Check out the 31 Heritage seniors from sports including football, baseball, tennis, track, soccer, equestrian, lacrosse, basketball, softball and volleyball commit to their desired college. The signing occurred in the gymnasium Feb. 5, where parents, siblings, coaches and teammates came to support their athlete for this big achievement. Accompanying them were the Heritage band and cheerleaders.
For the athletes, they make their decision on what college to bring their academic and athletic talents to. “We just get to see him grow, develop and see him [senior Marc Aleman] be so happy doing what he loves,” Mrs. Paulette Alemán said. However, as parents watch their children from the moment they are born to now getting ready to head off to college it’s a huge step to take. “I cannot even realize it yet. It was a long journey and we are very proud. He [senior Dayen Marouf-Araibi] has reached a big milestone,” Mr. Khaled Marouf Araibi said.
As these seniors continue their athletic journey to the collegiate level, some Heritage sports seasons have just started, such as baseball. These signings aren’t setbacks for them. Coach Stasio of the baseball team believes that the completion of the commitment process helps put this period of time behind them so they can focus on the season ahead and get the state championship. “When they go to college, that transition is sometimes a bigger challenge for some, but we feel that when they leave American Heritage, they are ready for the next step in their journey,” Coach Stasio said.
For a list of commits, see below:
Football:
Ryan Long – Wagner College
Saeed Moghaddam – Cornell University
Antonio Pasquatti – Bentley University
Freddie King – Ferris State University
Mekhi Hicks – Harvard University
Dayen Marouf-Araibi – University of Rhode Island
Omarian Abraham – North Carolina State University
Ben Diaz – Saint Thomas University
Gregory Zae Thomas – Florida State University
Byron Louis – University of Florida
Baseball:
Hayden Harrison – Lake-Sumter State College
Jordan Rich – Miami Dade College
Sebastian Garavito – Nova Southeastern University
RJ Machado – McLennan College
Chase Curtiss – University of Arkansas Richmond
Marc Aleman – Barry University
Chris Levy Gutierrez – Miami Dade College
Dylan Dubrovnik – University of Miami
Caden Garro – Flagler College
Talan Holiday – University of North Carolina
Equestrian:
Gabriella Curry – University of Georgia
Boys Lacrosse:
Jack Switter – Ohio Northern University
Women’s Basketball:
Dezuray McGill – Long Island University
Softball:
Arianna Reynolds – Bethune Cookman University
Women’s Tennis:
Tina Liu – Babson College
Women’s Track:
Rachari Wildgoose – NC A&T State University
Volleyball:
Gabriel Moreau – Eastern Mennonite University
Women’s Soccer:
Natalia Dorn – Stetson University
Jillian Miliffe – University of Montana
Courtney Caruso – New York University
Samantha Villaverde – Wesleyan University
The Heritage band performs as parents, teammates, athletes, coaches and faculty enter the gymnasium. (Photo/myCady)
Bringing the school spirit is the cheerleaders with their black and gold pom-poms. “I think that cheering for the athletes is so exciting because of all the hard work they put in and we get to support them as they play,” sophomore Delaney Kustin said. From left to right: junior Xinnuo Jiang, freshman Naina Levinstein, sophomore Jahlisa Martin, sophomore Delaney Kustin, sophomore Kaycee Vadala and senior Peyton Marrero. (Photo/myCady)
