The North Central College football team got the chance to visit the White House on June 12 as invited guests to the inaugural NCAA College Athlete Day.
A special moment for the team
Players were excited to head to Washington, D.C. to be recognized for the team’s 2022 Division III National Championship.
“I mean, it’s awesome. I mean, we always think about, you know, the D1 championship teams that make it, you know, LSU in the White House, Georgia in the White House and now I mean North Central in the White House. So it’s pretty cool. It’s definitely a memorable experience,” said Terrence Hill, 2022 NCC Football Team Captain.
For members of the team who had graduated this year, like Hill, it was also a welcome chance to reunite with teammates.
“What made it special was our group of seniors and coaches being together again and being able to be in a place like the White House and on the grounds and inside the gates and inside security. That’s what made it special, I think,” said Brad Spencer, head football coach at North Central College.
Ethan Greenfield recognized on stage
Though President Joe Biden had to cancel his planned appearance due to a root canal, Vice President Kamala Harris was on hand to congratulate the athletes. One member of the Cardinal football team was invited on stage to represent North Central and got the chance to meet her.
“Being up on stage was pretty cool, and being able to shake hands and talk with the Vice President a little bit and to represent our school along with other athletes representing their schools and kind of seeing that crowd. It was a really cool experience just because of the importance that you’re able to see from everyone else and being able to have these conversations with other athletes of their success,” said Ethan Greenfield, 2022 NCC Football Team Captain.
A “perfect” way to cap off a successful year
The recent graduates in the group said they couldn’t have asked for a better way to cap off their collegiate career.
“Definitely a perfect way to end with everything going to the White House, winning a National Championship and spending that quality time with our coaches and our teammates that we’ve been with the last four or five years,” said Greenfield.
“I mean, really the National Championship was the ice cream and heading to the White House, that’s really the cherry on top. You can’t really ask for too much more than that, end the season National Champions then go have a trip to the White House,” said Hill.
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