Editor's note: Wednesday was National Signing Day, when high school student-athletes sign their letters-of-intent to attend colleges across the country.
Steinbrenner High
1:30 p.m. Friday: It was a historic afternoon at Steinbrenner.
Two members of its initial senior class - golfer Alex Milan and gymnast Alex Witt - became the first two Steinbrenner athletes to sign college scholarships.
Milan, the Tampa Tribune's Girls Golfer of the Year last season, will attend Florida State University. Witt signed with Penn State University.
"It's a first and we are still enjoying the first events at our school,'' Steinbrenner principal Brenda Grasso said. "Even if we had done this hundreds of times, though, this would still be special. These two student-athletes will be remembered here.''
Milan's parents, Chris and Heidi, and grandparents, Zygmunt and Carmen Slominski, attended the ceremony in the school's media center. Also on hand were her aunt from Michigan, Laura Milan, and her two younger sisters, Andi and Aly.
Milan said she fell in love with FSU during her official visit in September, giving an immediate oral commitment and cancelling her other visits.
"I wanted the other schools to know because I didn't think it was fair to them (if I had already decided),'' said Milan, who also considered Central Florida, Wake Forest and Mississippi State.
Witt, meanwhile, selected Penn State after considering 10 other schools, including some as near as the Southeast region and as far as UCLA. Witt's parents, Jeff and Barb, along with younger brother Ryan attended the ceremony.
Witt, who began her gymnastics competition at age 3, took eighth in all-around at last summer's junior nationals.
"Every little kid dreams about going to the Olympics and it was the same for me,'' Witt said. "But getting a college scholarship has been a dream, too. I'm so excited. I think Penn State is going to be the perfect place for me.''
Milan and Witt not only shared the stage on this historic afternoon, they also share the same first name - Alexandra.
Durant High
2:30 p.m. Friday: The Sunshine State Conference continued its collection of Hillsborough County softball talent Friday afternoon with the signing of Durant senior pitcher Lauren Wolfe to Florida Southern.
"It's close to my family and it has good academics," Wolfe said. "The area attracted me."
Wolfe, the lone senior on next spring's Durant varsity softball team, said she plans to major in psychology or sports medicine and minor in sports management. Wolfe said she also considered Florida Atlantic University and Saint Leo University.
"It was hard to sleep last night because it was so exciting," Wolfe said.
Wesley Chapel High
1:14 p.m. Friday: Marcus Crescentini remembers a day when he would get into a game for maybe two innings, barely got any at bats as a Little Leaguer and was typically the last one picked to play.
Then that growth spurt hit him.
"All of a sudden over the summer, I grew," said the 6-foot-4, 195 pound pitcher. "I developed a good arm. I was still goofy. I was like 6-foot with size 13 shoes. I owe a lot to a lot of my coaches."
Friday afternoon Crescentini signed his letter-of-intent to play baseball for Indian River State College. He was joined by four of his Wesley Chapel High schoolmates in doing so.
Miles Britton will play lacrosse for Lenoir-Rhyne University; Gabi Brown will play softball at Purdue; Geoff DeGroot will play baseball at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell; and Brandon Mumaw will play baseball at Saint Leo University.
When Britton took his official visit to Lenoir-Rhyne's Hickory, North Carolina Campus in October, he got an opportunity to practice with the team.
"It's a lot better pace than high school," Britton admitted. "I liked it a lot. I've been waiting to play with college guys for a while, so it was really a nice breath of fresh air to play with kids on another level."
By the end of Brown's junior softball season, she had gotten inquiries from plenty of colleges. South Florida, Syracuse, Rutgers, Penn State, Tulsa, Iowa, UNC-Greensboro and UNC-Charlotte showed interested in the shortstop/left fielder.
Ultimately, it came down to a feeling she had.
"The way the coaches approached me, they treated me very well," Brown said of selecting Purdue. "They showed consistent interest in me. They weren't just treating me like any old recruit.
"When I went to the campus, it was beautiful. I fell in love. The coaches, the team, the girls, they were just great."
For DeGroot, it was all about an opportunity - to learn and play. Not only was it about his chance to play baseball as a freshman, but also about getting a solid education.
"(Education) was always No. 1 for me," DeGroot said. "I could have went on to play at a junior college, but that wasn't something I was interested in because education is above baseball no matter what because that lasts forever. Going to a school like (UMASS-Lowell) is inly going to help me in the future."
- Eddie Daniels
Riverview High School
9 a.m. Friday: Longtime Riverview High softball coach Angela Slater spoke at length Friday morning about the qualities that make senior shortstop Kayleen Boatwright a star student-athlete. She talked about her determination, her ability to lead, and the skills she possesses that have led to her being named one of the top players in Hillsborough County the past two years.
But what was most important to Slater was emphasizing Boatwright's character.
"She's a great player, but she's also just a great kid," Slater said.
Boatwright signed with the University of Tampa on Friday, becoming the third softball player from the county to officially commit to the Spartans this week.
