Two of our former Sports & Fitness and Football Academy students have gone all the way to the NAIA National Championship in the United States. Ricardo Ramos and Luis Almeida were both part of the Wayland Baptist College team that took out the national title, with Ricardo also making the National Championship All-Tournament Team.
Both players were critical to the success of Wayland, with Luis playing all 25 games during the season and Ricardo playing 24. Ricardo finished second on the team’s goal-scoring chart with 12, and often looked the most dangerous throughout the season with a team-high 37 shots on target.
Ricardo and Luis completed BTECs in Sports & Fitness in 2015 while playing for the Football Academy before the connections of tutor Harry Newman gave them the opportunity to play in the United States.
Liam Wild, Curriculum Manager for Care, Sports and Protective Services, coached Ricardo and Luis during their time at the Academy. He said: “Both Ricardo and Luis are great players, athletes and students who have achieved both academically and professionally. We’re extremely proud of them!”