Ramblers Welcome 26 New Athletes on Signing Day

Nov. 12, 26 different high school athletes across eight sports sat down next to their parents, friends and family to make the ultimate decision of where to spend their next four years when they officially signed with Loyola Athletics.

Men’s Volleyball

Matthew Kelly, a 6-foot-3-inch libero out of Manhattan Beach, Calif., is a two-time Junior Olympic gold medalist with his club team, Manhattan Beach Surf. He was awarded All-Mission League First Team honors his junior year and led his high school to state and national championships during his sophomore season. He comes from a family of athletes, with his brother Sean Kelly currently playing volleyball at the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Nicola Konstantinov hails from Sofia, Bulgaria and is a multi-sport athlete in volleyball, tennis and soccer. The 6-foot-7-inch outside hitter competed in Bulgaria’s Men’s Volleyball League as a four-time youth champion, and he served as vice captain for Bulgaria’s U19 national team, earning five consecutive top-three finishes. 

His athletic lineage runs deep in Bulgaria. His uncle was a former Bulgarian national volleyball team captain, his father played professional volleyball and both his grandparents are former Olympian volleyball players — Georgi Konstantinov and Eva nèe Doycheva.

Luka Lojic, a 6-foot-6-inch opposite side hitter from Bar, Montenegro, played for OK Budućnost Volleyball Club in the Montenegro professional men’s league. He was named the nation’s Best Up-and-Coming Player of 2024 and received MVP honors at both the Montenegro Youth Tournament and Montenegro Super Cup. 

 Thomas Vesty, a 6-foot-4-inch setter from Christchurch, New Zealand, played for SVC Silverbacks and earned the Canterbury Champs MVP in 2022. He was a starter for the New Zealand National Team and was named MVP at the Inter-Provincial Championship in 2022 and 2023. 

Vesty is a multi-sport athlete in cricket and basketball, but volleyball is in his blood as both parents played volleyball for New Zealand’s national team, and his sister, Rosa Vesty, currently plays at the University of Iowa. 

Caden Van Buren — brother of former men’s volleyball player Parker Van Buren — is a 6-foot-3-inch outside hitter, officially signed with the Ramblers after verbally committing May 14. The Cross Plains, Wisc. native is a four-year varsity letterman in swimming and volleyball, was named back-to-back Big 8 Conference Player of the Year and is a two-time honoree on All-State and All-Conference First Teams. 

He hit .483 his senior season and tallied 1,156 kills and 209 service aces across his four years at Middleton High School. 

Women’s Soccer

Anna Bigenwald, a goalkeeper out of Indian Head Park, Ill., totaled 133 saves in her 2025 season. She’s a multi-sport athlete in soccer, basketball and flag football, earning All-West Suburban Conference Silver Division honors and MVP with her flag football team. 

She plays soccer at the club level with the Lagrange Celtics and participates in Lyons Township’s athletic leadership program. Bigenwald is a consistent honor roll student and is a member of the National Honor Society. 

Sarah Collins is a defender from Rochester Hills, Mich., who received First Team All-State honors in 2025. She was recognized as a 2024 Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) Midwest Second Team All-Conference selection with the Liverpool Football Club and has achieved the highest honors each year at Notre Dame Prep.

Annie Fitzgerald, a midfielder and forward from Downers Grove, Ill., earned Chicagoland Soccer All-State, All-Sectional, All-Conference and All-Area honors throughout her four years at Benet Academy. She captains her Chicago Inter ECNL team and was named to the ECNL Midwest All-Conference and the National Women’s Soccer League XI — the best eleven soccer players nationally. 

She’s a student government representative, a four-time high honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society. 

Riga Kallaba is a Chicago native midfielder who competed with Kosovo’s youth and senior national teams and netted her first goal in Euro Qualification play at 15 years old with a U19 team. She’s featured in multiple Top Drawer Soccer recruiting reports and trained with regional and state Olympic Development programs.

Ana Mrotzek, a midfielder from Oak Park, Ill., led her team in points at Oak Park and River Forest during the 2025 season. She was awarded West Suburban All-Conference honors in 2024 and 2025. Mrotzek was recognized at Girls Academy Mid-American Talent ID events with her club team, Chicago FC United, in 2023 and 2024, and is a four-time honor roll student.

Addison Schaffer is a midfielder and forward from Lake in the Hills, Ill., who led her team to an Illinois High School Association 2A State Championship in 2024 after placing third in 2023. She was named to All-Sectional and All Fox Valley Conference teams in 2023 and 2025 and plays for Rockford Raptors ECNL. 

Schaffer was named Body Armor MVP 2025 and has been selected three times for the Illinois State Team for the Olympic Development Program. She was placed on the All-State Watchlist both her sophomore and junior seasons, as well as maintaining honor roll status.

Forward Victoria Zeni comes south from Toronto, where she played for Vaughn Soccer Club and Bill Crothers Secondary School and kept a consistent place on the honor roll lists. She has experience with League One as a player for the 2008 team. 

Softball

Katie Davies, an infielder from Grayslake, Ill., is a right-handed first baseman with a .439 batting average. She has tallied a 1.554 on-base plus slugging percentage as a junior with 11 home runs and 24 RBIs. Davies was named to All-State, All-Area and Northern Lake County Conference All-Conference honors in 2024 and 2025. She’s a multi-sport athlete in tennis and basketball and plays at the club level with Wisconsin Lightning Fastpitch. 

She was named a National Merit Commended scholar, an AP Scholar with Distinction and a member of the National Honor Society, while earning the highest honor roll every semester at Grayslake Central. 

Lydia Hammond is a right-handed pitcher and left-handed hitter from Bradley, Ill. Over her 188 innings at Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School, she touts a 1.30 ERA, 0.855 WHIP and 282 strikeouts. She has been awarded All-Conference, All-Area First Team and All-State honors, all while playing club level at Illinois Chill Gold and keeping a high honor roll status.

Women’s Basketball

The Ramblers signed Gemma Wichmann, a 6-foot forward out of Cleveland, Ohio. She’s a two-time Northeast Lake All-District honoree and has had back-to-back Division I Final Four appearances in 2024 and 2025 with Magnificat High School. 

Wichmann won the 2025 Warrior of the Year Award as well as the 2025 Harry Groman Defensive Player of the Year Award. She’s a part of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society and was class president. 

She plays for the Legends U club team, where she was a 2023 Elite 40 National Championship runner-up and a Power 24 National Champion in 2024 and 2025.

Women’s Golf

The Ramblers welcome Sofi Afable from Pinehurst, N.C.. Afable is a part of the 2022 and 2023 North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) Division II State Championship team. She received All-State honors after finishing fifth individually at the 2023 NCISAA Division II State Championship. She was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2023 Harold Varner III Girls High School Invitational. 

Best of the Rest

Loyola men’s basketball signed two players Nov. 12 — Jaxson Terry, a 6-foot-5-inch forward out of Acton, Mass. and Ryan Kreager, a 6-foot-10-inch center from Faribault, Minn., who averages 13.1 points per game. 

Women’s volleyball also welcomes two new players — Chicago native Camryn Hughes and Tenley Davis from Chesterton, Ind. 

Men’s golf welcomes Buffalo Grove, Ill. native and brother of current Rambler golfer Dori Lee, Cori Lee, Cole Beto out of Rockford, Ill., Andrew Chan from Hong Kong, China, Michael Washborn from Alpharetta, Geor., Alex Lee from Northbrook, Ill., and, hailing from La Coruna, Spain, Yago Lopez.