Athletics Hall of Fame Spotlight: Ian Hendrie '08

Ian Hendrie ’08 had his trepidations entering St. Andrew’s as the new kid at the start of ninth grade.

The last thing the young teenager wanted to do was leave the childhood friends he grew up with in public schools to attend an independent school where he knew no one.

That all changed in the end of the summer of 2004, when training camp for soccer began, and the team bonded with a trip to New Hampshire. The yearly preseason trips became his fondest memory.

“Looking back it really ended up being the best thing,” Hendrie said, reflecting on his athletic career ahead of his induction into the St. Andrew’s Athletics Hall of Fame. “For me, it was an amazing experience. 

“Those falls and winters certainly competing in soccer and basketball were huge. Especially for high school, being a big athlete was what was a foundational piece of how I saw my identity.”

An identity that included being a four-year member of the varsity soccer team. Hendrie was twice named All-MAC in soccer and selected to the All-County soccer team by the Montgomery Gazette during a career that saw him score more than 60 goals and amass more than 150 points for the Lions. Captain of the team as a senior, he recorded 34 goals and 12 assists. 

Hendrie was also a three-year starter on the basketball team and was named All-MAC during his junior year. He was named St. Andrew’s Male Athlete of the Year as a senior in 2007-08.

Upon graduating, he went on to play four years of NCAA Division I soccer in his home state at Mount St. Mary’s. He played in the Professional Development League, before a couple of concussions ended his career. He just began working at nearby Washington Episcopal School in a classroom support role.

That switch to St. Andrew’s for high school laid the groundwork for his athletic career and beyond.

“From a standpoint of teamwork, of leadership, of accountability to yourself and to a group collectively, working together toward a goal were certainly things that I carried with me into college and that are extremely important in any workplace or life,” Hendrie said.

Now, he'll return with fond memories of the team bonding trips to start each school year nearly 20 years ago. He’ll return to a campus transformed physically, and an athletic department on the rise.

“I'm a 6-foot point guard. And the center would be no more than 6-foot-4 for and to be back (on campus) and see 6-foot-9 guys walking around all over the place and see how that program has evolved,” Hendrie said. “But then also just the athletic program overall since Kevin Jones came in, is pretty cool.”

The honor for his athletic prowess has given him time to reflect on how St. Andrew’s set the foundation for his career both athletically, and in a career of coaching and teaching.

“It'd be nice to be back there,” Hendrie said. “It'll be fun to be back there. And I appreciate the sort of recognition in that capacity, because it was something I was very focused on and driven toward in high school.”