The school hosted its signing day ceremony on April 22 for the 17 student-athletes of the class of 2026 to officially recognize their commitment to play college athletics. On signing day, Division I and Division II student-athletes officially sign the National Letter of Intent (NLI), which binds the student-athlete to their college and Division III athletes sign a non-binding form. This momentous occasion not only signifies a student-athlete’s commitment, but also a milestone in their athletic careers.
This year, the 17 athletes hailed from across the school’s athletic programs, including swim and dive, cross country and track, volleyball, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, gymnastics and cheerleading. The five swim and dive commits are Anna Nishianidze to Cornell University, Jack White to Denison University, Pietro De Angelis to Catholic University, Michael Kueh to Carnegie Mellon University and Simon Belopolskiy to St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The three cross country and track commits are Nathan Downie to the University of Tampa, Luke Gabrielle to Eckerd College and Kal Yewlsew to St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
The three soccer commits are Megan Lomotan to Dickinson College, Annalise Yi to Bridgewater College and Chase Dolan to Washington and Jefferson College. Chase Mitchell is committed to Stevenson University for basketball, Taryn Su is committed to Stony Brook for volleyball, Nicole Subiela is committed to Georgetown for field hockey, Maya Bellamy is committed to Haverford College for lacrosse, Zaara Burnett is committed to West Virginia University for gymnastics and Lucy Garner is committed to the University of Maryland for cheerleading.
Committing to a college for athletics is a long and often unseen process. Varying for the different divisions of Division I, Division II and Division III and even by the specific sport, players are bound by NCAA recruiting rules. For Division I, most sports allow coaches to contact players after June 15 of their sophomore year or Sept. 1 of their junior year. However, for Division III there are far fewer restrictions, allowing communication at any time, however in-person recruiting is stalled until June 15 of the recruit’s junior year.
This aspect of recruiting introduces another challenge for students interested in pursuing collegiate athletics. While the processes vary for each sport, students often have to send emails to multiple coaches, attend recruiting events and camps, post highlight reels and maintain a high standard of academics. However, this hard work pays off for these student-athletes who find a school that they want to continue their academic and athletic careers with. These student-athletes are then able to make verbal commitments with their intended schools. This is a non-binding commitment between the student-athlete and the college coach.
While this does signify the intent for the student to continue onto this college, there is still the possibility for an offer to be rescinded by the coach or for the student to switch schools. On signing day, “athletes must sign a legal contract that states your agreement to play at that university, so signing day is important because it signifies your official commitment,” Subiela said.
This day is more than just a signature for these athletes. It’s a culmination, a celebration of their athletic accomplishments and a starting point for their futures in athletics. Family, friends, mentors and coaches attended the ceremony as a way to support their athletes and recognize this landmark. “This day marked a leap in my athletics career to the next level,” Gabrielle said.
While the ceremony started with Athletic Director Alton Lightsey highlighting the slim odds that these athletes surmounted, as each recruit was announced to the podium to sign their NIL, each of their coaches prepared a speech. “I really enjoyed listening to what my coach had to say about me. You don’t always know the impact you have on others so hearing how much my coach valued me was very meaningful and encouraging,” Subiela said.
The opportunity to continue an athletic career at the collegiate level is only for the select few. According to the NCAA, out of the eight million students who participate in high school athletics, a mere 560,000 will continue competing at the collegiate level for NCAA institutions. The 17 student-athletes recognized this year represent the possibility of achieving this coveted status. Signing day is a day that marks the beginning of a new chapter in these athlete’s lives, “but [it is] also a reflection of everything I’m carrying with me from my past four years in high school athletics,” Garner said.