"I just really loved the campus," said Boatwright, who owns the team record for most home runs in a single-season with six. "Once I saw (the UT coach) on the fielding coaching, I knew that's where I wanted to be."
- Nick Williams
Port Richey
At the the Suncoast Gymnastics Academy, River Ridge High School senior Shannon LeBlanc signed a national letter of intent on Thursday to attend the University of Denver on a gymnastics scholarship. Among the witnesses were her family, her coach and more than 50 wide-eyed young gymnasts who saw the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice.
"I credit my parents and my coach, who believed in me through the years and made this possible," said LeBlanc. "Coach (Arnold) Gwinn is the best gymnastics coach, because he understands the girls, supporting us both athletically and academically."
Despite being a three-time national qualifier, twice at level 9 and this year at level 10, LeBlanc's future in the sport was uncertain. A year ago, she tore the ACL in a knee. Through dedicated rehab sessions and under the watchful eye of Gwinn, she made a complete recovery.
Both the head coach and the assistant coach from the University of Denver visited and put her through a workout. "Not only did they see my skill level, they were watching my cardio conditioning to see if I was out of breath and if I could compete at the next level," she said.
An honor student with a 4.33 GPA at River Ridge, LeBlanc plans to major in pre-med studies and ultimately become an anesthesiologist.
Gwinn has been training gymnasts for 22 years. This is the eighth time he has had a student receive a college scholarship. "Our facility has 500 gymnasts training under the supervision of well qualified, dedicated coaches," said Gwinn.
For LeBlanc, attending a top gymnastics college in one of the most beautiful places in the world is a dream come true. "Once I visited the campus, I just felt there was no longer a need to keep looking at other schools," she said.
- Cliff Gill
Sickles High School
1:15 p.m. Wednesday: Sickles basketball players Amber Henson and Rashawn Rembert got a future glimpse at their college jerseys via some sugar and flour.
Cakes in the shape of Henson's No. 33 Duke jersey and Rember's No. 4 East Tennessee State jersey were on display for the school's signing ceremony in the media center. Swimmer Katie Cook's Florida State-themed cake capped off the confectionary collection.
The Gryphons' trio put pen to paper making their college commitments official. For Henson and Rembert, their final basketball season is getting ready to tip off and Cook competes in her final state swimming meet on Friday, but before that, Sickles boys basketball coach Renaldo Garcia put the importance of Wednesday's ceremony into perspective.
"This is a special day," Garcia said. "This can be a life-changing day."
-- Katherine Smith
Berkeley Preparatory School
3:20 p.m.: Buccaneers golfer Blake Morris had the official Berkeley Prep signing room to himself as the lone athlete making his college commitment official on Wednesday, but he still got the full treatment. Like Berkeley signees before him, Morris received a keepsake pen from Headmaster Joseph Merluzzi to use on his official college papers.
And in case anyone forgot what school Morris had committed to over the summer, his entire family provided a subtle hint since they were decked out in Ole Miss colors, as was Morris.
"I've gotten a good collection of clothes with Ole Miss colors now," Morris said. "Wardrobe wise, I'm good to go."
-- Katherine Smith
2:10 p.m. - Caitlyn Rogers woke up three times Wednesday morning. Once at midnight, again at 3 a.m. and once more at 5 a.m.
It was for good reason as the Sunlake senior signed her national letter-of-intent to play softball at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.
Rogers joined two of her teammates - Tyler Riendeau and Amanda Solar - Wednesday afternoon in making their commitment to play college softball.
"At the time it was pretty stressful," Rogers said of selecting a school. "College coaches pretty much control your life. ... but when I was choosing, I was like, wow, this school is gorgeous and was everything I was looking for."
Riendeau will head to Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina, while Solar will stay close to home and play at the University of Tampa.
The three players collectively agreed, this coming softball season will have a decidedly relaxed tone.
"It makes it so that the weight's off your shoulders and you can essentially just go out and play your game," Riendeau said of signing before the season starts.
For Solar, UT represents many things, especially considering she has wanted to attend the school since she was 10 years old.
"First it was the coaching," Solar said. "I look at (coach Leslie Kanter) as a strong woman coach - a lot of good philosophies that she has about softball that I share with her, and the school for broadcast journalism because I want to do that as a career and they have one of the best programs."
She hopes to add her name to the ESPN roster of anchors when it's all said and done.
- Eddie Daniels
Bloomingdale High School
1:15 p.m.: All along, Bloomingdale senior softball standout McKenzie Carter believed Elon University was the best school for her. On Wednesday, she made it official.
"Elon was always my number one choice," she said. "I wanted to a small school that was also Division I. They have about 5,000 undergraduates so it's a nice balance."
Carter also received interest from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Pennsylvania and Penn State. Although an infielder at Bloomingdale, Carter, who owns a 4.8 weighted grade point average and plans to major in exercise sports science to become a pediatric physical therapist, said she will be used as a utility player in college.
