Christ School’s Class of 2020 has been so distinguished in the classroom and various athletic settings that it called for a third commitment ceremony Wednesday.
Andrew Hammel ’20 (Furman University cross country and track), Joseph Visconti ’20 (Bates College cross country and track), Miles Gardner ’20 (University of Chicago track), and Jack Sutton ‘20 (Walters State baseball) have been strong on their own as individuals, and part of multiple conference and state-championship teams in their time as Greenies.
However, they haven’t done it alone, as Athletic Director Eric Thorp ’01 reminded everyone during the lunchtime ceremony in Pingree Auditorium.
“As you parents, family, and friends know, this is a team and group effort in every sense of the word,” Mr. Thorp said. “I know you’ve traveled a lot, been to a lot of games, and spent a lot of time in hotels and cars, especially during this college process.”
As of Wednesday, there are now 16 Christ School seniors who have committed or signed with college sports programs.
Andrew has raised the bar for all Greenie distance runners in his three years at Christ School. He became the school’s first state cross country champion since 2007 and only third ever at the Oct. 25 NCISAA 4-A meet. Andrew was the Carolinas Athletic Association and Buncombe County champion for the third year in a row. He has run the best 5-kilometer time in school history (15 minutes, 29.40 seconds), and on the track, holds the school record for the 3,200 meters (9:26.74).
Andrew would be the first to admit that he has been pushed throughout his career by Joseph, who was the CAA and Buncombe cross country meet runner-up last fall. He ran to a third-place finish at the NCISAA 4-A state meet. Joseph's season-best time of 15:39.80 was the second-fastest time by any western North Carolina runner.
The duo joined with Miles to help Christ School track repeat as NCISAA Division I state champions last spring. Miles was the 2019 CAA champ in the 110-meter (15.79) and 300-meter hurdles (42.40).
Jack was one of seven All-CAA players for last year’s baseball team which went undefeated in the conference. Jack batted .385 for the Greenies (20-5) as their second baseman.
More photos from Wednesday's commitment ceremony can be found at Facebook.com/ChristSchool.org.