Thursday, February 8 was College Signing day for student-athletes that have made the decision to continue their athletic career in college.  This was held at 3:00 p.m. in the Gene Evans Gymnasium.  

During this procedure, students signed their NLI forms.  The NLI is the National Letter of Intent and it is voluntary.  No student or family member is required to do this; it is completely the student’s choice.  

George Null, CHS’s athletic director said, “The NLI is a binding agreement between the prospective student-athlete and the NLI members of the institution.”  

Signing this piece of paper means that you are required to attend the college/university full time, for one academic year, or two semesters.  Also, this means that the college/university agrees to provide athletic financial aid for at least one academic year, or two semesters.  

Six of our CHS athletes signed last week.  They include Logan Huff (Lock Haven University, wrestling), Joe Mastrangelo (Middlebury College, football), Cade Rush (Shippensburg University, track and field/cross country), Dane Varner (Lebanon Valley College, soccer), Maddison Young (Shepherd University, lacrosse), and Emilie Zukowski (Tufts University, field hockey).  

If the student is signing to a college, it means that they love the qualities of the school and everything it has to offer.  

Young said, “I initially liked the school a lot; when I got there and met the girls on the lacrosse team, they were all so nice and I knew that I definitely wanted to go there.”

Young continued, “I would say that I really liked the campus and school but the lacrosse team was what really drew me to finalizing the decision.”

Academics are also a large part of this decision-making process for some.

Mastrangelo said, “Middlebury is a prestigious college with a focus on international studies and language and it maintains top quality athletics with a winning football program.”  

Each student has different viewpoints and different needs when picking the right school.  One school may be the perfect fit for a student and the complete opposite for another.  

They also have different connections to their sport which comes from when they began to play. Young said, “I first started in 8th grade on Carlisle YMCA’s middle school team.  I started because I quit gymnastics and I thought I’d give it a try.”

Once Young started, she realized that she loved it and it was her passion.  

Young said, “I just really love lacrosse and I couldn’t imagine not doing a sport in college because it keeps me busy and in shape.”

Others, want to follow their family’s footsteps.  

Mastrangelo said, “My dad and uncle both played football in the NESCAC at Amherst and Wesleyan, so I wanted to continue the tradition but at a different school.”

Being recruited by a college coach means that they have a sport or role for the student in their program.  

Young said, “I will most likely be a midfielder but I can play anywhere except goalie, so I could potentially be defense or attack as well.”

Mastrangelo will also be continuing the positions he played at CHS.

“I’ll be playing wide receiver and potentially tight end,” said Mastrangelo.

Every student-athlete is very proud of themselves for this great achievement and cannot wait for what the future has in store for them at these schools.  

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