-- Nick Williams
Newsome High School
12:15 p.m.: Some may call it coincidence while others may see it as fate. No matter the circumstances leading up to Wednesday, Newsome senior baseball standout Jake Jones officially signed with Furman University on Wednesday to continue a family line with the South Carolina-based school.
This past summer, Jones decided to sign-up for a baseball camp at Furman while his family was visiting in South Carolina for his sister's soccer tournament. It just so happened Jones' father was a standout soccer play at Furman years ago, and even helped the team win a few conference championships. Jones said the baseball coaches at Furman weren't away of the family connection, but gave him the opportunity to follow in his father's footsteps anyway.
"It just worked out," Jones said.
Jones will play in the outfield at Furman, a school he chose over the Citadel and a number of Division II and Division III schools.
"They are losing their center fielder this year so the hope is to start next year."
Jones signed along with senior softball standouts Bailey Schinella and Nicollette Levine, who made official their commitment to Florida State. Levine, who plays for the Puerto Rican Junior National Team, had previously committed to Florida, but de-committed in January.
"I can't wait to get up there," Schinella said. "The coach does a good job of keeping the team a family. You want to love them because that's who you'll be around."
-- Nick Williams
Plant City High School
11 a.m.: Raiders pitcher Mackenzie Audas is used to playing with a close-knit team. That was one of the big reasons she picked the University of Central Florida.
"I just really like how the team was a family," Audas said.
With a lot of teammates cheering them on, Audas and Raiders catcher Taylor Storey signed their letters of intent during a signing ceremony at the school Wednesday morning. Storey signed with the University of Tampa, partly because of the "beautiful campus," but also because of its proximity to family.
"They've never missed a game and knowing that they are close enough to come watch me play was a big deal," Storey said. "It was my No. 1 school I wanted to go to. It's such a beautiful campus and it just felt right."
-- Katherine Smith
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School
10:50 a.m. - Baseball coach Nick Rodriguez wasn't exactly sure how to conduct a letter-of-intent celebration. The Pasco County school never had a student-athlete sign a NCAA Division I scholarship until T.J. Wharton signed a baseball national letter-of-intent with North Carolina-Greensboro.
After attending a camp at UNC-Greensboro prior to his junior year, Wharton knew he wanted to be a Spartan.
"I performed very well in front of the coaches at the camp and they showed interest," said Wharton, who hit .434 as the catcher for the Hurricanes last season. "(The coaches) took me around the campus and I just fell in love."
-- Rick Harmon
Plant High School
9 a.m.: For four years, Tina Catanach and Alex Johnson watched their volleyball teammates celebrate at signing ceremonies. On Wednesday, it was their turn to be celebrated.
Catanach signed with Loyola University and Johnson signed with Georgetown during a ceremony in the school's gym. The Panthers are in the midst of trying to win their fifth-straight state championship.
"Both girls made varsity as freshman and had to sit and watch many days and had to come to signing ceremonies and it was a goal of theirs," Plant coach Leanna Taylor said. "I am so proud of them. They are doing something at this school that they can take and go contribute."
Baseball player Max Rowe signed his letter to the University of South Florida and then thanked his dad and older brother for "loving the game and keeping me in it."
Rowe had given up baseball when he came to Plant as a freshman, but soon rediscovered his love of the sport.
"He's one of the hardest working players on our team," Plant baseball coach Dennis Braun said.
-- Katherine Smith
Freedom High School
8:30 a.m.: Every day for the past four years, Freedom senior Sarah Wolford has had to travel 45 minutes after school to St. Petersburg for her gymnastics training.
For 12 years, its gymnastics has been her life. And on Wednesday morning, the first day seniors around the nation can officially sign letters-of-intent for the early NCAA signing period, Wolford reaped the rewards of years of hard work by signing a Division I scholarship to the University of Iowa.
A silver medalist in the bars event at the recent Junior Olympic southeast regionals, Wolford also had interest from Illinois State, Missouri, Ohio State and Illinois.
Joining Wolford at Freedom was girls basketball standout Kaitlynn Pacholke (Jacksonville State) and softball player Megan Paul (University of Tampa).
-- Nick Williams
Tampa Catholic High School
8 a.m.: Several Tampa Catholic students were a little late getting to their first class Wednesday morning. But they had a good reason.
Several Crusaders crowded into the gymnasium lobby area to celebrate the school's signing ceremony for athletes Meghan Keough and Kelly Sullivan.
Keough, a key member of Tampa Catholic's girls basketball state championship last season, signed her letter of intent to the University of Central Florida. She will join her older sister Kayli, who transferred from Florida State earlier this year.
Sullivan, an individual tennis state qualifier last season, signed her letter to Furman University. One of the top players in the Bay area, Sullivan had several options, including Brown, Davidson and the University of Kentucky, but ultimately decided on Furman.
"I really like the team," Sullivan said. "It was a really hard decision. It took a long time, so I'm glad it's over."
-- Katherine Smith
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