The entire Middle School, Upper School, and other friends and family gathered in the Field Gym to celebrate seven student athletes on Signing Day on April 14.

Senior Olivia Lindemann is committed to row at Princeton University.

“Olivia has been an amazing athlete to have in our program for the last four years, and she’s had a remarkable career as an oarswoman,” Olivia’s Chicago Rowing Foundation coach, Mike Wallin, said.

Olivia started rowing at the Chicago Rowing Foundation during her freshman year of high school.

“She started off [enrolled in] one of our Learn to Row camps not knowing how to row, which is how most of our athletes start off,” Coach Wallin said. “Her first few years, she just made our freshman boat, and barely made the second boat [in] her sophomore year.”

Despite initial strokes of struggle, Olivia kept working hard. By the end of her junior year, she became so fast that she earned a spot not only in Chicago Rowing Foundation’s varsity boat, but on the U.S. Under 19 National Team roster, where she competed for the United States last summer at the World Championships.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had anyone have such a rise in her career the way that Olivia has,” Coach Wallin said. “I don’t think we’ve ever had someone start pretty much near the bottom of our roster and rise up to become one of the best athletes we’ve ever had in our program and one of the best rowers ever to come out of the state of Illinois.”

Senior Grayson Hoffman is committed to play baseball at Wesleyan University.

Grayson has been a cornerstone of Latin’s baseball program, anchoring the infield at shortstop and setting the tone for the team.

“He is a team player, and he plays a good position for that role, as a shortstop in the middle of the infield,” Boys Varsity Baseball Coach Spencer Huffman said. “He’s sort of a natural leader, and he’s got a great sense of humor.”

Throughout his time at Latin, Grayson has stood out not only for his performance on the field but for his growth mindset and leadership. As a shortstop and team captain, he has played a critical role in both the team’s defense and overall success.

“Grayson is a real competitor. He’s the kind of athlete that I’ll get an email from him just after the summer season about how the summer season’s gone, what he’s working on, what he’s going to continue working on in the spring,” Coach Huffman said. “It’s a really sort of intensive, mature athlete.”

Abby Krasaeath is committed to play field hockey at Williams College.

Abby started playing field hockey in fifth grade with Latin’s Middle School team. Once she got to high school, she was immediately starting on varsity.

“She’s a selfless athlete, one who never asks for recognition but is deserving of all of it,” Latin Varsity Field Hockey Coach MacKenzie Mick said. “She’s always a loyal teammate and a natural leader who is always composed under pressure.”

Abby is the most decorated player in Latin field hockey history. She was awarded All-Independent School League (ISL) every year of high school, All-Conference and All-State her junior and senior year, Latin’s Unsung Hero award, Latin’s MVP award her junior and senior year, and ISL Defensive Player of the Year her junior and senior year.

“Over four years, she helped bring the program to its first-ever Final Four appearance and changed our culture,” Coach Mick said. “She showed up every day, giving it her best effort and making everyone around her better.”

Now Abby is moving on to make just as big an impact at Williams as she did on Latin’s team.

“There was Latin field hockey before Abby Krasaeath, and now there’s Latin field hockey after Abby Krasaeath,” Coach Mick said.

Senior Jack Zeiger is committed to play golf at Kenyon College.

Jack has rewritten the record books and collected a long list of accolades during his golf career at Latin. He has consistently led the boys golf team both through his striking performances and his leadership.

“He’s a notoriously good golfer,” Boys Varsity Golf Coach Spencer Huffman said. “That’s reflective of the way he practices—he’s constantly working on something. He’s a real perfectionist, which is what it takes to be a really good golfer.”

Because Jack is often the only Latin golfer to advance deep into the postseason and compete at the state level, Coach Huffman has spent significant one-on-one time working with him, developing an intense training dynamic aimed at preparing him for high-level competition.

