By Bill Potrecz - February 4, 2021
Sophia Belcastro found her perfect fit at Robert Morris.
The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student at Notre Dame has committed to attend the NCAA Division 1 university, located just outside of Pittsburgh, where she will play soccer and major in business management.
“I was talking to some other schools in Canada and the States but I always knew Robert Morris was where I wanted to be for both the academic and athletic offerings,” Belcastro said. “It’s a top business school and I like the fact it’s close — it’s only four hours away so my family and friends can come and watch me play.”
Belcastro has long dreamed of playing at the university level.
“It’s definitely a huge accomplishment to play Division 1,” she said. “It’s feels surreal, especially given this year’s challenges with the border lockdown and closures and cancelled showcases.
“I’m excited for a new coach, new conference and new beginning and I’m excited about this new chapter in my life. I am fortunate have such great teammates who push me to be better each and every training session both at Empire Niagara and Notre Dame girls soccer.”
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December 29, 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Last week, the Premier of Ontario announced that beginning December 26, the province would enter a period of additional public health restrictions and protocols to help curb the spread of COVID-19. One of these protocols is related to schools and requires all publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools to move to teacher-led remote learning on January 4, 2021.
Classes resume for students across Niagara Catholic on Monday, January 4, 2021.
Virtual Elementary and Secondary Schools
Students who attend the Virtual elementary and secondary schools will continue as they did prior to the Christmas break. There are no changes to the Virtual schedule.
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By Bernie Puchalski - December 18, 2020
When you’re an athletic, 6-foot-8 volleyball player, the world is your oyster.
By the start of her Grade 10 school year at Notre Dame, the scholarship offers had started to pour in for Anna Smrek.
“There were a lot of teams from the Pac-12 Conference and all the teams in the Big 10 Conference,” the 17-year-old Welland native said.
By the end of Grade 10, Smrek has verbally committed to Wisconsin.
“There was no pressure at all. I had had some previous offers and stuff but I was taking my time. I didn’t want to rush anything because that is not something you should automatically be able to make a decision on unless your heart is really set on it.”
The Madison, Wis., school quickly became near and dear to her heart after first visiting the school with her parents, Mike and Sonya, and later going on an official visit.
“That kind of confirmed things even more how much I loved the school,” she said. “It was everything. The academics were amazing, the coaches were amazing and I loved the whole family aspect. I felt at home there and that is honestly the most important thing when you are moving away for the next four years.”
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By Bernie Puchalski: BP Sports Niagara - November 5, 2020
Like several of his Notre Dame teammates, Jarod Tessier saw his 12B season of high school football terminated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was a tough one because I didn’t need to come back and upgrade any of my marks or anything,” the 18-year-old Welland resident said. “I was coming back so I could play with my brother (Jacob) and figure out what I was going to do next year. I didn’t know what to do when I heard. I was kind of speechless.”
Notre Dame head coach Tim Bisci felt his pain.
“It would have been great to see all the kids play,” he said. “One year in high school is big and that year between 12 and 12B is huge. We had five to seven kids who were coming back and who knows how good they could have been and how good the team could have been.”
Normally at this time of year, Bisci would have been busy preparing his football team for a run at another championship but on Thursday, he had to get his football fix by attending a signing ceremony for Tessier. Wearing masks, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Tessier celebrated his signing with his brother, his parents, Trevor and Kim, and members of the Notre Dame coaching staff and school administration.
“It was a really tough decision and it was between Mac and Guelph,” said Tessier, who played defensive back, slotback and running back for the Fighting Irish. “Mac just kind of spoke to me and it was kind of a process.”
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