17 student athletes were celebrated for NCAA’s National Spring Signing Day in the quad during lunch on April 28. These students all signed a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States, a tradition that Campo treasures every year to honor its prestigious athletics.

Despite the sweltering heat, the quad was packed with students, friends, and family who showed out to support these athletes. Surrounded by loved ones, these students made their commitments official to the impressive schools of their choosing.

The event was hosted by Athletic Director Ray Meadows and Director of Student Affairs, senior Bella Montero. Meadows started the event off by congratulating the athletes with a short speech and then handed the announcements over to Montero. She then went on to introduce each athlete, noting their individual accomplishments and the college that they were committing to.

Each athlete then had time to give a speech of gratitude, thanking everyone that helped them earn this level of achievement. “Hearing everyone’s speeches and their [gratitude] was really cool because everyone had been working so hard for this moment. It was nice to be together because it felt like we were all a part of a community,” said senior Meagan Kennedy, who committed to UC Santa Barbara for track and field.

Signing day is an important opportunity for athletes to gain recognition for the accomplishments that they have made throughout their high school athletic careers. Coaches, students, and teammates all showed out to support their friends and fellow athletes. Senior Thomas Colpo, who committed to the University of Pacific for water polo, said, “Seeing all the people who I have known my whole life going to all these different places and just seeing everyone becoming so successful made me very happy.”

This day is also a way to excite these departing senior athletes about their future in their sport, allowing them to finally make their commitment official. “It was a really nice way to end the year and season, and to just recognize everything that we have been working so hard for. Overall it was just super fun and fulfilling,” said Kennedy.

This signing day has been a tradition in place at Campo for years, highlighting the rigor of its athletic program with athletes signing to top division schools. “Campo is known for having a strong athletic organization, so being a part of it, and seeing everyone else be a part of it, was really cool,” said Colpo.

The senior athletes that were honored in this ceremony included: Reid Thorson (Fordham University), Thomas Colpo (University of Pacific), Logan Robeson (University of Hawaii), Josh Myers (Xavier University), Mari Testa (UC Berkeley), Meagan Kennedy (UC Santa Barbara), Blake Webster (Chico State), Connor McGhee (Saint Mary’s College), Caroline McCool (Brown University), Robbie Mascheroni (UC Davis), Dashiell Weaver (San Jose State), Charlie Murrin (Lewis and Clark), Olivia Wiseman (Rhodes College), Justin Rodriguez (Carleton College), Audrey Le-Nguyen (Drexel University), Nate Levy (Pomona College), and Prestmann Agraz (Syracuse University).