HERRIMAN, Utah (Wednesday, May 27, 2026) - Today marks a new chapter in the lives of nineteen homegrown student-athletes, as Real Salt Lake, Utah Royals FC and Salt Lake Academy communities assembled to honor the graduating class of 2026. Will Mackay and Rowan Martin headlined this year’s class earning Valedictorian and Salutatorian honors; Owen Anderson, Felix Contreras, Chase Duke, Bennett Ewing, Camron Estala, Rylan Hashimoto, Aiden Hezarkhani, Zack Jarvie, Javier Martinez, Omar Marquez, Jack Ottley, Van Parker, Antonio Riquelme, Cris Rios, Gio Villa, Garrett Windle, and Utah Royals’ KK Ream all concluded their adolescent education, receiving their diplomas earlier this morning.
“I think we don’t talk about it enough - we need to pause and appreciate what these boys have done and how hard of a thing that is to leave their homes, their families, their safe spaces at the age of thirteen and move - sometimes across the country or from a foreign land - to experience our campus,” said Real Salt Lake Assistant General Manager Tony Beltran, following the ceremony of the 2026 graduating class.
“We always preach for our boys to strive for excellence in three areas - academics, citizenship and soccer - with soccer always coming after academics and citizenship … It’s like Pablo [Mastroeni] says - they’re people, they’re human beings first … We want to develop people who can go beyond soccer, go out into the world and are capable of solving real-world problems and impacting their circles in a positive way. This group really embodies everything beyond the field, as people and human beings. We’re endlessly proud of them and it’s a privilege to be even a small part of their journey.”
The ceremony was composed of words from keynote speaker Beltran and student speakers alongside Valedictorian Mackay, who took the stage to address his peers. Mackay represented Real Monarchs and RSL Academy U18’s throughout the 2025 campaign, prior to signing his first professional contract with Huntsville City FC this March.
“What made these 4 years great were not the wins, not the contracts, but the people alongside me. The people here now, are the most valuable thing you are walking away with today, not the diploma, not the next step, the people.” stated Mackay
Seven of this year's 18 academy graduates will attend various universities this fall (Contreras- Loyola Marymount Univ., Duke - Univ. of Virginia, Estala - Univ. of Michigan, Ewing - Stanford Univ., Jarvie - Utah Tech Univ., Ottley - Duke Univ., Uriostegui - Loyola Marymount Univ.), whilst RSL and URFC contracted players, Anderson, Marquez, Parker, Riquelme, Villa, Ream and young first-team standout Hezarkhani remain on the Wasatch Front continuing their youthful careers. Ream is currently sidelined with an ACL injury suffered earlier this season, but etched her name in record books in 2025 as the youngest goalscorer in NWSL history. Rios and Hashimoto will take a gap year to continue training with RSL Academy whilst Garrett Windle will enroll at the University of Utah.
Despite being NCAA ineligible by signing a professional contract, Riquelme, Marquez, and Villa will continue their educational pathway attending the newly implemented MLS Partnership University announced in October of 2025 partnering with Syracuse University.
Today’s celebration will be short lived as RSL Academy U18s face off against Columbus Crew in today’s MLS NEXT Cup Quarterfinal round. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 pm MT at Salt Lake City’s Regional Athletic Complex on Field 1.
Salt Lake Academy is a tuition-free, public charter high school serving grades 9-12 located alongside the Zions Bank Real Academy in Herriman, Utah. SLA believes in the combined power of academics and athletics to maximize the potential of each individual. Their mission is to develop students who are lifelong learners, responsible global citizens, and champions of their own success. To learn more about Salt Lake Academy click here, and to learn more about Real Monarchs and the RSL Academy, click here.
