Some students and athletes get a little homesick during their first year of college, but that hasn’t been the case for Marist graduate Nathen Toth at MIT.
The freshman outside hitter did, however, have to make a few adjustments on and off the court at a school with such high academic standards.
“I loved Marist to death, but I was ready for this next chapter,” Toth said of playing in college. “I wouldn’t call it homesickness, but it was nice to be home during the break.
“If anything, I’m too busy to be homesick. I don’t have time for that.”
But he has had time to make a great first impression for the Engineers.
The 6-foot-3 Toth opened this week leading MIT (15-3, 3-1 in the United Volleyball Conference) in a trifecta of categories with 144 kills, 93 digs and 31 aces.
The season opened Jan. 16 for the Engineers. Four days later, Toth was named the United Volleyball Conference’s rookie of the week.
MIT has eight freshmen this season and five are getting regular playing time. Toth walked into the gym knowing he had been through the toughest layers of competition in both high school and club.
“I came in with a lot of confidence after playing for Marist and Adversity,” he said. “I’m used to high-level volleyball. But I knew it would be tough to come in here and compete.”
MIT coach Todd Elwell realized he would have his hands full with so many talented freshmen, especially at a school with rigid academics. He appreciates Toth being able to listen and learn.
“You get guys at MIT who are on this wicked smart spectrum of intelligence,” Elwell said. “Sometimes, they are quick to want to run with what they have in their head and they are a little slower to absorb what others have to share.
“I really like how Nate listens well. He’s very coachable, and when players get that good, at times they can feel like they are above it. But he’s so humble and so willing to do the little things that helped get him here.”
MIT, which was ranked No. 16 in the nation in NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, then knocked off No. 5 New York University 22-25, 17-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-11 on Saturday in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Toth, who was happy the young Engineers could come back from the two-game deficit, contributed 14 kills and nine digs in the upset.
“This was a big rivalry win and the game means more than just the rankings,” he said. “Energy-wise, it was a complete flip after the second game. It was a great comeback.
“For me, serve receive was something that wasn’t going right in the first two sets and I dialed it in after that.”
MIT has recruited the Southland before, too. Jake Gasparich, a star player and also valedictorian at Lincoln-Way West, played at MIT and is now in his fourth season as Elwell’s assistant.
“It’s nice having people smarter than me in the gym,” Elwell said of Gasparich.
As for Toth adjusting to the academic lifestyle at MIT, the school eases in freshmen during the first semester. Toth’s classes were the pass/fail varsity, which allows the newcomers to get acclimated.
But in January, with the start of the second semester, things were getting real.
“It was a lot of time to adjust to not focus as much on school but to make friends and building connections,” Toth said of the first semester. “That was really nice.
“But this semester has definitely been one with a busier workload and you are getting actual grades. But, honestly, it’s not terrible.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.