Four New Canaan High School Seniors Sign on National Letter of Intent Day [SLIDESHOW]
Zach Allen signs on to play football at Boston College on Feb. 4, 2015, National Letter of Intent signing day. Here he is with parents Irene and Mike, sister Alexandra and coach Lou Marinelli. Asked about how he feels about formally signing, Allen said: “It’s really exciting. It’s like a new beginning and it’s the next chapter of my life. I’m really excited for the opportunity to play at such a distinguished school like Boston College. I’ve been here my entire life and I wanted to stay close to home so that my family and friends could see me play, because they’ve helped me get into this situation where I am today. I woudn’t be here without them, so I’m very thankful for everything they’ve done and really excited to play.” Credit: Michael Dinan
Alex LaPolice signs on to play football at Harvard on Feb. 4, 2015, National Letter of Intent signing day. Here he is with parents Lisa and Denis, and coach Lou Marinelli. LaPolice said: “Obviously, the combination of academics and athletics is really impressive to me. It [the formal signing] is really exciting. I think it kind of symbolizes the next chapter of my life. I’m excited to take on this new challenge and get it going. I think Zach is probably feeling the same thing. We’re just both really excited to do what we love and to do it at the next level.” Credit: Michael Dinan
Isabel Taben signs on to play lacrosse at Dartmouth on Feb. 4, 2015. Here she is with parents Eve and Charlie, and coach Kristin Woods. Asked about how she feels today, Taben said: “I’m extremely excited. I cannot wait to be part of the Dartmouth lacrosse team. This is my dream and I can’t believe it’s happening. I can’t wait. I love the philosophy of the team. They are about discipline, toughness and selflessness. I love Dartmouth lacrosse, the way they play and the way they act. When I went there on my visit, I felt very welcome, and I felt that I fit in with the team and the school in general. I can’t wait.” Credit: Michael Dinan
Alyssa Valente signs on to play soccer at Bentley University on Feb. 4, 2015. Here she is with parents Michaela and Mark. Asked about how she feels on this big day, Valente said: “I have been working for this my whole life and it’s nice to be recognized. I like the business school there [at Bentley]. The coach is really nice, the girls are great. It’s a really good place for academics and for soccer, so it just seemed like a really good fit.” Credit: Michael Dinan
Four New Canaan High School student-athletes signed letters of intent Wednesday to play sports in college, at an event held in the auxiliary gym and sponsored by the Athletic Department.
L-R: New Canaan High School seniors Alyssa Valente (Bentley University, soccer), Zach Allen (Boston College, football), Isabel Taben (Dartmouth, lacrosse) and Alex LaPolice (Harvard, football) sign their lettes of intent to play sports in college, on Feb. 4, 2015. Credit: Michael Dinan
The ceremony is for senior athletes signing National Letters of Intent or who have received a “likely letter” from an Ivy League school, Athletic Director Jay Egan said.
Click through the photo gallery above to view photos of these standout NCHS Rams and their families at the signing, and to read comments from them on next year.
Wednesday’s ceremony follows an early signing day in November that saw five NCHS seniors sign letters of intent to play sports in college.
Zach Allen signs on to play football at Boston College on Feb. 4, 2015. Here he is with some of the Rams’ coaches (L-R): Jason Miska, Chris Silvestri and Lou Marinelli. Credit: Michael Dinan
The seniors who signed Wednesday are:
Zach Allen—The NCHS football team’s all-time sacks leader, and a co-captain of the state champion Rams this past season, Allen made headlines Sunday when he announced that he’ll attend Boston College rather than Northwestern, as originally planned.
Alex LaPolice—The football co-captain (also a baseball star) propelled the Rams into the state championship with an incredible semifinal performance, and then snatched the winning TD pass in the CIAC Class L Large final vs. rival Darien. He’s going to Harvard.
The great relationship between Rams Football Coach Lou Marinelli and his players—here’s Harvard-bound Alex LaPolice—was evident at the Feb. 4, 2015 National Letter of Intent signing ceremony. Credit: Michael Dinan
Isabel Taben—Taben is set to play lacrosse at Dartmouth. In one of the most moving and most-read stories of all of 2014, Taben who also is a senior field hockey captain, led an unlikely and dramatic run to the FCIAC crown this year in the days and weeks following a traumatic incident at home. Her dad on Oct. 18 suffered a heart attack and Taben herself flagged down the emergency responders who saved his life—Taben’s motivation to keep the team alive in the county tournament so that he could see them play (he did).
Alyssa Valente—The NCHS senior signed Wednesday to play soccer at Bentley University. She’s eyeing the business school there and said Waltham, Mass.-based Bentley felt like a great fit from the start, between the coach, girls on the team and outstanding academics.
