Smithtown East’s NLI Signing Day
(In order from left to right) William Kennedy– Hofstra University Baseball, Douglas Goodwin– Binghamton University Baseball, Gabriella Whitehouse– Stony Brook University Women’s Lacrosse, Sophia DeNicola– University of Michigan Women’s Lacrosse, Gabrielle Schneider– Lehigh University Women’s Lacrosse, Catherine Farrell– Manhattan College Cross Country and Track and Field, Grace Young– Binghamton Track and Field, Isabella Romano– University at Albany Women’s Soccer, Alexander Blatt– Colorado Mesa University Men’s Lacrosse.
On Wednesday, February 6, Smithtown East hosted an NLI (National Letter of Intent) signing day for student athletes who have accepted an athletic scholarship from a NCAA Division I or Division II college that they will attend next fall.
The ceremony was held during fourth and fifth period in the Little Theater. During this time, nine students signed to eight schools— Binghamton University, Hofstra University, Stony Brook University, the University at Albany, Lehigh University, Colorado Mesa University, University of Michigan, and Manhattan College— for scholarships to participate in track, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, and baseball.
The event began with a short speech from Smithtown Central School District Athletic Director, Pat Smith. Smith spoke about the recruiting process and the honor and accomplishment that comes with receiving an athletic scholarship. He then proceeded to have each athlete announce his/her name, sport, and the college they will be attending in the fall, which was followed by photos of each athlete signing to accept his/her scholarship.
February 6 was the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and devotion to their athletics, academics, and overall character.
“Being able to share this moment with other people who shared the same level of sacrifice for their athletics was something really important for me,” said Stony Brook Women’s Lacrosse commit, Gabriella Whitehouse. “It was a validation that all of our hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
