David Sartorio '07
Wildcats Forever: David Sartorio
7/8/2011 10:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Previous Features
With 10 seasons in the history books for Davidson men's soccer head coach Matt Spear, DavidsonWildcats.com got in touch with a senior from each of his 10 teams to discuss their memories of Davidson and see where they are now.
Starting with 2001 and concluding with 2010, DavidsonWildcats.com will post a Q & A with an alumnus every Friday. This week's feature is David Sartorio.
David Sartorio (2002, 2004-06) was a four-year starter, earning nods in 71 of 76 games played as a crucial part of the midfield. A leader on and off the field, he was elected as a co-captain during his junior and senior years, and he finished his Wildcat career with seven goals and 16 assists. Sartorio was also part of the Bryan Scholarship Program and spent the 2005 spring semester studying abroad in Buenos Aries, Argentina. Readers of previous Wildcat Forever Q&A's may have already surmised that he has been arguably the wittiest and most humorous player of Spear's tenure.
Q: Why and how did you choose Davidson?
A: I chose Davidson because it has the best academics in the state. I also did it to be my own man. Everyone else in my family is either a Tar Heel or a Blue Devil—I am the first Wildcat. It was also my best shot at balancing the highest level of soccer with the highest level of academics. Just felt like a good “fit” for me. Knew I could come in and make an immediate impact in my freshman year.
Q: Do you remember the first time you met Coach Spear during the recruiting process? What was your first impression?
A: He came to my house in Raleigh for Sartorio Spaghetti! My first impression? … That he had a good sense of humor - you should have seen the shirt he was wearing!! Seriously, Coach Spear is a people person and he and I connected right away. I noticed his sense of humor right off the bat.
Q: You were a part of the 2004 and 2005 teams that also reached the title game – what were those seasons like?
A: The 2004 and 2005 seasons were disappointing in the way that they ended because we underachieved for the amount of talent that we had on the roster. But the seasons were still fun, of course. College sports are fun. Period.
Q: What were some of your favorite memories from your Davidson soccer days?
A: There are a million. One of my favorites is beating UNC my freshman year at UNC. The game was in Chapel Hill, so my entire family was there to cheer me on. My brother, who played soccer at UNC, was in the stands in a Davidson Soccer t-shirt cheering me on. It was very cool.
My other memorable moment was also from my freshman year. We were playing Clemson at home. It was a night game in Richardson Stadium, so there was a big crowd in attendance. Good buzz, great atmosphere. We were tied 0-0 with Clemson, who was ranked No. 4 in the nation at the time. I was playing left outside mid. I stole the ball around half field and raced all the way down the wing. I got to the edge of the box and looked up and saw my roommate, Preston Davis, streaking into the box. I tried to play him the ball, but I mishit it slightly. But Preston didn't care. He left his feet and stuck the ball into the upper corner of the net. I couldn't believe it. What I remember best though, is not the goal or the play, but right after. I sprinted to Preston yelling “Hooolllyy [expletive]!” He grabbed me and we were running, celebrating together. He wouldn't stop squealing in my ear. To this day, I have hearing loss in that ear because of that goal. The goal was special because Preston and I were roommates and best friends and the goal felt like the perfect manifestation of that special link. It was a special goal on a big stage.
Q: What were your favorite memories off the field?
A: There are too many. All of my best friends were on the soccer team, so any “team time” was fun, be it in the locker-room, the cafeteria or wherever. I will never forget Cass Baltz' recruiting trip! We all thought it was hilarious.
I will also never forget our pre-preseason trip to Wilmington, N.C. my freshman year. The Kittinger family hosted the entire team. Meeting everyone for the first time was exciting. I can't express how special of a group of guys that was.
Q: What was your major and how did the academic and athletic experience help you moving forward?
A: Davidson Soccer gave me the tools that make me successful today. Davidson Soccer is all about teamwork. We weren't a bunch of stars, but we achieved success by relishing the opportunity to work hard for each other, as a team. We realized that the hard work we put in at practice benefitted not only each player individually, but also the team as a whole. No one was bigger than the team. I lucked out to work in a law firm (Smith Anderson) that stresses those same ideals: hard work and teamwork. No one is bigger than the team, and you make yourself better by working hard for your teammates. So, Davidson Soccer served me well by giving me that frame of mind. Unlike a lot of my peers graduating law school at the same time, I didn't have a shocking transition to the “professional” world because I didn't have to change the way I was taught to think during my Davidson Soccer days.
I was a Spanish major, math minor. Davidson athletics/academics taught me balance. At Davidson, you are expected to balance the highest level of academics with the highest level of athletics. As I transition into the real world, I am realizing the ability to balance is king.
Q: Where are you now, and what are you doing now?
A: I live in Raleigh. I am a lawyer for Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, LLP, a leading firm in North Carolina for sophisticated legal services to leading companies and institutions statewide. I practice corporate law, working with clients ranging from start-up businesses to large banks.
Q: What are some tips you would have for current recruits considering Davidson?
A: Go to Davidson. North Carolina has the best colleges and universities in the nation, but Davidson is the best of the bunch. Go to Davidson for undergrad and then try one of the others for your grad degree.
Q: What advice would you pass along to current Davidson players?
A: Put the ball in the net.
Enjoy it. Life doesn't get any better.
Q: What do you miss the most now from playing soccer at Davidson?
A: Playing soccer everyday with my best friends. Competition. Saturday night games. Saturday night bus trips back. The locker room after a win.
Q: How often have you been able to return to Davidson to catch a game?
A: It's been tough. I need to get back more. I have only caught one game since I graduated.
Q: Any favorite “Coach Spear-isms” you want to share?
