Bryan Ciesiulka was happy to shrug the pressure off his shoulders.

The incoming Neuqua Valley senior has his college choice decided, having verbally committed in February to play for Marquette.

“It feels good to have it out of the way,” Ciesiulka said. “I was spending so much time on the computer, emailing. I was glad to get it done.”

“I love the coaches and I love the campus, and I’ve got a couple friends that are looking to go there, too. And when I went and visited the team, I got a really good feeling.”

Ciesiulka had 15 goals and 14 assists last year, on a Neuqua team that went 21-6-2 and finished fourth in the Illinois. Career-wise, he has 24 goals and 26 assists heading into his third varsity season for the Wildcats.

First-year Neuqua Valley coach Tony Kees has coached Ciesiulka on his Fire Academy team, and he only needs one word to describe his incoming senior.

“When you get a player that you can label ‘winner’, you know you’ve got a player,” Kees said. “Bryan is just a winner.”

“Even in practice, everyone wants to be on his team because he’s going to do everything he can to make sure that his team wins, whether it’s a simple possession game or any activity. He wants to win at whatever he’s doing.”

Ciesiulka was considering Northwestern, Harvard, Michigan, and Northern Illinois before picking Marquette.

“The academic side of it is real important to me. I visited Northern and Northwestern, but when I went on my visit to Marquette, I knew,” he said.

He’s also looking forward to proving himself as a center mid at the next level.

“I’ve always played center mid, so that’s where I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to play,” Ciesiulka said. “We’ll see.”

Wherever he ends up on the field at Marquette, Ciesiulka’s ability to put a ball where he wants to, when he wants to, and with whatever spin he wants to should serve him well.

“He’s like a ping-pong player – he has so many different spins that you almost can’t keep up with him,” Kees said. “His range of deliveries is sick. He’s a special kind of player.”