On May 4, Signing Day allowed college committed athletes to officially sign to their selected colleges in front of coaches, friends and family. 16 seniors formally completed their path to playing college sports on Signing Day.
Virginia Military Institute swimming commit Jeffrey Vahiny said his mental approach towards his races enabled him to consistently best his competition.
“It really comes down to the mindset and approach towards my swims,” Vahiny said. “I would visualize my races and think about beating the people in my heat rather than thinking about my times.”
Vahiny said there were times throughout his high school experience where he doubted whether he was a Division 1 caliber athlete, but he used the support from his coaches and teammates to grow in self-assurance.
“There have been times where I doubted my ability to perform at the level I do today,” Vahiny said. “But with the support of my peers and my hard work I am definitely more confident in my ability to perform as a Division 1 athlete.”
Hollins basketball commit Charlotte Donnellan said she experienced nerves throughout her recruitment over whether she would be able to find a school that would be the right fit for her, so Signing Day came as a highly anticipated relief and a greatly awaited source of pride.
“I feel very accomplished and proud that I worked hard enough to play in college and experience Signing Day,” Donnellan said. “Throughout my recruiting process I definitely was really nervous about if I was going to play in college. There are so many factors that go into recruiting that can be overwhelming… Throughout the process I really learned to utilize patience and assured myself a lot that I can and will play in college.”
Donnellan was a starter on the girls basketball team that won their first regional championship in 42 years. Donnellan said that she was proud to lead her team from five wins her sophomore year to 26 wins, a district championship, and a regional championship this year.
“My proudest moment was being able to see the team really improve and turnaround from having a losing record to being conference and regional champions,” Donnellan said.
Donnellan, Vahiny, and 14 other athletes dedicated the next four years to their future schools on Signing Day after dedicating years to their sports.