READY FOR TAKEOFF

The culmination of years of practice, training, sacrifice, and commitment, the seniors of the Class of 2023 have begun to announce their intentions to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. In all, in the fall 2022 signing period, 31 Flyers pledged to play collegiate athletics, 18 of whom will be attending and playing at a Division I school. Commitments will continue through the school year.

In total, lacrosse has seen 17 athletes commit to play at the next level, but that was far from the only sport represented. Athletes participating in baseball (six), swimming (three), golf (two), football, wrestling, and basketball (one each) also had their signings. So far, colleges from all over the northeast will have Flyers competing in their programs, from Hofstra and Providence, to Army and Navy, and Towson and Richmond.

The dream of playing college sports was fostered into these athletes from a young age. For Luca Pallagrosi, lacrosse commit to Muhlenberg College, college signing was simply the next stage in a dream that began long ago. “Growing up in Manhasset, lacrosse was something that all kids tried. When I first touched a [lacrosse] stick in kindergarten, I instantly fell in love. At that moment, I knew it was something that I wanted to pursue in college. Playing at Chaminade only fueled my passion even more,” Pallagrosi said. For others, setting the goal of playing collegiate athletics was a recent one. “I had never really thought about college in general until my Freshman Year, but I always knew that I wanted to play baseball for as long as I possibly could,” remarked future Catholic University Cardinals baseball player Antonio Tufano. “My club team started to push the thought of collegiate baseball my Freshman Year, and that’s when I definitely decided that it was time to start grinding and setting goals for my future,” he said.

As is the case with all seniors, these athletes must gauge, among other factors, where they want to continue their education and athletic careers. For baseball commit Michael Sweeney, he saw a

seniors commit to continue their careers as student-athletes in college

local program that had what he was looking for. “I chose Hofstra because I knew that I would have the best opportunity to succeed and play at a high level,” Sweeney said. “With the new coaching staff that was hired, I knew that they would put me in the best position to succeed. Hofstra wasn’t necessarily on my radar, but I quickly learned how important it is to have an experienced coaching staff to help you get to the next level,” remarked Sweeney.