Senior Brenton Hatch, a center for the football team, announced his commitment to Muhlenberg College on Oct. 2 via Instagram.
Located in Pennsylvania, Muhlenberg is a Division III school with an undergraduate class of 2,000 students.
A big factor in Hatch’s decision was academics. Muhlenberg is a highly ranked liberal arts school, ranked 71st in Liberal Arts Colleges by usnews.com. “Their academics are solid,” Hatch said. “That was one of the things I was looking for was academics and their academics are high.”
Another factor in the decision was the coaching staff at Muhlenberg. “I felt that [the coaches] appreciated how hard I worked,” Hatch said.
Hatch’s hard work and dedication is not only noticed by the coaches at Muhlenberg, but by his current teammates as well. Senior co-captain Jack Martin said, “He hasn’t missed a practice and along with that he does all the extra camps and clinics.”
Hatch’s intelligence is something that the other offensive linemen are able to benefit off of while on the field. “Hatch is a textbook player that is a great leader on the field,” said Senior Colby Parmelee. “Anytime I’m confused on a play, Hatch knows exactly where I need to be.”
Another well recognized quality of Hatch is his leadership both on and off the field. “He is a great motivator and leads by example,” Martin said.
Parmelee agreed, “He is always there to pick your head up if you make a mistake.”
Hatch’s hard work led to him being invited to a football camp at Muhlenberg. Hatch was introduced to the coaches during the summer before his senior year. “I got a letter from one of the coaches saying we want you to come out to this camp,” Hatch said. “I was like yeah I’ll do it and get my name out there.”
While at the camp, Hatch was able to see how the coaches ran the football team at Muhlenberg. Hatch said “The coaches just love coaching, they have their coaching style and I put as much effort as I can to show them I’m the guy they want.” He also saw the campus for the first time. “The first time I stepped foot on their campus, I loved the look of their campus,” Hatch said.
Hatch will look to finish strong in his final season for Westfield before joining Muhelnebrg’s team next fall where he is ready to keep improving his game.
