The first-ever national college recruitment letter signing ceremony was held on May 21 during the Spring Sports Awards Ceremony at the Grand County High School.
The event recognized seven local students who plan to attend college and participate on athletic, drill and debate teams: Kane Scherer, Corteney Noyes, Cameron Hoppensteadt, Phillip Geiser, Hailey Cox, Connor Guerro and Hannah Owen.
Two student athletes — Cox and Guerrero — will stay in Utah to pursue their athletic and academic aspirations in college — while the other signees range from Parkland, Washington, all the way too Poughkeepsie, New York.
Cox has danced since she was 4 years old, and will continue to do so as a member of the Snow College Badgerettes in Ephraim while she works on her dance major. Cox was on the All State drill team in 2018 and captained the Grand County High School (GCHS) Devilettes for the past two seasons, as well as winning Miss Drill Utah in the Lyrical Division. Cox is the Sterling Scholar in dance in Utah’s Southeast Region.
Guerrero will make the four-hour trek west to Cedar City where he will attend Southern Utah University to compete in track and field. Guerrero has had a passion for track and field since seventh grade, and after learning to hurdle as a high school freshman, he eventually became the state 3A champion in the 300-meter hurdles, in addition to top-eight finishes in the 110-meter hurdles and the 200-meter dash. At SUU, Guerrero said he plans to major in athletic training and minor in physical education.
Guerrero’s teammate on the GCHS Red Devil basketball team, Cameron Hoppensteadt, signed to play basketball collegiately at Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, Washington.
“Cameron first started playing basketball in fifth grade and he was not quite up to the level of the other kids I chose to play on the travel team,” GCHS boys basketball coach Scott Horton said in Hoppensteadt’s signing day brochure. “At that time Cam may not have had the talent that the other kids had, but he was super motivated to be a good basketball player and prove me wrong. Watching Cam grow through the next few years was impressive and by the time he got back to me as a freshman, I knew Cam was going to be a force. Cam proves what hard work and dedication can do, a great young man and a leader to his peers. The next coach is getting a player he can build a solid program around.”
Hoppensteadt, a second team All State selection as a senior, plans to major in pre-pharmacy before attending graduate school to be a pharmacist.
Hoppensteadt will be joined at Pacific Lutheran University by soccer teammate Kane Scherer. Scherer has played soccer since age 8, becoming a decorated regional club player. Playing forward or midfielder, he has excellent off-ball vision and ability to curve the ball. In addition to soccer, Scherer has also excelled in golf, running and basketball, as well as academics.
Two GCHS Red Devil female athletes will travel a great distance east to continue their athletic careers as Corteney Noyes will play volleyball at College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois, and Hannah Owen will play basketball at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Grayslake is about 1,400 miles away from Moab, while Poughkeepsie is 2,200 miles away from home.
Noyes was a second-team All State volleyball player as a senior, and played competitive traveling volleyball for the Mesa Juniors Volleyball Club during the high school off-season this past year. While at College of Lake County, Noyes plans to major in either elementary education or business administration.
Owen has been a captain on the girls basketball team for the past two seasons, in which she has also led the team in points per game. She also competed in softball, tennis and cross-country during her high school career. Owen chose Vassar College for the combination of academics, location and the opportunity to keep playing basketball. In Poughkeepsie, she plans to major in biology.
One of the most decorated debaters ever to come from GCHS, Phillip Geiser will take it to the next level at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. At GCHS, Geiser was the first-ever national qualifier from the school in Lincoln Douglas. Geiser is an avid follower of current events and has a passion for debate, policy and research. At Lewis & Clark College, he plans to major in political science.
Red Devil grads to compete collegiately from Portland to Poughkeepsie
