Wolverines’ star had the ‘Gold’-en touch at Bronx Science

There are some things Jake Goldsmith is going to miss about his time at Bronx Science, and there are definitely things he will not.

On the one hand there was being a part of the Wolverines’ supremely successful volleyball team, one that dominated the Bronx over the past three seasons, as well as the friendships that came along with it.

On the other hand, there is the legendary heavy load of schoolwork that comes with being a student at the prestigious school.

“I’ll definitely miss the friends that I had, especially because I’m going to college kind of far away, so I won’t be seeing them as much,” said Goldsmith, who’s heading to the University of Wisconsin in the fall.

“But it’s also kind of a relief to be out of Science because there was always a lot of work to do, and managing it with playing sports was pretty tough. So as far as the schoolwork, I was ready to move on. It’s the people I’ll definitely miss.”

Goldsmith was a major player in a Wolverines’ three-year ride as a volleyball juggernaut that saw his team post a combined 28-2 regular-season mark over that span, including their first unbeaten regular-season this year. He led them to three straight Bronx A Division titles, and helped them advance to the Public School Athletic League’s quarterfinals this season — the best postseason run in school history.

“This past season was exciting because the previous two years we didn’t have much success in the playoffs,” Goldsmith said. “So this year, to go far in the playoffs and to play a big part in it was a really fun thing to be a part of.”

But playing volleyball didn’t come without some drawbacks.

“There were certain points during the season where we’d have a late game out in Queens, so I’d get home super late and then I’d wind up sleeping late, and it would mess me up for the whole week,” Goldsmith said. “But a lot of my teachers would be somewhat flexible with school work, so overall I was able to manage it pretty well.”

The next obstacle Goldsmith has to manage is moving to a Wisconsin campus with 32,000 other students. That makes for quite the daunting task for a guy from the Upper West Side.

Or does it?

“I was exploring a lot of schools, and being that I grew up in Manhattan, I wanted to go to a big school that had a big campus,” Goldsmith said. “It’s also not really in a city, but more like a college town. I also loved that they had big-time sports at Wisconsin, but that they also had club basketball and volleyball, which I plan to play.

“I just thought it was a big school with a lot of opportunities. Plus it’s also in the capital (Madison), and I want to study political science. So that was another benefit.”

Goldsmith said his interest in political science stems from nightly discussions with his mother, who studied international relations when she was in college.

“I’d always come home and talk to her about what was going on in the news as far as politics, and I really just started drawing a big interest in that,” Goldsmith said. “I took a summer class at Brown University, and it was about viewing different governments through different lenses. So I learned about a bunch of different governments and how they worked. Then this past year at Bronx Science I took comparative governments, so I just developed an interest in how governments function.”

Bronx Science hasn’t seen the last of Goldsmith, either, as he plans on returning to watch his friends on the basketball and volleyball teams play next year — when his schedule allows.

“I made a lot of friends on the volleyball team that are younger than me, and there is a culture at Bronx Science where people always come back,” Goldsmith said.

Before heading to Wisconsin, Goldsmith is planning a trip of a lifetime.

“I’m going to Greece in mid-August for a week and a half with my family before I go to school,” he said. “I’ve never been there before, so I’m really excited about that.”

Then it’s off to Madison, and one more adjustment Goldsmith may be forced to make.

“I already got my season tickets for the (Wisconsin football) season, but everyone has already told me that I’m going to become a Packers fan when I go there,” Goldsmith said. “I root for the Giants, but they haven’t been good in a while. So, hey, maybe I’ll become a big Packers fan.”