Saratoga students make college commitments
Blue Streaks athletes combined with SRA crew for NLI signing
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » A group of 20 Saratoga Springs High School students gathered in front of the main gym Wednesday afternoon to sign national letters of intent to continue their athletic careers at the college level.
For the first time, the group of 11 members of Blue Streaks varsity sports combined with nine Saratoga Rowing Association athletes who are Saratoga Springs students.
“I know this group has been very excited for this day to get here,” Saratoga Springs athletic director Pete Sheehan said. “This group has put in a lot of time and effort to be seated here today. The amount of time, energy and effort — the amount of miles that were run — is incredible. Not just the athletes, but the parents as well.”
The Saratoga varsity athletes at the signing were Lewi Clarke (baseball, Manhattan College), Keellyn Cummings (track and field, Monmouth
University), Brian Hart (baseball, Marist), Brad Hipsley (baseball, Stony Brook), Haley Kondo (gymnastics, Cornell), Isabella Mastrion (tennis, Hartwick), Grace Purdy (lacrosse, New Hampshire), Katherine Silver (lacrosse, Brown), Emily Turner (track and field, Bucknell), Katherine Wendell (lacrosse, Bucknell) and Zach Zwijacz (swimming, Penn State).
The nine Saratoga Rowing athletes were introduced by SRA head coach Eric Catalano.
“This is our largest graduating class of recruited athletes,” Catalano said. “(We’re) recognizing the amount of time, energy and effort the parents put into getting to practices ... many hours they’ve brought them to the boathouse, including before school.”
The SRA crew at the signing was Ava Carollo (Nova Southeastern University), Madeline Dodd (Louisville), Kathryn Grabowski (Boston University), Stella Haley (Duke), Zoe Hasbrouck (Brown), Sydney Klotz (Syracuse), Bradley Martin (University of Virginia), Lorelei Meidenbauer (Cornell) and Madalyn Rascoe (Old Dominion).
Here are more about the student athletes’ college decisions:
Lewi Clarke (baseball, Manhattan College): “I love the city, my parents grew up there. It feels like a second home to me because I always used to go there for vacation. It’s a proud moment. It’s kind of a goal to get here and saying you got here is just the best feeling.”
Keellyn Cummings (track and field, Monmouth University): “I really liked the program and I though the team and the coaches were a good fit for me. It was always a goal to go to college for running so it was pretty awesome that I get Saratoga Springs students and Saratoga Rowing Association athletes signed national letters of intent to continue their crew careers in college Nov. 8, 2017 at Saratoga Springs High School. to do that.”
Brian Hart (baseball, Marist): “It was really just Marist. The first day they contacted me was the first day they could — Sept. 1 of last year. On my visit I had a great time and I felt it was a good fit academically. Getting a chance to play baseball is just a plus.”
Brad Hipsley (baseball, Stony Brook): “They have a great fit academically and athletically speaking. I’ll probably play infield. It gives you a nice sense of confidence going into the season and makes you less nervous before games.”
Haley Kondo (gymnastics, Cornell): “I always wanted to but even in the past few years I was never certain that I could. It ended up working out. I really like vault. I also like beam but vault is probably my favorite.” Isabella Mastrion (tennis, Hartwick): “I visited in 10th grade, it was the first college I visited. I visited a bunch of other schools that didn’t give off the vibe that Hartwick did. I just felt at home. I really wanted to play tennis in college because I worked so hard for it and I got offered a spot so it was the best of both worlds.” Grace Purdy (lacrosse, New Hampshire): Katherine Silver (lacrosse, Brown): “I wanted a balance between my education and athletics and I liked how Brown prioritized athletics as well as appreciating the sport. Keeping it competitive.” Emily Turner (track and field, Bucknell): “It was the perfect fit having the athletic and academic rigor that I wanted. They just run the triple crown — so they won indoor and outdoor track and cross country in the Patriot League.” Katherine Wendell (lacrosse, Bucknell): “I’m really excited all my hard work and dedication to the sport has paid off. Bucknell has really strong academics and being part of the Patriot League it offers a really competitive team and great competitors in the league. I’m really excited to get on campus.” Zach Zwijacz (swimming, Penn State): “The main reason I went there was the combination of academics and athletics. It offered me many things academically and I felt like I could achieve thing athletically also with the team moving forward.” Madeline Dodd (rowing, Louisville): “I’m super excited. It’s an amazing school and they have a great team. It was a lot of hard and enduring practices but it was 100 percent worth it. Giving 110 percent ever single stroke. I love my team and that just made it all the better.” Kathryn Grabowski (rowing, Boston University): “I wanted to row lightweight in college so there are only about 12 schools. BU really pulled me in because I wanted to go pre-med and they have a really strong math and science program there. And their lightweight rowing program is No. 2 in the country. They’re very fast and that is something I was looking for.” Stella Haley (rowing, Duke): “It was a combination of athletics and the standard of the school. I was looking at Ivy Leagues but I knew for myself I needed the support of being an athlete. It took a lot of extra practices and a lot of studying in school. I pride myself on my hard work. This is a reward for setting my goals big.” Zoe Hasbrouck (rowing, Brown): “It’s the right fit for me — school, crew, everything. It’s an environment I want to be in for the next four years. I’m really excited to grow as an athlete and a student.” Sydney Klotz (rowing, Syracuse): “Both of my parents went (to Syracuse). When I went there it felt like home. I like the atmosphere they have for academics and sports. I knew I wanted to go to a big sports school. It’s really nice to have it off my shoulders.” Bradley Martin (rowing, University of Virginia): “After visiting the different schools I thought it was the best team culture for the rowing team and I’d fit in well there. I’m thrilled to start a Saratoga reputation there and join the team with a good outlook.” Madalyn Rascoe (rowing, Old Dominion): “I was looking for a nursing program and there were only a few schools offering nursing and rowing at the same time. I just started rowing about a year and a half ago so I put in a lot of hard work so I could go through this college process.”