Sixteen New Canaan High School seniors on Wednesday signed early Letters of Intent to play sports in college starting next year.
The photos below are from a signing ceremony overseen by NCHS Athletic Director Jay Egan, held in the Wagner Room.
We also asked the student-athletes why they chose their future schools, and put their responses next to photos:
Jane Charlton with her parents, Karen and Michael. Credit: Michael Dinan
Jane Charlton
- Duke
- Lacrosse
- “A little bit of everything. The stellar academics combined with athletics, as well as the amazing atmosphere that the team creates. And just the student body and culture in general.”
Amanda Hall with her parents, Kim and Tom. Credit: Michael Dinan
Amanda Hall
- Boston College
- Crew
- “I’ve always loved Boston College. I visited a few years ago and then I was offered a spot on the team, so I took it and I was really excited about it.”
Alexandra Mehos with her parents, Meg and Steve. Credit: Michael Dinan
Alexandra Mehos
- Colgate
- Swimming
- “When I visited the campus, I really fell in love with it. And I really love the balance between the academics and the athletics there.”
Kearney McKiernan with her parents, Terri and Chris, and sister Quinn. Credit: Michael Dinan
Kearney McKiernan
- Bucknell
- Lacrosse
- “The mix of the academics and athletics. I thought it was a good fit for me. I also thought it’s such a beautiful place. I’m so excited to go there and I wanted to study something in the business world, so I’m going to their school of management.”
Natalie Lopez with her parents, Carmela and Mario. Credit: Michael Dinan
Natalie Lopez
- Northwestern
- Lacrosse
- “Campus is beautiful. It’s right on the lake, and you have the city of Chicago in the back. Also, the coaches were so nice. They made me feel at home. And nothing beat the academics there. I really want to study journalism, and they have a really good journalism school.”
Patrick Colwell with his parents, Beth and Patrick. Credit: Michael Dinan
Patrick Colwell
- U.S Naval Academy
- Swimming
- “I really wanted to make a difference in my country and I really wanted to serve my country. And I also wanted to further my education and saw the Naval Academy as the perfect place to do that.”
Jack Finnigan with his parents, Meghan and John, and brothers Colin (L) and Connor (R). Credit: Michael Dinan
Jack Finnigan
- Utah
- Lacrosse
- “Utah is one of the few programs out west and I loved it out there when I visited. Love the team culture and I decided it was the best fit. Love the coach.”
Jack Hagan with his parents, Kerri and Bob, and brother Brendan. Credit: Michael Dinan
Jack Hagan
- Furman
- Lacrosse
- “Furman has a beautiful campus and Matt Cosco, one of my teammates, actually plays there this year. He was a senior last year. It’s a great school, beautiful campus, great environment and the coaching staff is awesome.”
Nash Hooper with his parents, Renee and John. Credit: Michael Dinan
Nash Hooper
- Northeastern
- Crew
- “Honestly, on my visit, it was the guys. That was really what made my decision between other schools. All the places I was visiting were great academically, it was just the environment I wanted to grow in and have fun in for the next four years.”
Tim Manzella with his parents, Frank and Carol Ann, and New Canaan Caimans coach Brian Fazzino. Credit: Michael Dinan
Tim Manzella
- Holy Cross
- Swimming
- “I just really liked the academic balance with swimming and athletics. I loved the team, I loved the program, I loved the campus. Everything about it was perfect.”
George Moore with his parents, Christine and Charlie. Credit: Michael Dinan
George Moore
- U.S. Naval Academy
- Diving
- “It provided me the opportunity to serve, world-class academics and an amazing, competitive Division I program. It hit all three.”
Bennett Ong with his parents, Katherine and Brian, and grandfather, David Schmidley. Credit: Michael Dinan
Bennett Ong
- U.S. Military Academy
- Lacrosse
- “Great academics and just great culture in general. I love the school and the coach, and I felt like it was the right fit for me.”
Maxwell Orwicz with his parents, Elizabeth and Paul. Credit: Michael Dinan
Maxwell Orwicz
- Bucknell
- Golf
- “I really loved the school. On my visit, I was able to meet all the members of the team. I thought it was a great atmosphere for competing and improving. I’m really happy with the decision.”
Frankie Ramppen with his parents, Frank and Michelle, and brother, Zack. Credit: Michael Dinan
Frankie Ramppen
- Palm Beach Atlantic University
- Baseball
- “It’s a great location. Really nice area, like a 5-minute walk to the beach. And I’ve always wanted to play baseball somewhere South. And the Sunshine State Conference is really a good conference. It’s going to be fun. And my dad played in the conference, so it’s cool.”
Tyler Sung with his dad, Henry, and sisters Camryn (L) and Madison (R). Credit: Michael Dinan
Tyler Sung
- Lehigh
- Wrestling
- “At first it was the business program they had. They have a fantastic business program. And when I went there for my official visit, I just fell in love with the campus, staff and team there. It’s very welcoming and felt like home to me.”
Justin Wietfeldt with his parents, Jocelyn and Peter, and brother Cameron. Credit: Michael Dinan
Justin Wietfeldt
- Michigan
- Lacrosse
- “When I visited, I just fell in love with the school. I felt it had a great balance of academic and social life, and lacrosse on top of that made it such an easy decision for me.”