DE PERE – It was a special day at De Pere High School as two athletes signed NLI contracts to continue their soccer careers at the next level. One goes to handsome and bright Florida to play volleyball, while the other goes to one of our country’s military academies to become an officer and play on the track and field team.
- De Pere track star Aiden Cartier is headed to the Naval Academy
- Cartier will follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Paul Cartier, who served in the Navy and served in Vietnam.
- Redbirds volleyball team’s two-year starter Hailey Jeskewitz intends to play in the NCAA Division 2 St. Leo University
“They called me at school and I asked why they called me,” Redbirds senior Aiden Cartier said. “It was 8:41 (or something), they gave a specific time, I was really nervous, I went in and had a Zoom call with (rep) Mike Gallagher and it was the coolest thing ever.”
This is how Cartier learned that he was nominated for the Naval Academy. He will head to Annapolis this summer. He has been the leading scorer for the De Pere boys track and field team for the past two seasons and is on track to do so again.
“The coaches at Navy are just amazing,” he said. “I haven’t had as much contact with any other coach as I have with them. As soon as I left campus, I told them this is where I want to be, this is where I want to go. I’m just really excited to continue playing at this level.”
Cartier will follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Paul Cartier, who served in the Navy and served in Vietnam. Although Aiden could still become a Marine officer.
“I’m really proud of myself for being able to do this and continue doing this, and I hope future generations of my family will do the same,” Cartier said.
Hailey Jeskewitz, a two-year starter for the Redbirds volleyball team, will play for the NCAA Division 2 St. Leo University. She earned FRCC all-conference honors last season. She is proud of her achievements and that demanding work helped her overcome the chilly,
“I’m very excited,” she said. “I hate the chilly in Wisconsin. It’s not my favorite position, and the ocean is simply my passion. I always wanted to go there and I worked really demanding for it. This is something I always wanted to do as a newborn girl: get involved somewhere and receive all the honor and reward for what I have achieved so far.
