really liked,” Naughton said.

Even though making a college decision is something very hard for a teenager, once Harrison Naughton found Gettysburg, he knew it was for him.

“It wasn’t very hard, honestly. I knew it was a great school, I know a few alumni who went there and really enjoyed it, and it’s not too far from home,” Naughton said. “So, I really felt at home and I really felt like I made the right decision in choosing Gettysburg and I’m very happy about it.”

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I wanted a school with good football, but good academics, which was just as if not more important to me. It was a huge part because you can’t get a better education than that.”

-Joe Basiura ’18[/perfectpullquote]

One more student who committed over the summer is Joe Basiura, who committed to play football at the University of Pennsylvania in early September. Basiura said he chose Penn because it’s a great school and they have really good football, too. Also, Penn being close to home was a big part of his decision.

“It feels comfortable when I’m there. Like it kind of clicks. I feel like I could definitely see myself going there,” Basiura said. “I like Philly a lot so it kind of feels like home.”

Even though Basiura came to find Penn to be home, he still underwent some hardships in getting to this point.

“The stress of it, like having to stay on top of my game, or talking to coaches, or being able to decide between two different schools,” Basiura said when talking about what he thought was the hardest part of the commitment process.

In the end of the process, Basiura said he was deciding between Cornell and Penn, both really great schools with really great football which caused him to have to make a really hard decision.

“I wanted a school with good football, but good academics, which was just as if not more important to me. It was a huge part because you can’t get a better education than that,” Basiura said. “Having the opportunity to go there, you really can’t turn it down.”

Be sure to catch these three Malvern student-athletes this year while they’re still wearing the Malvern colors on the field.