The first came last spring when South African Archbishop Desmund Tutu visited campus as part of the Sacerdote Great Names Series. Prior to the lecture, Ernest, a native of Botswana, had the opportunity to meet Archbishop Tutu. What touched and surprised Ernest most was when the Archbishop addressed him in the Setswana language.
"Here was this man of great prominence having a personal chat with me in my native language about home, food and life in general," Ernest said. "South Africa is right next door to my home, and I had to come to Hamilton to have this opportunity. I was inspired. It was the most important moment of my life."
Then, just a few months later, Ernest found himself with two minutes left in the second overtime of the men's soccer game against Hobart College. A win would mean Hamilton's first trip to the NCAA Division III soccer tournament.
"It was great to see all of the Hamilton fans all dressed up and cheering," said Ernest, a forward on the team. "And when the ball went into the goal for the win, it was a dream come true."
When he visited Hamilton as a prospective student, Ernest was immediately impressed with the new soccer coach. His hunch was right. In just three seasons, the Continentals made their first trip to the playoffs, advancing to the round of eight.
"From the beginning of the season, Coach Nizzi said there's only a small difference between us and who will be at the top. We believed that if we gave it our best, something good could happen, and it did."