A: Too many!
“Back in '92…”
With 10 seasons in the history books for Davidson men's soccer head coach Matt Spear, DavidsonWildcats.com got in touch with a senior from each of his 10 teams to discuss their memories of Davidson and see where they are now.
Starting with 2001 and concluding with 2010, DavidsonWildcats.com will post a Q & A with an alumnus every Friday. This week's feature is David Sartorio.
David Sartorio (2002, 2004-06) was a four-year starter, earning nods in 71 of 76 games played as a crucial part of the midfield. A leader on and off the field, he was elected as a co-captain during his junior and senior years, and he finished his Wildcat career with seven goals and 16 assists. Sartorio was also part of the Bryan Scholarship Program and spent the 2005 spring semester studying abroad in Buenos Aries, Argentina. Readers of previous Wildcat Forever Q&A's may have already surmised that he has been arguably the wittiest and most humorous player of Spear's tenure.
Q: Why and how did you choose Davidson?
A: I chose Davidson because it has the best academics in the state. I also did it to be my own man. Everyone else in my family is either a Tar Heel or a Blue Devil—I am the first Wildcat. It was also my best shot at balancing the highest level of soccer with the highest level of academics. Just felt like a good “fit” for me. Knew I could come in and make an immediate impact in my freshman year.
Q: Do you remember the first time you met Coach Spear during the recruiting process? What was your first impression?
A: He came to my house in Raleigh for Sartorio Spaghetti! My first impression? … That he had a good sense of humor - you should have seen the shirt he was wearing!! Seriously, Coach Spear is a people person and he and I connected right away. I noticed his sense of humor right off the bat.
Q: You were a part of the 2004 and 2005 teams that also reached the title game – what were those seasons like?
A: The 2004 and 2005 seasons were disappointing in the way that they ended because we underachieved for the amount of talent that we had on the roster. But the seasons were still fun, of course. College sports are fun. Period.
Q: What were some of your favorite memories from your Davidson soccer days?
A: There are a million. One of my favorites is beating UNC my freshman year at UNC. The game was in Chapel Hill, so my entire family was there to cheer me on. My brother, who played soccer at UNC, was in the stands in a Davidson Soccer t-shirt cheering me on. It was very cool.
My other memorable moment was also from my freshman year. We were playing Clemson at home. It was a night game in Richardson Stadium, so there was a big crowd in attendance. Good buzz, great atmosphere. We were tied 0-0 with Clemson, who was ranked No. 4 in the nation at the time. I was playing left outside mid. I stole the ball around half field and raced all the way down the wing. I got to the edge of the box and looked up and saw my roommate, Preston Davis, streaking into the box. I tried to play him the ball, but I mishit it slightly. But Preston didn't care. He left his feet and stuck the ball into the upper corner of the net. I couldn't believe it. What I remember best though, is not the goal or the play, but right after. I sprinted to Preston yelling “Hooolllyy [expletive]!” He grabbed me and we were running, celebrating together. He wouldn't stop squealing in my ear. To this day, I have hearing loss in that ear because of that goal. The goal was special because Preston and I were roommates and best friends and the goal felt like the perfect manifestation of that special link. It was a special goal on a big stage.
Q: What were your favorite memories off the field?
A: There are too many. All of my best friends were on the soccer team, so any “team time” was fun, be it in the locker-room, the cafeteria or wherever. I will never forget Cass Baltz' recruiting trip! We all thought it was hilarious.
I will also never forget our pre-preseason trip to Wilmington, N.C. my freshman year. The Kittinger family hosted the entire team. Meeting everyone for the first time was exciting. I can't express how special of a group of guys that was.
Q: What was your major and how did the academic and athletic experience help you moving forward?
A: Davidson Soccer gave me the tools that make me successful today. Davidson Soccer is all about teamwork. We weren't a bunch of stars, but we achieved success by relishing the opportunity to work hard for each other, as a team. We realized that the hard work we put in at practice benefitted not only each player individually, but also the team as a whole. No one was bigger than the team. I lucked out to work in a law firm (Smith Anderson) that stresses those same ideals: hard work and teamwork. No one is bigger than the team, and you make yourself better by working hard for your teammates. So, Davidson Soccer served me well by giving me that frame of mind. Unlike a lot of my peers graduating law school at the same time, I didn't have a shocking transition to the “professional” world because I didn't have to change the way I was taught to think during my Davidson Soccer days.
I was a Spanish major, math minor. Davidson athletics/academics taught me balance. At Davidson, you are expected to balance the highest level of academics with the highest level of athletics. As I transition into the real world, I am realizing the ability to balance is king.
Q: Where are you now, and what are you doing now?
A: I live in Raleigh. I am a lawyer for Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, LLP, a leading firm in North Carolina for sophisticated legal services to leading companies and institutions statewide. I practice corporate law, working with clients ranging from start-up businesses to large banks.
Q: What are some tips you would have for current recruits considering Davidson?
A: Go to Davidson. North Carolina has the best colleges and universities in the nation, but Davidson is the best of the bunch. Go to Davidson for undergrad and then try one of the others for your grad degree.
Q: What advice would you pass along to current Davidson players?
A: Put the ball in the net.
Enjoy it. Life doesn't get any better.
Q: What do you miss the most now from playing soccer at Davidson?
A: Playing soccer everyday with my best friends. Competition. Saturday night games. Saturday night bus trips back. The locker room after a win.
Q: How often have you been able to return to Davidson to catch a game?
A: It's been tough. I need to get back more. I have only caught one game since I graduated.
Q: Any favorite “Coach Spear-isms” you want to share?
A: Too many!
“Back in '92…”
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