By Sammy Miller
Copy Editor
Family, friends, coaches, and fellow teammates crowded around the Mustang Mall to witness 15 of Costa’s athletes sign their letters of intent.
On Wednesday, Costa held fall National Signing Day, where committed college athletes sign their letters of intent to further pursue their athletic careers and make their commitment official.
“It was a very special and heartwarming experience seeing all my friends and family that have been constantly supporting me for so long,” senior softball player Ella Lee said.
Senior twins Ella and Luke Snyder will both be taking their talents to Division 1 volleyball programs. Ella will join one of the most competitive leagues in the nation, the PAC-12, playing at Arizona State University, while Luke will join the Penn State volleyball team .
“With Luke attending Penn State, it will be good for both of us because we have relied on each other and have grown up together [and] having the opportunity to grow as a person separately will be very good,” Ella Snyder said. “Not having him by my side will be sad, but overall I know that we will text and visit each other.”
Senior baseball players Kyle Karros and Peter Halpin will both head to Division 1 programs in the fall. Karros will join his brother and former Mustang, Jared Karros, at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Halpin will play for the University of Texas at Austin. Halpin will be joining the Longhorns in the Big 12 Conference who went 27-27 last season.
“I wanted to go to college in Los Angeles because this is ultimately where I want to live, and [going to] UCLA just made the most sense for me,” Karros said. “I’m most excited for the bonds and relationships I’m going to make.”
Seniors Camryn Jones and Brenna Bommer played all four years on Costa’s volleyball team and have committed to play collegiate indoor volleyball. Jones will be travelling up the coast to University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and Bommer will travel east to Kentucky to play at Morehead State University. Bommer will also be playing beach volleyball for the Beakers.
“I have loved playing volleyball because I love how competitive the sport is, and I love playing with my closest friends,” Jones said. “I chose UCSB because it’s close to home, next to the beach, and a perfect fit for me.”
Another senior athlete heading to a Division 1 program is Cole Garvey, who will play at Bryant University in the fall. He will be playing lacrosse in the Northeastern Conference (NEC) in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Harvard University and the University of Hawaii, Manoa will be receiving two of Costa’s top softball players, seniors Ella Lee and Piper Neri. Lee will be joining the prestigious Ivy League in the fall, and Neri will head across the Pacific to play softball in Hawaii.
“I started playing when I was eight, and I knew I wanted to play in college when I started high school,” Lee said. “I chose Harvard because it was the perfect school for me to excel in sports, and I could focus on academics as well.”
Four of Costa’s girls soccer team players are pursuing their dream of playing college athletics next fall. Senior Ashley Naylor will play at the University of Notre Dame, and senior Emilee Ray will be joining the University of Michigan’s soccer team. The fighting Irish is a part of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) while the Wolverines play in the Big 10 Conference. Senior Grace Watkins will take her talents to Duke University, and senior Rachel Rosen will play for the University of Colorado Boulder. The Blue Devils also compete in the ACC, while the Buffalo compete in the PAC-12 conference.
“I chose Duke bec ause I wanted a good combination of athletics and academics, and Duke seemed perfect for me,” Watkins said. “I’m going to miss playing with my best friends on Costa’s team and the South Bay as well.”
The undefeated girls beach volleyball team will say goodbye to seniors Kate Reilly and Olivia Bakos after their fourth and final season with the program. Reilly committed to Stanford University, and Bakos committed to the University of Southern California (USC). Bakos will join USC beach volleyball after the program’s 2019 Pac-12 Championship last season. According to Reilly, it came down to USC and Stanford during the recruiting process, and the deciding factor was considering where she would want to be if she was not playing volleyball, so she chose to go to Stanford.
“I think the hardest challenge will be balancing my schedule while trying to navigate the school and explore different majors,” Reilly said. “Thankfully, as a student-athlete you have many resources at your disposal.”
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