NCHS Recognizes Student-Athletes Who Will Play Division 3 Sports in College

New Canaan High School on Monday recognized more than one dozen seniors who will play Division 3 sports in college starting next year. 

NCHS Athletic Director Jay Egan said the school’s annual ceremony is a way to mark and celebrate an achievement for the student-athletes as well as their families, asking those in attendance to recognize the parents who “make this all possible.”

“A lot of car rides and check-writing,”  he told those gathered in the Wagner Room at NCHS for the short ceremony, including the student-athletes, their families, close friends and coaches.

Egan also reviewed some statistics regarding Division 3, which came into being 50  years ago, saying it makes up 40% of the total NCAA membership. “Division 3 members provide a well-rounded collegiate experience that involves a balance of rigorous academics, competitive athletics and the opportunity to pursue the multitude of other co-curricular and extracurricular activities offered,” he said.

We asked the student-athletes why they chose their future schools, and put their responses next to photos where provided (students not present include Ben Maden):

Abigayle Bleil

• Middlebury College
• Swimming

“I wanted to go there, regardless of whether I was going to be able to swim or not. So I reached out to the coach about a year ago. He got back to me and I went up there for my unofficial visit and from there I knew I wanted to go and committed as soon as possible.”

 

Jenna Braccio

• Denison
• Track and Field (jumping)

“When I visited, I really liked the size of it because I knew I wanted a smaller school. And I just thought in general it was a really pretty place. And I saw the environment of the academics and athletics and really liked it.”

 

Alex Capelo

• Carnegie Mellon University
• Football

“I kind of was late in the recruiting game and it was one of the schools that I got into. I wanted to focus on academics, mostly, but it’s one of the few schools that I felt I could have both the academics and football. So once I got in, I talked to the coach and knew it was for me after my visit.”

 

Ryan Connelly

• Franklin & Marshall College
• Lacrosse

“I went to visit over the summer, and I just really like the size of the school and I wanted to stay on the East Coast, so that’s nice. And I really like the coach.”

 

 

Shawna Ferraro

• Middlebury College
• Field Hockey 

“I was looking at a lot of schools, and at each one I kind of found something that was off about it or that I didn’t particularly love. And when going to Middlebury, as soon as we got there, I looked around the campus and I told my mom, ‘This is the place where I’m going to go.’ I absolutely loved everything about it. The whole environment, the nature. That’s who I am as a person, just being up there. Everyone I talked to was super friendly. The coaches, I loved them. The coaches are like second, third parents to me. I know up there I’m going to be so supported by them. I just instantly fell in love with the campus. I loved everything about it. I got chills up there and I knew it was somewhere that I really wanted to go.”

 

Spencer Fuller-Wright

• Lasell University
• Basketball

“The reason I chose Lasell is because it’s a small school, not too far from home and it’s really competitive up there, so obviously I want to be up there, get an experience and hopefully make a name for myself when I’m up there.”

 

 

Lexi McCall

• Denison
• Tennis

“I really love the coach and I love the girls on the team. And I thought they had the best facilities out of any other D-3 program that I saw, so that was what really drew me to it.”

 

 

Stefano Orlando

• Gettysburg College
• Track

“I originally wasn’t even considering Gettysburg at all, but once I went there, I met with the coach, who was super nice, super supportive. And he introduced me to some of the guys on the team, some of the current captains. And I spent the day pretty much walking around with the guys, going to lunch with them. And it was just a really great community and I felt really wanted there. More than other schools I looked at. So Gettysburg was the right choice.”

 

Ella Patterson

• Gettysburg College
• Lacrosse

“Once I visited on campus, I just knew it was the right fit. The size was perfect, the classroom sizes. And also a successful lacrosse program was really important for me, too.”

 

Molly Reed

• Bowdoin College
• Lacrosse

“I just really like the NESCAC [New England Small College Athletic Conference] programs and I thought Bowdoin was the right school for me. With the great academics and the good lacrosse program, it’s the school I wanted to go to.”

 

 

Teddy Rosen

• Bates College
• Lacrosse

“I am going to play defense there. I chose Bates because it’s a good fit for me academically and athletically. I’ve got a path to playing. And it’s going to be a challenging, rigorous academic experience so hopefully I’m going to enjoy that.”

 

Cameron Wietfeldt  

• Bowdoin College
• Lacrosse

“When I visited Bowdoin, it really felt like the place for me. Really good academics and the culture of the team there is really positive. I felt like I fit in there.”