November 15, 2011 - Playing in the attack, Victor senior Mitch Rupp knows how to set goals. "When I was younger, my goal was always to play at Division I so I wanted to make sure I got there. When I made Varsity as a freshman, it hit me that if I kept working hard and playing as much as I could, I would make it." With the signing of his National Letter of Intent, Tuesday, Mitch symbolized the achievement of his goal. Mitch will attend Albany and play for the Great Danes next fall.
Victor Athletic Director Ron Whitcomb, who moderated at the ceremony, noted that "Not every one of our student-athletes can make that jump to a D-1 school. It's a tough measure. The bar is set extremely high." Mitch along with teammates John Maloney and TJ DiSanto were honored as all three signed letters.
Mitch noted that he looked up to Victor graduate Pat D`Angelo who, as a year older, mentored him. "He was always one of the older kids who helped me out a lot." He also thanked his parents, Fritz and Jen, who "took me everywhere" and a large number of Victor coaches starting in the youth programs. He also noted the help of his coaches on his club team (Blaze). "They just helped so much in the recruiting process it just made it so much easier."
He was impressed on his official visit where he spent the day walking around campus with the coaches, visiting classes and then attending a "long practice" at the end of the day. "I stood on the sidelines and they let me go in the huddle. The team was awesome. They were just so nice to me and I loved watching them play because they have such a fast-paced game. That's exactly the way I want to play."
His advice to younger players who "dream the big dreams": "Always be working hard in the off-season. Work out a lot. Shoot as much as you can out in the yard and try to keep a stick in your hand at all times."
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