As the majority of Carlmont students went about their normal lunch routine, four senior athletes met in the Strogner Gym to finalize their commitment to colleges on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The four athletes included softball players Sara Cadona, who committed to University of California (UC) Davis, Mariko Kondo, who committed to Syracuse University, and Kirra Loucks, who committed to California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo. They were accompanied by baseball player Aaron Pleschner, who committed to San Jose State University.
“I love playing baseball, so it was a dream come true to see all my hard work and dedication pay off,” said Pleschner.
By signing their National Letter of Intent (NLI), the athletes have officially made the commit to pursue their athletic passion in college.
According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) website, the NLI is “a binding agreement between prospective student athletes and colleges, where the athlete agrees to attend the institution for one academic year.”
Along with the athletes’ coaches, friends and family members also came to show their support.
Cadona said, “It’s a blessing to have the people I love the most here to support me on such an important day because they always motivated me to push myself.”
The commitment process to play sports in colleges is competitive and requires the athlete’s up-most dedication.
“The best advice I can give to other athletes hoping to play in college is to have full dedication. Always keep your goal in sight and never give up because hard work plays off,” said Pleschner.
