PARSIPPANY — Dylan Joseph McDonald signed a letter of intent today and committed to Ave Maria University. Dylan’s will be majoring in Exercise Science.
Dylan will be graduating Parsippany Hills High School in June where he was a three-year starter. McDonald was part of the team which made the 2016 NJSIAA North 2 Group III final, and beat Cranford for the North 2 Group III championship in 2014, the first and only sectional title in school history.
Coach Dave Albano said “Dylan was a three-year starter us. He has the size and speed to do great things in college.”
“Ave Maria is lucky to get Dylan! He is not only a great player with a motor that never quits, he is more importantly a great young man! Dylan epitomized what we looked for in a player for Team USA. His parents have done a great job raising him and Dylan will go on to represent his family and community well” said Matt Hennesy, Head Football Coach North American Championships.
“I am very proud of Dylan’s accomplishments, he has worked very hard and will be very successful in life and on the football field at Ava Maria, said Gail McDonald.
This past January Dylan played against Canada in the first USA Football North American Championship in Orlando, Fla.
The event featured under-18 national teams from each country and was played at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
This was the sixth time McDonald has suited up for the United States. As an eighth grader, he attended a combine in south Jersey and performed well enough that he was invited to a camp for football players his age in College Station, Texas. He also spent a month in Harbin, China, last summer.
McDonald was one of 44 players selected to make the journey to China, and represented the United States in a seven-nation tournament, the Under 19 International Federation of American Football World Championship.
For McDonald it was a honor to sport the red, white and blue uniform, with “USA” across his chest.
Ave Maria University is a vibrant University located in beautiful Southwest Florida. It is an academic institution that pledges faithfulness to the teachings of the Catholic Church and is committed to offering one of the finest classical liberal arts curricula available, as well as opportunities for specialized study in all of the sciences and humanities.
Ave Maria is known for its exceptional academics, faithfulness to the magisterium of the Catholic Church, dedicated faculty and caring staff, and a unique educational philosophy that strives to develop the whole person.
The university’s superb faculty, challenging curriculum, professional staff, and a student community where it is easy to form lasting friendships, provide graduates with a training that empowers them to step out into the working world as future leaders and wealth-creators, with a solid understanding of contemporary challenges, and a strong confidence in their own intellectual training and foundation.
For more information about Ave Maria University click here.
