FirstPoint USA News

Scholarship Signings - January
February 9, 2010

A busy January saw a number of FirstPoint clients commit to athletic scholarships at NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA member institutions. The early signs for the month of February indicate that this number is going to increase dramatically throughout the next few weeks and into the months of March, April, and beyond into August. We will be sure to keep you posted of all developments as they happen.

FirstPoint’s Clearing Department staff are the ones responsible for handling all aspects of marketing, promotion, compliance and eligibility; and they believe that this could be the strongest recruiting class going to America in recent years. Led by Grant MacKenzie, Chris Nellaney, Barry Neville and John-Paul Boyle – the Clearing Department have the enormous task of pre-determining the athletic and academic eligibility for all active FirstPoint clients.

Grant MacKenzie noted, “This is the time of the year when all of our hard work in the preceding 6 to 12 months begins to bear fruit. Depending on the stage they are at with their respective Consultants, the majority of our active clients have been engaged in the recruiting process with coaches in recent months and many are making final decisions on where they will begin their academic and athletic careers in America. Between now and August is always the most frantic, stressful, tiring, but exciting period in the office.”

As former products of the FirstPoint program themselves; Barry, Chris and John-Paul know first-hand what questions and concerns clients and their parents will be experiencing at this time of year. “It’s hard for the athletes and their parents to understand the scholarship process at this stage as so much of what goes-on is intangible and the information is coming in and out of our offices thick and fast,” said Chris Nellaney. He continued, “When I was going through the scholarship process myself it was a case of one day I didn’t know who was interested in signing me, and the next day I had a scholarship offer on the table which I was being asked to commit to. It’s nerve-wracking for everyone, however that is what are here to help and advise on and all of our clients are encouraged to speak to us as much as possible about any concerns they may have.”

• Conor O’Neill - Michigan State University
• Jed Prater - Virginia Tech University
• Hayley Clinning - Kennesaw State University
• Carlo Manna - Xavier University
• Alex Grayson - University of Pittsburgh
• Kris Dennis - University of West Virginia
• Louise Bensz - University of Iowa
• Jessica Glennie - University of Texas
• Arizona Chin - University of Idaho
• Charlotte King - University of Louisiana – Lafayette
• Bronwyn Studman - University of California – Berkeley
• Robert Hughes - Syracuse University
• Lloyd Martisson - Long Island University
• Jonathan Rutter - Gardner-Webb University
• Adam Chester - Marquette University
• Kassandra Komma - Oakland University
• Chris Davis - Gardner-Webb University
• Lizzy Clarke - University of Hartford
• Danielle Pearce - Lamar University
• Neil O’Sullivan - Cloud Community College
• Rory Cromb - Pratt College
• Emily Doyle - William Carey University
• Shaun O’Connor - University of Central Arkansas
• Anthony Ursell - Thomas College
• Jak Purkiss - Montana State University – Billings
• Andrew Green - Southwestern Christian University
• Elliot Ringe - Thomas College
• Charles Shamushonga - Pratt College
• Gary Rafferty - Pratt College
• Michael Thomas - Southwestern Christian University
• John Kennedy - Campbellsville University
• Joanna Gibson - Franklin Pierce University
• Matt Davies - Tusculum University
• Tobias Kohl - Luther College
• David Edwardson - Jackson Community College
• Kevin O’Leary - Embry-Riddle University
• Ross Earnshaw - Post University
• Otis Williams - Marshalltown Community College
• Ross McNeill - Northern Oklahoma Junior College
• James Hall - Rocky Mountain College
• Toby Cole - Waldorf College
• Scott O’Donnell - Thomas College
• Sean Morrison - Franklin Pierce University
• Jean Pierre Du-Plessis - Waldorf College
• Joe Lennon-Joiner - William Penn University
• Darren Reay - Quest University
• Dalwinder Dosanjh - Allen County Community College
• Edmund Walkley - Lees MacRae University
• Peter Bell - Waldorf College
• Michael Hand - Thomas College
• Alex Monk - Lincoln Memorial University
• Stanley Marriot - Foothill Junior College
• Paul Conlin - Waldorf College
• Sam Turner - West Virginia Wesleyan University
• Carl Rickard - Jackson Community College
• Sam Churchill - Jackson Community College
• Robert MacGillivray - Waldorf College
• Alex Thomson - Thomas College
• Emma Gibson - Iowa Lakes College
• Lizzie Stephens - Lindenwood University
• Xavier Forsberg - Rio Grande University
• Callum Home - Lincoln Memorial University
• Ryan Donnelly - Cincinnati State Junior College
• Carl Peers - Cincinnati State Junior College
• Sam Caborn - Waldorf College
• Sean Beaton - Waldorf College
• Joe Shepherd - University of the Cumberlands
• James Wheeler - Nazareth College
• Adam Reakes - Emory & Henry University
• Dean Lowden - Waldorf College
• Ciaran Tracey - University of the Cumberlands
• Sam Taylor - Southwestern Christian University
• Ian Masterson - Martin Methodist University
• James Rae - Truett McConnell College
• Nikki McLucas - James Madison University