Curley soccer star Anthony Dragisics finds his next home at Villanova

Another National Signing Day arrived Wednesday with area schools recognizing some of their senior student-athletes who have signed their national letters of intent.Futures are revealed as signatures are penned and photos taken.When soccer standout Anthony Dragisics, an Ellicott City resident, decided to go to high school at Archbishop Curley, he was looking forward to the challenge he would find in the classroom and on the playing field.The senior has flourished on both fronts &#8212; he is set to become the school&#8217;s valedictorian with a 4.55 grade-point average and has developed into an All-Metro first-team midfielder.Drawing interest from a number of Division I colleges, he found Villanova to be the ideal fit, committing last summer and making it official in December.&#8220;It was kind of overwhelming for me as it is for most people with just a lot of different schools reaching out and each having their own pros and cons. So it was a very difficult process to narrow it down,&#8221; he said.All the student-athletes who signed Wednesday can relate. For Dragisics, the high academic standard at Villanova &#8212; he was accepted into the highly regarded business school &#8212; and playing soccer in the competitive Big East was too good to pass on. In all, he visited more than 10 schools, strongly considered eight and ultimately picked Villanova over Princeton, South Carolina and Penn State.As his relationship and trust with Villanova coach Tom Carlin grew over the course of the process, Dragisics knew he found his future home. Villanova had checked off all his boxes.&#8220;When I officially committed there, I&#8217;d say it was mostly relief,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Calling family members and the others important to me and telling them &#8212; I was proud of where I was going and it was awesome.&#8221;Archbishop Curley coach Barry Stitz was one of the first to receive the news.&#8220;Anthony exemplifies what a student-athlete should be as he puts maximum effort into all that he does,&#8221; said Stitz. &#8220;He is very competitive and this drive motivates him to want to be the best on the field and in the classroom. I don&#8217;t think Anthony has left any stone unturned when it comes to his four-year high school experience. He has been involved in all aspects of the life of the school and his leadership has truly made our school a better place.&#8221;

Curley soccer star Anthony Dragisics finds his next home at Villanova

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