Behind Xavier’s outstanding sports performances, there are dedicated student athletes who spend of time working hard. Many of these athletes play on club teams and work out in the off-season. There simply is no break for these athletes, especially not for junior soccer player Will Hanigan.

Hanigan has been playing soccer since he was four years old and grew up watching his two older brothers play. Hanigan plays for three different soccer teams throughout the year and has traveled not only around the United States, but internationally. Although most of his tournaments and camps are located in the Midwest, Hanigan has also traveled to Florida and California, as well as Scotland, Costa Rica, Sweden, and Denmark to play.

“For club, I have played for ISC (Iowa Soccer Club) Alliance, which has kids from Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Dubuque, and Bettendorf on it,” Hanigan said. “I also played on a Regional Olympic Development Team, which is made up of 18 selected players in the Midwest with the birth year of 1999.”

Hanigan not only plays in the off-season to make himself better, but he does it out of love for the sport. His favorite part about playing is scoring. He says that there is no better feeling than making a goal.

“My favorite memory is scoring the winning goal in the semi-finals of state for high school my freshman year. Being at the bottom of the dog pile will never be forgotten,” Hanigan said. “I will also never forget my trip to Denmark and Sweden because there were great teams there and they are beautiful countries.”

Hanigan is looking forward to finishing off his club season strong and starting his high school season in the spring. He is hoping to make it back to the high school state tournament for the third year in a row.