“There’s a huge amount of pressure [in the playoffs], which Jack handles very well,” Coach Huffman said. “But I think the coolest part—the aspect of the way that Jack plays golf that says the most about him—is that he’s a very creative golfer. There’s something almost artistic about the way that he plays. His choice of shot comes down not just to the lie, the yardage, or the situation, but also to how he’s feeling and his internal instincts.”

Senior Drew Lufrano is committed to play baseball at Swarthmore College.

Drew has established himself as a key presence on the mound for Latin over the past four years—a standout player who competes and performs well beyond his age level.

Coach Huffman said, “Drew is a pitcher first, and he’s a very meticulous pitcher. He thinks about pitching very, very technically.”

Still, Drew’s approach to the game goes beyond individual performance. He studies it, constantly looking for ways to improve and refine the team’s play.

“He understands the game really, really well,” Coach Huffman said. “He’ll send me a link to a play we should learn—that’s the kind of awareness that Drew brings to a baseball team.”

Throughout his career, Drew has also developed qualities that set him apart from many high school athletes, both in how he prepares and how he carries himself as a teammate.

“He’s discovered a level of maturity that’s pretty rare,” Coach Huffman said. “He talks to me like he’s my peer, which is something I appreciate.”

Senior Lauren Rosenberg is committed to play soccer at Williams College.

Lauren started playing soccer at Little Kickers when she was 2 years old. Since then, she has excelled at the sport.

In middle school, Lauren started to develop her foot skills and deep soccer IQ with her club coach. When she was 13 years old, she joined Eclipse Select Soccer Club, a team that plays in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), one of the top leagues in the country.

Lauren’s Latin soccer journey started her freshman year, when she was awarded Freshman of the Year in ISL, First Team ISL, All-Sectional, and Latin’s MVP award. During her sophomore and junior years, she received the same accolades and scored 39 total goals her junior year, which is the second-most goals scored in a single soccer season in Latin history.

“She has helped lead the team to two ISL championships, going 7-0 last year,” said Girls Varsity Soccer Coach Tim Cronister. “And this year, as a senior team captain, I am confident that she’ll end the season being the all-time leader in goals scored in Latin school history.” (She did in fact recently break the school record.)

Lauren chose Williams to continue her soccer career because of its academics, team culture, and coaching.

“She has great friendships she’s created with her team. She’s respected as a source of fun energy, as well as strength and stability to the team,” Mr. Cronister said. “Simultaneously, a fierce competitor, student leader, and warm, valued friend.”

Senior Will Heaton is committed to row at Princeton University.

Will has been one of the most accomplished and driven athletes to come through Latin in recent years, pairing natural talent with an extraordinary level of dedication and work ethic.

Matt Dignan, Will’s coach from the Chicago Rowing Foundation, said, “He [improved as a rower significantly] through his sophomore and junior years, and had people all around the country talking about him.”

That rapid development translated into success on the international stage. Last summer, Will earned a spot on the United States Junior National Team, where he competed in the World Cup and placed an impressive fourth overall.

After the incredible opportunity, Will “springboarded it into becoming one of the most highly recruited young athletes in the world,” Coach Dignan said. “He had every [college] program coming after him and had his pick.”

Despite the attention and accolades, Will’s defining traits remain his leadership style and his ability to elevate those around him. From the moment he arrived, he set a standard not just individually but teamwide.

“As a sophomore, he came in and understood from day one what it required to be great,” Coach Dignan said. “Talent—sweet—but effort, hard work—that day-in-day-out grind—that’s what you need. And he basically grabbed his [teammates] and said, ‘if we want to do something, we’ve got to do it together.’”

Next year, Will will continue his career at Princeton University, where he is expected to likewise make an immediate impact.

“We are so excited for our seven seniors who have committed,” Athletic Director Katie Johnson said. “They worked really hard to get to where they are, and obviously it shows in this awesome accomplishment. We are pumped to follow them in their careers over the next four years, and we know they are gonna do great things.”