Sports
Signing Day at St. Anthony's
St. Anthony's kicks off week-long NCAA early signing period by recognizing 27 seniors.
It was a gathering as impressive in its sheer size as what it represented. marked the start of the week-long NCAA early signing period Wednesday morning with a ceremony featuring 27 college-bound seniors in South Huntington.
Parents, coaches and teammates gathered in the school library as each took turns celebrating the latest chapter in their life. For most teenagers, choosing a college is the biggest decision they’ve ever made.
And while not everyone on hand was actually signing a scholarship – Ivy League schools don’t offer Letters of Intent – they were all announcing a new and exciting direction in their young careers.
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“What a great day today is,” Athletic Director said. “It’s a day of celebration. It’s a day of recognizing achievement.”
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Call them high achievers. The event was dominated by two nationally-ranked Catholic league championship boys and girls lacrosse programs. Both sports won on a national level last spring, and part of that success was attributed to this rising senior class.
Thirteen senior players – a starting lineup has 12 – will go on to play at the college level, led by midfielder Anne Heagerty (Georgetown) and attack Darcy Messina (Florida).
“Not a lot of girls can say they are on a team with 12 other girls going to Division I schools,” said Messina, a four-year starter who committed to the Gators more than a year ago. “It’s a great experience.”
The program had nine players commit, including: Goalie Kieran Burke (North Carolina), attack Sean McDonagh (Harvard) and longstick midfielder Tim Stackpole (Army Prep).
“I looked at lacrosse as an opportunity to get into one of the best schools in the country,” McDonagh said of his Ivy League path. “It’s about [life] after lacrosse. It doesn’t get better than the Ivys.”
All-Long Island basketball star Symone Kelly committed to Siena over the summer, but made it official by signing Wednesday. Kelly, a power forward, was coveted by D-I coaches who liked her inside game and ability to shoot the three.
“Symone really puts a lot of effort into it,” said. “I’m glad to see it’s all turned out for her now that’s she’s signed this letter of intent.”
The hard work and achievement was impossible to miss. It was written on the college paperwork in the form of signatures and etched on the beaming faces of parents.
St. Anthony's 2012 College Commitments
Athlete Sport CollegeKieran Burke
Brendan Conroy
boys lacrosse Army PrepGeorge Deignan
boys lacrosse BinghamtonSamantha Durante
girls lacrosse SalisburyBrittnee Frizol
girls lacrosse Catholic UniversityJill Fumai
Anne Heagerty
girls lacrosse GeorgetownVictoria Holland
girls lacrosse BrownBrendan Hurley
boys lacrosse BinghamtonSymone Kelly
girls basketball SienaChandler Lulley
Shannon Lulley
girls swimming FordhamAnne Lynch
girls lacrosse New HampshireJonathan Lynott
boys lacrosse Stony BrookSean McDonagh
boys lacrosse HarvardDarcy Messina
Maggie Murphy
girls lacrosse SkidmoreAlexis Nicolia
girls lacrosse HarvardDevon O’Connor
girls lacrosse AmherstStephanie Paloscio
girls lacrosse PrincetonRichard Pattrizio
Chrissy Schreiber
girls lacrosse RutgersTim Stackpole
boys lacrosse Army PrepKeith Vita
boys lacrosse ScrantonSal Vitale
boys lacrosse MarquetteChristian Yeager
Gabrielle Zutter
girls lacrosse Mercy CollegeGet more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.