Six Bethlehem Central High School seniors signed their National Letters of Intent to play sports at the collegiate level at a Tuesday, Nov. 18, ceremony.
Dan Comber, Emma Cremo and Kaylee Rickert will continue their lacrosse careers at the NCAA Division I level next year. Comber signed with Stony Brook, Cremo chose American University and Rickert picked the University at Albany.
“I really feel like Stony Brook is a perfect marriage for me in terms of athletics, academics and location,” said Comber, who has been one of Section 2’s top boys lacrosse goaltenders for the past three years. “There’s some lower level Division I schools that I turned away because they didn’t have what I was looking for academically.”
“I really love the Patriot League, and the American program is awesome,” said Cremo. “Also, D.C. life is incredible.”
Rickert was the only athlete to sign with a Capital District college, as she chose to play for former Bethlehem girls lacrosse coach John Battaglino at UAlbany.
“Definitely the coaching staff — the way they know the game, and they are all so welcoming,” said Rickert.
Basketball stars John Sica and Gabby Giacone also announced their college choices. Sica will play at Columbia University next season, while Giacone signed with Northeastern University.
“I just think the Boston area and the school … were a perfect for me, academically and athletically,” said Giacone.
“Obviously Columbia being an Ivy League school has great academics, and I wanted to go to a school that had great academics,” said Sica.
Defending state high jump champion Grace Smith will continue her track and field career at Cornell University — a place she dreamed of going to.
“When I was a (high school) freshman, we went to their annual invitational. I looked out the window at the school … and I knew that’s where I wanted to go,” said Smith.
Bethlehem athletic director Len Keis said the most impressive thing about all six athletes who signed their letters of intent is that they are as good in the classroom as they are in their sports.
“Every one of these kids are 90-plus students. Every bit of leadership they have in the classroom, they show on the field,” said Keis.
