Athlete of the Week

This week’s scholar athlete is Aidan Westfall. Aidan is a captain and starting midfielder for the Boys Varsity Soccer team. This is Aidan’s eleventh year playing soccer. His father and brother introduced him to the sport at a young age, and he has been playing ever since. Aidan’s love for soccer is shown in the effort he has put into the sport. During the offseason, Aidan prepared by working on the fundamentals of the game, including dribbling, shooting, and passing. His hard work allowed Aidan to earn a starting position on the team last year. “During the season I had taken advantage of the opportunity given to me and earned a starting spot as well as most improved player… It was unreal for me, it felt fantastic to know that my hard work paid off.” Not only does Aidan strive for success in his sport, these efforts are continued in school. Throughout high school, Aidan has maintained a GPA of 95. This feat becomes even more impressive after discovering the rigorous course load Aidan has taken. During his senior year alone, Aidan elected to take two Advanced Placement classes. While some would struggle with this workload, Aidan thrives. “I really try to set priorities for school and sports, so that I’m not blowing off anything I need to get done.” Aidan’s efforts in school helped him earn the Saint Michael’s Book Award Scholarship last June. In his future, Aidan plans to attend Saint Michael’s and pursue a double major in secondary education and math, with the final goal to become a high school math teacher. Through his hard work, Aidan is ready to enter college where he hopes to play soccer at a division 2 level. Aidan learned the values of working hard from his father; “he is my inspiration to work hard on and off the pitch.” Aidan’s career in soccer and in high school has taught him a great deal, and he wishes to leave younger athletes with a piece of advice: “It’s so important that you don’t give up or quit because it’s getting tougher and tougher. Embrace the challenge, because it’s more worthwhile than you could ever imagine.”