The Office of Athletics, along with family, faculty, teammates, coaches, friends and Lower School students recently celebrated three seniors who committed to continuing their academic and athletic careers at Division I universities next year.
Howard Casterlow '25, Malli Groves '25 and Marin McGowan '25 made their college commitments official by signing their letter of intent on Nov. 13 during a ceremony in the Thomas W. Johnson Gymnasium in the Beazley Center. It was a packed house, as Lower School students who work with Howard, Malli and Marin in their Early Childhood Education Internships joined in the fun to cheer on their Upper School friends.
As he opened the signing ceremony, Varsity Boys' Lacrosse Coach and Co-Director of Athletics T.W. Johnson '92 commented on the many contributions Howard, Malli and Marin have made to NSA. "These are truly talented, multi-sport athletes," said Coach Johnson. "They’re the reason why all the different teams they’ve participated on have done well. We appreciate the three of you for all that you’ve done for NSA Athletics, not only on the court or on the field or on the track, but what you do in the hallways, what you do in the bleachers, supporting your teammates."
Howard will be attending and playing lacrosse for Hampton University. During the signing ceremony, Coach Johnson highlighted Howard's impact on NSA's lacrosse program and the overall school community. "When I first started having some initial conversations with the Hampton University coach, I said before I tell you what Howard can do on the field, let me share a couple things with you that I think you’ll want to know," said Coach Johnson. "Howard is going to be the ambassador for your program. When the top recruits come to campus, you’re going to want them staying with Howard. When you have families coming in for unofficial visits, and you need someone to walk the families around, or have lunch with them, you’re going to call Howard. Howard is going to be an asset in your locker room. The guys, his teammates, are going to love playing with him. They'll love being teammates with him. He’s as good of a teammate as you’ll ever have. That’s what he’s done for us. He’s been a tremendous, tremendous ambassador for NSA lacrosse. His reach, even though he’s graduating in May, will be felt for years to come. That, on top of making so many great plays for us, might be his bigger legacy."
Malli will be attending and playing softball for Radford University. Varsity Softball Coach and Co-Director of Athletics Brittany Thornburg '08 said Malli's work ethic and her versatility on the softball field make her a truly special player. "She’s one of the first ones to practice," said Coach Thornburg. "She’ll help set up, practice hard, do whatever her teammates ask or need of her. She’ll be the last one there. We’ll pick up, we’ll break down, then you’ll see her walking over to the cage to take more reps by herself. Malli can truly play any position on the softball field. Now, pitcher and catcher are arguably the two hardest positions in the game of softball and are particularly hard to pick up when you get older and later down the road in your softball career. But, not for Malli. She went from our starting third baseman to our starting catcher to being recruited as a college catcher."
Marin will be attending and playing softball for the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Coach Thornburg said Marin's drive and determination are what have led her to be a part of six state championship teams during her time at NSA and will prove to be beneficial when she begins her next chapter at UNCG. "Marin wants to be the best," said Coach Thornburg. "She wants to be the best for herself, she wants to be the best for her teammates, the best for her coaches, just the best person and the best player that she can be. She’s got a refuse to lose attitude. That’s one of the things that I love most about you, Marin. Your time at NSA is coming to a close, but you’ve left your mark and played a crucial role in the history of Nansemond-Suffolk."
While committing to college is an exciting and momentous time, all three of these student-athletes still have very big spring seasons ahead of them as they each look to add another state championship title to their resume. "Malli, Marin and Howard have some business they want to take care of before graduation," said Coach Johnson. "I know in their respective sports, they have high expectations of what they want to do in the spring of 2025."
Congratulations to Howard, Malli and Marin! We can't wait to watch all you accomplish this spring at NSA and next fall at the collegiate level!