Hard work pays off. It’s the takeaway message we hope for young student-athletes in attendance at college signing ceremonies for athletes like Stephen Decatur High School senior Luke Mergott.
During this week’s celebratory event, every speaker praised Mergott, who will attend Division I’s Duke University in the fall and play football, for his incredible work ethic, internal drive to be great and passion. It’s not every year a local student-athlete signs to play a Division I sport. It’s rare a student-athlete commits to play a Division I sport at a school the academic caliber of Duke University.
This week’s solo gathering was indeed deserved and Mergott’s signing was right to be separated from the other seniors who signed their letters of intent earlier in the fall. This was a different level for an athlete who has distinguished himself during his four years at Decatur.
Kudos and congratulations also to the other student-athletes who recently signed their letters of intent to continue their athletic and academic pursuits at colleges of their choice. The common denominator for Mergott and these other student-athletes is a burning self-motivation to be exceptional. It all starts and ends with a strong work ethic, grounded with an internal desire and dedication to excel. Not all athletes have it. Many are naturally gifted, but most do not have the rare combination of athleticism, talent, coachability, dedication, leadership and the ability to endure the adversity and the grind.
Mergott is one of those rare student-athletes who possesses all these key traits and then some. He is the son of two outstanding Division III athletes at Salisbury University. His mom was an acclaimed basketball player and his dad a talented lacrosse player. Both were All-Americans in their chosen sports in college. Members of Salisbury University’s Athletics Hall of Fame, Dan and Amy Fenzel-Mergott are public school teachers in Worcester County. Mergott’s sister, Mary, was also an outstanding student-athlete at Decatur, being named Best All Around Student for the Class of 2021 and an accomplished runner who went on to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy to participate in cross country and track.
Surely, Mergott came from solid athletic genes. However, Duke University requires the total package and Mergott is that. The pride of the community was on full display this week during the signing ceremony. He grew up here playing youth sports. He’s well known to many. His mom said during the ceremony he was blessed to be raised in this community, which she referred to as a village. She said, “Luke’s success is Stephen Decatur’s success and Worcester County’s success. This is an exceptional environment. We’re blessed to be part of this village.”
It’s a success story worth celebrating.
