Josh Hagar To Join Notre Dame Fighting Irish
ATA College Prep graduate and Academy veteran Josh Hagar committed to pursue his athletic and academic goals at the University of Notre Dame this coming fall.
“What set Notre Dame apart from all the other schools was that I felt like it was the perfect fit,” Josh said. “Not just a good fit, but a perfect fit.”
Josh ultimately selected Notre Dame after narrowing down his list to five schools. He took official visits to Harvard, Princeton,
Northwestern, Rice and Notre Dame.
“Everyone I met on my visit (not just athletes) seemed like they had really similar goals and interests as me, and ultimately those were the kind of people I wanted to be around,” Josh said. “Also, the amount of opportunities post-college really stood out to me as an important factor.”
The University of Notre Dame is an independent Catholic university located in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame is one of America’s leading institutions for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. For Josh, it is the Business school that gets him most excited.
“Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business offers a managerial entrepreneurship major, which I am really looking forward to,” Josh said. “Entrepreneurship has always interested me because of its unpredictability. I have found that any great entrepreneur is always willing to accept challenges and work hard to achieve whatever endeavor(s) they wish to accomplish.”
Josh will join a top 25 ranked program in the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is switching from the Big East Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference, so Josh will compete against schools like Florida State, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Duke.
“Athletically, I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to represent a top 25 program and compete against the best teams in the country,” Josh said. “There is so much enthusiasm and tradition regarding Notre Dame’s athletics and I look forward to contributing.”
In the past few weeks, Josh visited the campus and attended a football game. For a school with such a vast influence, it was the intimate feel of the campus that stood out most to Josh.
“The first thing I liked about the campus was its size,” Josh said. “Everything is compact and within short walking distances with no roads, just pedestrian sidewalks. It is very pleasant and peaceful. I believe Notre Dame has a reputation for being such a big school because of its athletic history, but from being on the campus you would never guess it. Everything is pristine and well kept with beautiful scenery and amazing buildings within a compact and personal campus.”
Josh has been a part of ATA since shortly after its creation. He has been a student of the College Prep program since before that name existed, and now he personifies the best of what the program offers. Josh will leave behind a legacy, not only of hard work in the classroom and on the court, but also of exemplary citizenship in the community. Josh worked extensively with A Glimmer of Hope Foundation through Playing For Glimmer – a program that he helped to create – where he raised money to fund water wells, schools and health posts in rural Ethiopia.
“ATA has played a huge role in my college process: firstly, being from ATA. I have learned that the ATA logo is one of the most recognizable and sought after logos than any other academy in the country. When college coaches see the ATA ball, they seem to want to introduce themselves and get to know you. I feel like I gained a lot of exposure that way just by wearing ATA clothes. Another important element ATA has played in my process has been the coaching/mentoring staff: Coach Notis and Coach Newman particularly. I began working with Coach Notis when I was nine and he really taught me to always fall back on my love of the game. Even when tennis seemed tough, Coach Notis always managed to make it fun for me, and I have taken the lesson of making tennis fun throughout my entire career. I also would like to thank Coach Newman as he played an amazing role in my college process: from initiating the option of me to take a gap year, to calling college coaches on my behalf, to working with me in private lessons multiple times a week. I would not be where I am without the unbelievable support and mentoring of the ATA staff,” Josh said.
“ATA has taught me so many things, both in life and in tennis. I believe hard work, discipline, and time management are three of the most important traits to embody, and I plan on utilizing them in college. In addition, I believe if you can parlay those attributes into community influence and encouragement, you have something very special. That is what the Notre Dame tennis team has been doing the past few years, and I am very excited to contribute to the already sterling community of athletes there.”
Good luck at Notre Dame, old friend, from the entire ATA community!