On Thursday, May 20, Wheatley’s student-athletes who have excelled in their sport to play at the college level were recognized in a special ceremony attended by family members, teachers, coaches and administrators.
Thank you Director of Athletics Michael Scaturro for arranging such a wonderful ceremony and congratulations to Laura Hazelton, Jack Fiorillo, Nadeem Al-Okla, Aarushi Jain, Frank Asaro and James Dearborn.
Laura Hazelton – Girls Lacrosse at St. Thomas Aquinas College
Laura has been a three-year starter on the varsity girls lacrosse team. She started off as a defensive player in 9th and 10th grade and currently plays both defense and midfield.
Laura received the Spirit Award in 10th grade for her positive and helpful attitude on the team and was also a member of the 2019 Conference Championship team. We wish Laura all the best as she will continue her career as a lacrosse player at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, New York.
Jack Fiorillo – Boys Lacrosse at Endicott College
Jack has been a three-year member of the varsity boys lacrosse team and has been the captain during his senior season. Jack plays many positions such as offense, defense, faceoff wing and extra man. He is described as an “Ironman” by Coach Donovan and an excellent all-around midfielder by playing between the lines in the most demanding position on the field.
We wish Jack all the best as he will continue his lacrosse career at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Nadeem Al-Okla – Track and Soccer at Seton Hill University
For track and field, Nadeem has been a hard-working four-year varsity track and field student-athlete. He has seen success at every level of his high school career from his four All-Conference awards, three All-County awards and competing at the state championships twice.
Nadeem is the type of athlete to go above and beyond not only for himself, but for his teammates as well. He is known for jumping into an event that he was not planning on doing just to earn the team extra points.
For soccer, Nadeem was a three-year member of the varsity boys soccer team, leading the team as a captain this past fall season. He was named All-County as a senior and All-County Honorable Mention as a junior.
He is always a larger-than-life character. He is a leader not only vocally but definitely by example. He is well respected and looked up to by all his teammates and coaches. We wish him the best of luck where he will continue his track and soccer career at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
Aarushi Jain – Crew at Dartmouth College
Aarushi started rowing for the first time in the 7th grade and immediately fell in love with the sport. In the fall of her 8th-grade year, she joined Port Rowing. In her 10th grade year, Aarushi switched to the coxing position, which is the person that is in charge of steering and navigating the boat.
Coxing gave her the chance to be a leader and to be challenged mentally. During her junior year, she was chosen to be captain of the girls varsity team. We wish Aarushi all the best as she continues her crew career at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Frank Asaro – Baseball at Mercy College
Frank has played varsity baseball since 2019 as a sophomore, starting at second base and the leadoff batter. Frank is known as one of the team’s best contact hitters. He batted over .500 in the second half of the season and finished with a respectable .420 average. He is an excellent middle infielder with sure hands and a strong arm.
This season, he is the starting shortstop and, in certain circumstances, the closer. His leadership abilities earned him the designation of team captain this spring as he is a great role model for the younger players. We wish Frank all the best as he continues his baseball career at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York.
James Dearborn – Lacrosse at Roger Williams University
James is an outstanding two-sport athlete, playing both football and lacrosse. He has a terrific work ethic and commitment to both programs. This fall season, James was the Wildcat Award winner for football for his outstanding efforts on the football field.
This spring season, he was named captain of the boys varsity lacrosse team for his excellent leadership qualities. He has been a three-year starter on the lacrosse team playing as a long stick and close defenseman. We wish James all the best as he continues his lacrosse career at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island.
