At this past Tuesday’s signing day, Athletics Director Chris Muskopf was a bit lower to the ground than he’s used to. With so much table space needed for the 13 Jr. Bills and their letters of intent, Muskopf’s podium was shoved aside, and his opening ceremony was given from the floor of the Commons. 

In fact, with four total folding tables, fitting all 13 athletes up on stage was no small feat. As these SLUH athletes marched up to their spot at the table on Tuesday, dotted in Carthage reds, SBU purples, and Dartmouth greens, one couldn’t help but feel pride for the institution that bore so many impressive student athletes. 

“It’s exciting,” said Muskopf.  “This type of event is one of my favorites over the course of the year because we recognize those who have worked really hard. To have 13 today—and we’re looking at mid-20’s of signees over the course of the whole year—is awesome and it's a testament to the boys, their coaches and to their families. There’s a lot to celebrate.” 

 Thirteen is an impressive number already for the Jr. Bills, but as Muskopf mentioned, the Athletic Department expects it to grow. Tuesday’s event was only the first of two signing day events, which feature brief player introductions, simultaneous signings, and, of course, plenty of time for pictures. The second is set to happen later this spring, and already features at least three seniors. Muskopf expects that the additional time will lead to at least three or four times that number. 

Students who remember last year’s commit class of only nine will seem surprised by this year’s size. Muskopf says it’s not unfamiliar territory for SLUH, though. Back in the earlier years of his time as Athletic Director, he helped oversee signing classes in the mid-twenties. He attributes the regression over the past few years to Covid and the ways it especially limited student athletes. 

“I think Covid had a real impact on (the signing process),” he said. “It's great to see the opportunity increase and our boys able to take advantage of that to get our numbers back to 20.”

As Covid restrictions prevented many coaches from traveling, last year’s seniors had to work harder to get their name out there. This year though, the Class of 2022 had at their disposal new Covid-era technology to aid the process. 

New cameras that can track movement and focus on particular parts of the field were placed on the football field and basketball court to make live streaming games an easier possibility. This year, they  made getting film much easier for SLUH students.  

“With Covid and coaches not able to travel, that video becomes important for coaches to keep them in the loop,” said Muskopf. “In some cases, that's also a marketing tool for our student athletes who aren’t being recruited, they can post those videos and draw attention from that.”

Coming out of the worst parts of the pandemic made a larger group of signees possible, but it’s not the only thing that sets this year’s class apart. The variety of sports at this month’s signing day was almost unprecedented as well. While football did make a strong showing at the event, it was not a majority. Six athletes committed to play football in college, two to play volleyball, and the rest were spread out among track and field, swimming, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse. 

“For a school that offers 20 different programs, it is great to see so many of our programs have young men who move forward because that inspires our younger students and it is also something we can note for students who were just recently accepted (to SLUH),” Muskopf said. 

Cross country is a prime example. It’s been three seasons since a Jr. Bill committed to run in college and this year senior Baker Pashea was excited to be putting SLUH running back on the map. Pashea represents a talented senior squad this year, which may have even more commits by the end of the year.

“It feels good, especially because this year I ‘ve got friends that might be following me (in committing) later. I couldn't imagine doing it in any other sport,” said Pashea. 

Volleyball, despite tearing up local competition for a few straight years, is in a similar spot. 2018 was the last time a volleyball player from SLUH continued their career in college. This year, though, Tanner Dougherty and Michael Yemm brought SLUH volleyball back into the signing discussion. 

Even though SLUH football has had some notable signings in recent years, this was a big year for them as well. 

“We had six guys sign, which was really awesome, and two guys who could potentially sign,” said football coach Adam Cruz. “It’s cool that if you look down the line we have every (division), which is pretty unique.”

From Division 1 athletes like seniors Isaac Thompson and Chris Brooks, who have both received considerable attention since they began at SLUH, to more recent stars like senior Caden Owens, who decided to commit based on his senior year success, SLUH football is sending players throughout the region to compete at the collegiate level. For Cruz, it’s not surprising to see the program’s signing success with the Class of 2022. 

“They were a great class from the beginning. They stuck together always and they really worked,” he reflected. “They worked really hard to get to where they were and we had great leaders as well.”

Cruz played a special role in helping many of the commits sign, from putting senior quarterback Luke Johnston in touch with Wash U. to helping Brooks through his transfer process. It’s a job he really enjoys.

“The recruiting process for every guy is completely different. It’s cool that I get to see that side of things. At the end of the day it’s really exciting but for me it’s not over because I want to see where we can get DonTavion (Sullivan) and Kylend (Watson-Brown) because those guys deserve it too,” he said.

Even after this year, football coaches will have more recruiting work to do with sophomore star Ryan Wingo waiting in the wings. Wingo, the number six recruit in the country for his class, is expected to attract a lot of attention.

“The Ryan thing is going to get wild,” Cruz promised. “Next year, there are going to be some people in these hallways that are going to be pretty surprising.”

In the meantime, the SLUH community is celebrating the class of 2022 and the incredible accomplishments they’ve made so far this year. The athletes are equally excited about finalizing their college search process, but for Pashea and the other signees, it’s about much more than that.

“It felt really good (to sign),” he said. “Every year since freshman year there's been a senior class that signs and every year I’m like: maybe that will be me some day. To be the one standing up on stage, there was a lot of pride there.”