By Shawn Sell
The Milford High School Department of Athletics is pleased to announce that six members of the Class of 2015 will continue their athletic careers on the collegiate level.
The six student-athletes that have committed to continuing their academic and athletic futures include: Erin Beurket (Soccer-Ohio University), Shannon Brueck (Soccer-Wittenberg University), Tara Claus (Soccer-Eastern Kentucky University), David DiSilvestro (Football-University of Dayton), Dominick Hathaway (Football-Lindsey Wilson College) and Connor McCracken (Football-Mount St. Joseph University).
Beurket was one of the ECC’s top goalkeepers during her career, earning all-conference honors three times, including first team honors each of the last two seasons.
She was also an all-district honoree as a junior. At Ohio, Beurket will play for Aaron Rodgers, who just completed his second season as head coach. The Bobcats finished last season with a record of 6-13.
Brueck was a second team All-ECC choice for the Eagles last fall after finishing the campaign with four goals and two assists for 10 total points.
As a junior, Brueck was an honorable mention All-ECC choice after scoring four goals. At Wittenberg, Brueck will play for Matt Fannon who just completed his second year with the Tigers where he led the team to an 8-8-1 record.
Claus was a first team All-ECC selection in the fall and was one of the top scorers in the league finishing tied for fifth with 25 points on the strength of 10 goals and five assists.
She added five goals and an assist during her junior season. At Eastern Kentucky, Claus will play for head coach Melissa Barnes who completed her second season with the Colonels last fall.
EKU finished last season with a 4-14-1 record.
DiSilvestro, a running back/wide receiver, enjoyed a productive senior campaign for the Eagles, earning honorable mention all-conference honors. For the year, he hauled in 24 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 176 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He also recovered a fumble for a touchdown and blocked a punt on special teams.
At Dayton, DiSilvestro will play for head coach Rick Chamberlain, a former Flyer great, about to enter his eighth season leading the UD program. The team finished 8-3 last fall.
Hathaway, a defensive lineman, had a strong senior year, culminating in first team All-ECC and special mention all-district honors. For the year, Hathaway ranked fourth in the ECC with six sacks and was second on his team with 69 tackles, including a team-best 22 for loss. At Lindsey Wilson, Hathaway will play for Chris Oliver who has led the Blue Raiders for the last five seasons, including a 10-3 finish last year and a berth in the NAIA Championship Series quarterfinals.
McCracken, also a defensive lineman, was a second team All-ECC choice in 2014 after helping Milford rank fifth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game.
He also finished with two sacks among his seven tackles for loss, as well as one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. At Mount St. Joseph, he will play for Rod Huber, a 16-year veteran of the head coach ranks at MSJ. Last season, the Lions finished with a record of 8-2.
The six new commitments bring the total for the Milford Class of 2015 to eight. During the fall signing period, Megan Creager (Golf-Youngstown State University) and Cameron Roth (Baseball-Ohio Dominican University) announced their college plans.