The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Athletes announce college selections
Around area, ceremonies held for signing of letters
On Nov. 8, athletes throughout the Morning Journal area sat at tables at their respective high schools and charted their futures as they signed national letters of intent to play collegiate sports.
At Elyria High School, four Pioneers announced their college choices.
Wrestler Brendon Fenton (Eastern Michigan), softball centerfielder Macy Taylor (Truman), volleyball athlete Alison Guerini (Mount Union) and third baseman Devan Nail (Kent State) made it official.
Fenton, a two-time state champion, said choosing Eastern Michigan wasn’t easy. He plans to wrestle at 125 pounds.
“It was a really long and tough process,” he said. “We visited a lot of schools, a lot of big schools were talking, but some of it was the money and the other part was where I thought I would do best.
The campus I really liked and how the team got together and coaches got together with their kids, so that was a big factor.”
Fenton opted not to play football to keep him fresh in hopes of dominating from start to finish in the wrestling season. He could become the first Pioneer to win three state titles.
“I went down at Super 32 and took seventh,” Fenton added. “I just feel like now that I’ve committed, all the pressure is off me and I can just go and wrestle.”
Nail said he felt relieved after picking Division I Kent State, a decision he made last year. He will major in criminal justice.
“A lot of weight lifted off my shoulders,” he said. “I couldn’t do it without my coaches and parents, so I want to thank them. When I got to Kent State, it was just a different vibe. They seemed to put a lot of effort in wanting me. They checked in every week to make sure my grades were good and they really cared about me.”
Rangers’ D-I player
For the first time in North Ridgeville history, a Rangers’ girls basketball player will play Division I basketball.
Senior Izzy Geraci, who was honorable mention AllOhio last year and second team All-Northeast Lakes District, made it official on Nov. 8 when she signed her letter of intent to play for Cleveland State.
“It’s crazy,” Geraci said. “I didn’t know that before she (coach Amy Esser) told me when I committed. She told me that, and I was like, ‘Wow. That’s a big, big thing.’ I just think it’s a super cool achievement to be able to have done. Hopefully more girls from the basketball team and younger leagues decide that they want to do this and that they want to go to college and work for it. Hopefully this inspires other girls.”
Geraci, a first-team Morning Journal All-Star in 2016-17, was second in The Morning Journal area in scoring last season with 18.1 points per game. She also averaged seven rebounds, 2.3 assists and 4.5 steals per game.
And, now that the weight of a college choice is off of her shoulders, she is hoping to improve on an already stellar career.
“It’s kind of like, thank God I did it before my season began,” Geraci said. “Now that (her senior season) is all I have to look forward to and I’m super excited to get it started.
Baseball foursome
Amherst had four baseball players sign their letters of intent.
Ryan Glowacki and Evan Shawver signed to Division I schools with Fairleigh Dickinson and Cincinnati, respectively.
Anthony Berrios (Lake Erie) and Hunter Cassidy (Tiffin) also signed to play baseball at D-II schools.
Shawver, who had an 0.38 ERA last season to go with a school-record 92 strikeouts, said that the opportunity to sign with three of his teammates was a special moment that he will not soon forget.
“We’ve been friends growing up,” Shawver said. “Just always playing with them and knowing that they’ve developed as players and so did I, it’s just a good feeling at the end of the day that all of the hard work that we put in finally paid off.”
Glowacki, who hit .356 with 28 RBI and 21 runs last season, echoed Shawver’s sentiments, adding that it also gets him excited for what is to come during their senior season.
“It’s a special opportunity, especially to do it with those three,” Glowacki said. “It makes me very excited for this upcoming season. It’s going to be a very good season. Hopefully we can go farther than we did last year and make something happen.
Avon signs six
Six Avon athletes signed letters of intent.
Erin Gardner (Kent State) and Zoe Gadomski (Mercyhurst) signed to play volleyball, Amari Davidson (Dayton) for women’s basketball, Tina Clark (St. Francis) for softball, Will Laurendeau (Ohio Dominican) for baseball and Dylan Morris (Tiffin) men’s soccer.
Gardner, Davidson and Clark will compete at the Division I level while the rest will compete at D-II.
“In third grade, when I started, I would always go to big games and watch and be like, ‘I want to do that, I want to do that,’” Gardner said. “Now it’s all finally becoming real, which is really cool.”
Gardner and Gadomski, both defensive specialists, have helped lead the Avon volleyball team to back-toback Southwestern Conference championships and three straight district finals appearances while earning individual awards over the past four years.
The recruiting process varies from athlete to athlete but Gardner said for her it was an enjoyable time as she looked at it as being able to fulfill a lifelong goal.
“I didn’t find it to be super stressful,” Gardner said of the recruiting process. “I thought it was fun to carry out my dreams.”
The same can be said for Davidson, who credits a large support system in helping her along the way, including sisters Sierra (Cleveland State) and Shaylynn (Notre Dame College) who both play college basketball.
“My recruiting process was pretty easy,” Davidson said. “I had a lot of people helping me through it. It was nerve-wrecking, just with handling all of it, but I had a good support system. I had my parents, my sisters, my AAU coach, my high school coach, so it was easy to handle with all of them.”
Royals make it official
Three Lake Ridge athletes made their college choices official.
Girls basketball players Michaela Harrison and Sydney Mayberry signed their letters of intent to Mount St. Mary’s and Walsh, respectively, in a ceremony at Lake Ridge, while swimmer Jordyn Spencer signed to swim at Canisius College.
The basketball duo, who were both named first team Morning Journal All-Stars in 2016-17, are a crucial part of a Lake Ridge team that is looking to return to regional play in 2017.
“(I’m) definitely very motivated (this year),” Harrison said. “Sydney and I, in our sophomore year, we were so close to being able to go to state. This year, that’s our drive. We want to be able to leave something after our senior year. Something for people to follow. So that’s definitely our biggest drive. We’re trying to get to state and win state.”
Both players received AllOhio recognition in 2016, with Harrison being named to the first team and Mayberry making second team. Harrison was also named the Northeast Lakes District Division IV Player of the Year. They were both named to first team in the district.
“I’ve been looking forward to doing this for so long,” Harrison said. “To actually be able to do it and talk in front of my family and friends and be able to sign that paper, it’s all so surreal now. I can’t wait to get on this journey with my new college teammates and everybody. I’m excited.”
Last year, Harrison averaged 16.1 points per game (fifth in The Morning Journal area), 4.1 rebounds per game, 4.8 assists per game (tied for first in the area), 3.2 steals per game and 1.6 blocks per game.
Last year, Mayberry averaged 17.2 points per game (fourth in The Morning Journal area), 8.1 rebounds per game, 2.7 assists per game, 3.9 steals per game (fourth in the area) and two blocks per game.
Spencer, who attends Lake Ridge, is a member of the Strongsville swimming team, as Lake Ridge does not offer swimming as a varsity sport.
More to come
• Avon Lake: Emily Schillinger (volleyball) will sign her letter of intent to Fairfield on Nov. 15.
• Elyria Catholic: Ryan Strittmather (baseball) will sign his letter of intent to Ohio on Nov. 15.
• Keystone: Softball players Valeri Broschk (Cleveland State), Ashley Buttolph (Ursuline), Madi Nunez (Wright State), Brooke Piazza (Muskingum) and Summer Metcalf (Muskingum) will sign their letters of intent on Nov. 9.
• Midview: Gabby Shackelford (softball) will sign her letter of intent to Cleveland State on Nov. 9.
• Westlake: Audrey Lyle (softball) will sign her letter of intent to Belmont on Nov. 10.