Nathan Kirwan '24 Recruiting Profile

I am a Junior at Verona Area High School and am a four-sport athlete. I used to play football in the fall but am now a Student Assistant Coach to the Verona Area High School Girl's Varsity Volleyball Team, wrestle over the winter as well as play club volleyball (my high school does not have boys volleyball), play baseball in the spring and am on a travel club baseball team over the summer. I love to be active playing sports with my friends or hitting the weight room. I have loved the sport of volleyball from a very young age. Both my parents have played in Intermediate and Power leagues in the Madison area my entire life. When I was 6 days old, they took me to watch my dad play in one of his leagues. I grew up sitting in the gym watching them play ball multiple times a week. When I was around four to five years old they would let me in the circle to warm up with them by bumping the ball. After each match was done, my dad would bump around with me until the next teams were ready to play. When I was in 5^th grade I started playing on a team with 7^th and 8^th grade girls. I didn’t care that I was the only boy as it allowed me to play a sport I love. I started playing club volleyball for Capital Volleyball Academy (CVA) in 2019 and loved it, but unfortunately the boys program shutdown. I then went to Madison Elite for the last three seasons. This year I accepted the offer to play with Milwaukee Sting's Top 17U Team - Adidas.

Volleyball is a great team sport as there are so many different elements to the game. You never know when you need to step up and set, launch yourself across the court to save a ball or serve game point. I have enjoyed getting to know various teammates and coaches throughout my short career so far. I have even been in discussion with our Athletic Director at my high school to try and bring boys volleyball to VAHS as many teams in the Big8 have it! Until then, I am a Student Assistant Coach with our Varsity High School Girl's Team where I run drills, hit and serve balls to them and keep stats at matches and tournaments. It's been a great way to still be active and learn the sport from a different angle.

What I have learned from playing club volleyball is that it really is the sport I enjoy playing the most. It is also a sport that I can continue playing as I get older as my parents have shown. I would really love the opportunity to play in college for a school that has a major in Engineering and/or Business as those are careers that I am very interested in based on classes I have taken so far in high school. While playing four sports, I currently maintain a 3.96 GPA on a 4.0 scale. I work very hard both on and off the court and am always looking for a challenge. I give 110%, am a team player and am very coachable. Whatever I can do to help propel the team forward I will do. Being a utility player definitely helps as I understand all positions and am very proficient in my skills. While volleyball is my passion, my first priority is my education. Playing volleyball in college would just be the icing on the cake. Both my parents have instilled in me the drive to do well in school while still making the time for fun with friends and family and working over the summer months reffing flag football and umping and maintaining both the Verona Area Girls Softball Association's  fields and the Verona Little League's fields.

Joining the NCSA world of recruiting is definitely a big step for me, but it is one that I am looking very forward to pursuing. One of my mom’s favorite songs is called ‘Til You Can’t by Cody Johnson. The lyrics are very fitting for this period of my life … “If you got a chance, take it, take it while you got a chance. If you got a dream, chase it, ‘cause a dream won’t chase you back.” It’s a great song! I love volleyball, have big dreams and am chasing them ‘til I can’t!