Leonardo de Leon '20 Recruiting Profile

I have participated in sports all my life and it has always been a dream of mine to compete at the collegiate level with other elite athletes. Academically, I aspire to be an aeronautical engineer. I have always been fascinated with how things work and how they are put together, especially for flight in air or space. My dream is to design and build spacecraft one day!

I had the fortunate experience of sharing sports with my father. He coached each and every team I was a part of in every sport from age 3 until high school. From always being the coach’s son, I naturally took on the mantle of leading by example and helping each and every one of my teammates succeed. I always push myself to be the hardest worker on the team and to constantly improve my teammates and myself to help our team be the best it can be. Following my father’s example, I also learned to thoroughly enjoy coaching others. My grade school track team had no field coaches; therefore, I taught myself shot put and discus. I then proceeded to teach my teammates, and even after graduating to high school, I continued to return to my old team to pass on my knowledge. Over the years, I also developed a passion for physical fitness while training with my father and older brother. I then shared what I learned with friends and teammates to help them achieve their own personal fitness or athletic goals by offering free time in my basement gym, personal training, and nutrition advice. These attributes led my high school track coach, Scott Nelson, to make the unprecedented move of naming me a Varsity Field Coach and Captain when I was only a sophomore at St. Francis High School. I strongly believe in being a team player and helping my team succeed as a whole. Whether that requires mentoring, encouragement, training, or sometimes just lending a hand, I am always ready and willing. Personally, I am highly competitive and I constantly work to perfect my craft. This drive to always perform my best has also translated into my academics by maintaining a 4.0+ GPA every year and earning a spot in the National Honor Society.