Feb. 16, 2010
Contact: Renee Adam
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Three high school student-athletes and two junior college transfer student-athletes, who have all earned either conference, regional, state or all-american honors, have signed national letters of intent to attend Cleveland State University and play soccer for the Vikings beginning in the fall of 2010. Head coach Ali Kazemaini made the announcement on Tuesday.
Signing with Cleveland State are Manual Conde (Caracas, Venezuela), Caleb Eastham (Mason, OH), Tommy Fitzgerald (Hudson, OH), Jordan Hart (Erie, PA), and Aldo Maiorano (Whitby, Ont.). Eastham, Fitzgerald and Hart will enter CSU as freshmen with four years of eligibility remaining, while Conde and Maiorano will enter as juniors with two years of eligibility left.
"It's tough to replace the 13 seniors through graduation, but I am excited to announce this first group of recruits to help build on our success that we have had in previous years," head coach Ali Kazemaini said. "All of the incoming players are very committed to the sport, to their academics, and to improving what those 13 seniors helped establish. With our returning squad of upperclassmen, this class should blend well to keep our growth on the field and in the classroom consistent."
Conde, a midfielder, who earned OCCAC Midfielder of the Year honors as a sophomore at Lakeland Community College, was also named to the second team all-region 12 and the first team all-conference during his two seasons at Lakeland CC.
Eastham, a forward, who was named the Greater Miami Conference Player of the Year after recording 18 goals and six assists as a senior, led William Mason to a 45-6-6 record over the past three seasons. He was also named to the first team all-state, NSCAA all-region and first team all-conference as a senior.
Fitzgerald, who can play as both midfield and defense, was named the offensive MVP at Hudson High following his senior season and also earned Northest Ohio Conference Valley Division first team honors and all-district first team honors after his final season.
Hart, a forward, who earned first team all-region honors as a sophomore, junior and senior at Collegiate Academy, led the Lions to a 55-19 record over the past four seasons, recording 100 goals during his four years of varsity play. Hart is also a member of the National Honors Society and will graduate Summa Cum Laude this spring.
Maiorano, a defender, who earned NSCAA All-American honors at Lakeland Community College, was also a two-time member of the second team all-conference and a two-time honoree of all-north region accolades during his two seasons at Lakeland.
A biography on each of the five additions follows.
2010 Cleveland State University Men's Soccer Recruiting Class Biographies
Manual Conde
5-8, Jr., Midfielder
Caracas, Venezuela
COACH KAZEMAINI'S COMMENTS:
"Manu is a very hard-nosed, skillful midfielder who should help us right away. I am impressed by his overall work ethic off the ball, as he isn't afraid to do some dirty work on the defensive side of the ball. Then, when he wins it, he's very creative and decisive going forward."
PRE-CLEVELAND STATE:
Played two seasons at Lakeland Community College, earning OCCAC Midfielder of the Year honors as a sophomore after recording one goal and 11 assists...named to the second team all-region 12 and the first team all-conference following his freshman and sophomore seasons...earned all-tournament team honors multiple times, including tournaments at Delta College, Lakeland Community College and Cuyahoga Community College...led Lakeland CC to a combined 21-12-5 record during his two seasons.
HIGH SCHOOL:
Played 12 years on Deportivo Cumbres as a defender and midfielder...led his team to two state championships and one runner-up finish.
PERSONAL:
Born July 12, 1986 in Caracas, Venezuela...son of Maria and Javier Conde...has one sister, Rocio...named to the Dean's list for three semesters at Lakeland CC with a 4.0 GPA...also ran track in high school, earning medals at the state meet in the 10,000, 1,500, 1,000, 400, 100, 80 and 4x100m...mechanical engineering major.
Caleb Eastham
6-2, Fr., Forward
Mason, Ohio
COACH KAZEMAINI'S COMMENTS:
"Caleb is a big, strong center forward that is confident playing with his back to the goal. With our system, he will be very valuable, and should give opposing teams a very hard time dealing with his size and touch on the ball."
HIGH SCHOOL:
Three-year letterwinner at William Mason high leading his team to a combined 45-6-6 record...was named the Greater Miami Conference Player of the Year after recording 18 goals and 6 assists as a senior...earned first team all-state, all-regional and all-conference honors after his senior season...set the William Mason record for career goals after scoring 30 during his high school campaign...also set the season goals record with 18 as a senior...led his team to the regional semi-finals as a sophomore and senior under head coach Paul Reedy.
PERSONAL:
Born August 16, 1991 in Mason, Ohio...son of Lynn and Don Eastham...has two brothers, Joshua and Gideon...part of the National Society of High School Scholars and the student government while at William Mason...civil engineering major.
Jordan Hart
5-10, Fr., Forward
Erie, Pa.
COACH KAZEMAINI'S COMMENTS:
"Jordan is a crafty wing player that makes great runs with and without the ball. He is a different type of player on the wing that we currently have, and should add another dimension to our attack, which will hopefully make us more creative and give us more options."
HIGH SCHOOL:
Earned first team all-region honors following his sophomore, junior and senior seasons at Collegiate Academy...named to the second team all-region as a freshman...led his team to a combined 55-19 record over his high school career, leading the Lions to a state quarter finals appearance as a junior and a district semi-final appearance as a senior...recorded 100 goals over four years for the varsity team at Collegiate Academy.
PERSONAL:
Born June 5, 1992 in Eria, Pa. ...son of Ann Marie and Terry Hart...has three brothers, Tim, Tylor and Noah, and three sisters, Elaina, Gabrielle and Bethany...will graduate high school Summa Cum Laude...involved in the National Honor Society...civil engineering major.
Aldo Maiorano
6-0, Jr., Defender
Whitby, Ontario
COACH KAZEMAINI'S COMMENTS:
"Aldo has a great quality in his leadership in the back, always talking and keeping the players in front of him organized. He's a good tackler, good in the air, and should come in and help solidify our back line."
PRE-CLEVELAND STATE:
Played two seasons at LakelandCommunity College earning NSCAA All-American, first team all-north region and second team all-conference honors as a sophomore...named to the second team all-conference, and second team all-north region as a freshman.
HIGH SCHOOL:
Served as captain his senior year at Father Leo J. Austin High...led his team to two L.O.S.S.A. Championship appearances.
PERSONAL:
Born April 10, 1989 in Oshawa, Ontario...son of Angela and Mario Maiorano...has one brother, Michael...criminology and Italian major.
