A Perfect 4.0. A Degree. A National Championship Ring. Three Alumni. One Week.

Some weeks remind you why you started.

This was one of them.

In the space of a few days, three Upper 90 College alumni reached milestones that most Australian families dream about when they first pick up the phone to us. A perfect GPA. A university degree. A national championship ring. Different athletes. Different levels. Different states in the USA. One common thread — they found the right program.

Ryan Mrvcic — Academic Award of Excellence, Mercyhurst University (NCAA D1)

Ryan came to us as a talented Australian midfielder with ambitions to play at the highest level. He earned a place at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania — an NCAA Division I program with a strong academic reputation.

What happened next is the kind of thing that makes this job genuinely fulfilling.

Ryan didn't just play soccer. He threw himself into his studies with the same dedication he brought to training. He finished his degree in Accounting with a perfect 4.0 GPA and was recognised by the Walker Business Department with their Academic Award of Excellence — the highest academic honour awarded to students for outstanding achievement in their field.

A Division I athlete. A perfect GPA. An award for academic excellence. That is the US college system working exactly as it should.

"He came to play soccer and will leave as an academic champion." — John Stevanja, Upper 90 College

Keegan Grant — Graduated, University of Findlay (NCAA D2)

Keegan Grant is a goalkeeper. And not just any goalkeeper — the kind of presence between the sticks that coaches build game plans around.

He made his way to the University of Findlay in Ohio, one of the most respected NCAA Division II programs in the country, and spent four years there doing what Australian goalkeepers do best — making saves that shouldn't be possible and commanding every box he stepped into.

Last week, Keegan walked across that stage in cap and gown, degree in hand, surrounded by his family. Four years of pre-seasons, road trips, training sessions, exam blocks, and moments he'll carry forever.

Done. Degree earned. Chapter closed. Next chapter open.

For every parent of a goalkeeper reading this — the US college system is one of the very best pathways in the world for goalkeepers to develop, compete, and earn a degree simultaneously. Keegan is proof.

Zoe Edwards — 2025 NAIA Women's National Champion, Keiser University

You can read about national championships. You can watch the highlights. But there's something different about seeing a young woman from Australia standing in the Florida sunshine, holding up a national championship ring with the biggest smile you've ever seen.

Zoe Edwards plays for Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Florida — an NAIA program that competes at the absolute top of women's college soccer. In 2025, they didn't just compete. They won.

2025 NAIA Women's National Champions.

Zoe was part of every step of that journey. The training. The belief. The final. The confetti. And now, the ring.

We talk a lot in this business about finding the right fit over chasing the biggest name. Zoe's story is the clearest possible example of what that actually means. She didn't need a D1 offer. She needed the right program, the right environment, and the right opportunity — and she seized it completely.

D1. D2. NAIA. Every Level. Every Outcome.

What strikes us most about this particular week is that each of these athletes represented a different level of the US college system.

Ryan at NCAA Division I. Keegan at NCAA Division II. Zoe at NAIA.

Three different tiers. Three completely different life outcomes — all exceptional. All life-changing. All made possible by finding the right fit, not just the biggest name on the letterhead.

This is the conversation we have with every family we work with. The US college soccer system has over 1,000 programs. The goal is not to chase Division I for the sake of a badge. The goal is to find the program where your son or daughter can walk onto campus on day one, compete immediately, develop as a player and a person, and graduate with a degree that sets them up for life.

Ryan, Keegan and Zoe did exactly that. In different ways, at different levels, in different parts of the country — they all won.

16 Years. Hundreds of Lives Changed.

Upper 90 College has been doing this since 2009. We have placed hundreds of Australian players into US college programs — 6 national champions, countless Academic All-Americans, and more graduation photos than we can count.

Every single one starts with a conversation.

If your son or daughter has the talent and the ambition, we'd love to talk about what the right pathway looks like for them. The recruiting window moves faster than most families realise — but it's never too early, and it's rarely too late.