is sending eight athletes to seven Division I schools to continue their respective careers in and lacrosse as well as and men’s . Wednesday marked the end of the week-long NCAA early signing period.
Parents and coaches joined Farmingdale Athletic Director Jeanne Berkoski in congratulating the at Farmingdale and wishing them luck for their collegiate careers.
“The coaches here are great. The parents are great and the athletes work really hard so it’s a great accomplishment,” said Berkoski.
Most high school seniors are still sending out applications, but this group of seniors is already looking to the future and anticipating everything college has to offer.
“I’m excited to get to that level and see what I can do,” said Kat Zabielski who currently plays first base and will be playing for Stony Brook next spring.
“I’m a little nervous but mostly excited,” said Colleen Reynolds, who will go on to play lacrosse at Fairfield. “It is a new step in my life, so it should be fun.”
Reynolds is one of five seniors from her team who will continue at the Division I level.
Reynolds’ coach Shari Campbell says she feels “privileged” to have the opportunity to coach collegiate caliber athletes at Farmingdale and acknowledges that they help propel the program even after they have graduated and moved on to college.
“Every year, we have about three or four kids who go on to play at such a high level and what happens is these kids set the precedent for kids who are younger. It’s great for the program,” said Campbell.
Wagner-bound Frank Deluca has had his eyes set on college lacrosse for nearly eight years. “It has always been a dream of mine ever since I was in the fifth grade. To be able to play against the best competition almost every games is a great feeling for me,” he said.
Deluca’s assistant coach Mike Perettine has no doubt in Deluca’s ability to adapt on the collegiate level. “I think all the ground rules we set here at Farmingdale will help Frank the moment he gets there," he said.
All the athletes individually signed their letters of intent before Wednesday, but for Berkoski and the rest of the Farmingdale community this was less about the act of signing and more about the accomplishments of the athletes.
Farmingdale High School's 2012 College Commitments
Athlete Sport College Frank Deluca boys lacrosse Wagner College Kaitlin Gaghan girls lacrosse Quinnipiac University Brendan Henry tennis Wake Forest University Kim Kolodny girls lacrosse Rutgers University Cassie Perettine girls lacrosse University of Connecticut Colleen Reynolds girls lacrosse Fairfield University Megan Sullivan girls lacrosse Stony Brook University Kat Zabielski softball Stony Brook UniversityEditor's Note: The chart above original said Cassie Perettine was attending the University of Colorado. She is attending the University of Connecticut. Patch regrets the error.
