Hub seniors ready for next challenge

Gould, Infante to continue athletic careers in college

Russell Hodges
Posted 5/3/17

Edwin Infante has dreamt about competing at the college level for quite some time, and the Rochelle Township High School senior made his dream come true this past Monday when he signed his National Letter of Intent to join the men’s track and field team a

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Hub seniors ready for next challenge

Gould, Infante to continue athletic careers in college

Posted

Edwin Infante has dreamt about competing at the college level for quite some time, and the Rochelle Township High School senior made his dream come true this past Monday when he signed his National Letter of Intent to join the men’s track and field team at St. Ambrose University.

Joining Infante to celebrate the signing were his mother Diorela, his siblings Kevin, Sally and Jessee and Rochelle head coach John Dobbs. A frequent participant in the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles for the Hubs varsity track and field team, Infante said he expects to race in both the 110-meter and the 400-meter hurdles for the Fighting Bees and head coach Dan Tomlin.

“I’m so grateful to be able to compete at the collegiate level,” Infante said. “They have great people over and something just clicked when I went there. The people seemed nice and there’s a lot to do over there.”

Also finalizing his athletic commitment this past week was senior Caleb Gould, who sat with Hubs head basketball coach Tim Thompson, his parents Jeff and Sandy and his younger brother Seth as he signed his National Letter of Intent to play basketball for Kishwaukee College and head coach Rob Buss. Gould, who earned First-Team All-Conference honors this year, will be joining Rochelle senior Landon Griffith, who also signed a letter to continue his career with the Kougars.

“I’m ready for this opportunity,” Gould said. “I love the sport and I’m ready to play with new friends and new teammates... Coach Buss said [Landon] and I would fit in so I’ll do whatever it takes to make the team better.”

Infante has been one of Rochelle’s top hurdles this season, recently placing third in the 110-meter hurdles at the 44th Annual Ogle County Meet and helping Rochelle take home first place in the competition. He’ll look to carry on his success at St. Ambrose, where he said he plans to study either mechanical engineering or political science.

“I have to give it all to my coaches,” Infante said. “Whether it’s my soccer coach, my track coaches or my Spanish teachers too… They told me that if I have a dream, I should go for it and do whatever I want to do.”

“Edwin is beginning to do very well in the hurdles and his performances will fit right in at St. Ambrose,” Dobbs added. “St. Ambrose is a good fit for him academically and he will also get to enjoy their new indoor track facility they will be opening up his freshman year. He will continue to get the coaching that will help him achieve high goals.”

Gould led the Hubs varsity basketball team in scoring this season, averaging 15.8 points per game while grabbing 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. The senior guard scored over 1,000 points as a Hub, and he was a big reason for Rochelle’s basketball resurgence, helping guide the team to a 20-8 record and a postseason run that reached the regional finals.

“Back in middle school it was coach [Don] Romes and my dad, and when I got to high school it was coach Thompson and coach [Jarrod] Reynolds in baseball who helped me grow,” Gould said. “They’ve helped me a lot through everything.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing Caleb play at the next level,” Thompson added. “He is going to be able to stretch the floor with his consistent 3-point shooting. He has been a solid player as a four-year starter at Rochelle and he’s definitely left his mark on the program as the sixth all-time scorer in program history.”