On February 6, National Signing Day, student-athletes all over the country committed to their respective schools and took the next step in their journey.  The students will be going to those colleges to compete in sports and the classroom. At Wayne Hills, we are very proud to have student-athletes who work hard on and off the field and it was great to get to see them sign with their college.  The students from WHHS were Charles Njoku (football, UCLA), Jaaron Hayek (football, Villanova), Tom Sharkey (football, Kutztown), Bence Polgar (football, Buffalo), Joseph Rondi (football, Syracuse), Sebastian Rojek (soccer, Stony Brook), Mikayla Ruiz (soccer, Kean), Nicholas Panarin (fencing, Drew), Jason Sanfilippo (baseball, Misericordia), Marcus Brenes (soccer, Villanova), Nicholas Azzopardi (lacrosse, Wagner), and Craig Wilkie (lacrosse, Drew).

This day was a great experience for the athletes and their coaches and we went around to ask them what this experience meant for them.  Here is what they said:

“This decision means a lot for my family and I.  We worked so hard and they sacrificed a lot for me.  I am extremely grateful and blessed.” – Marcus Brenes, soccer commit to Villanova University.

“I chose Buffalo because it’s a good school with good academics and a good football team. This decision now means that I am going to college and I don’t have to worry about where I’m going anymore.” – Bence Polgar, football commit to the University of Buffalo.

“I am really confident in this decision.  Drew is a family oriented school and family means the most to me.  I like that Drew has more openings for sports and academics. I really feel confident for choosing them and I couldn’t be happier.” – Nicholas Panarin, fencing commit to Drew University.

“Craig Wilkie, just a kid that was completely determined and focused for four years.  He always wanted to be a lacrosse player and got a chance to play his junior year and really just ran with it.  He turned himself into one of our best offensive players and now he is heading to Drew University.” -lacrosse coach Marc Jacobson on Craig Wilkie.

“It just felt right being on campus and it is a great academic school with a competitive football team.  I can’t wait to get started. I’m excited to be a Wildcat.” – Jaaron Hayek, football commit to Villanova University.

“I picked Kean because they have a really good program and college and I will be able to play soccer more.  When I got to the campus, it just felt right. I’m very excited for this journey.” – Mikayla Ruiz, soccer commit to Kean University.

“It means a lot because it has always been a goal of mine to play college baseball. I worked a lot because it has always been a goal of mine (to play college baseball) and I have been working hard and grinding since day one.” – Jason Sanfilippo, baseball commit to Misericordia University.

“I chose Syracuse because they have a great coaching staff who are great people and that made me feel comfortable of where I will be spending the next 4 years of my life. Their facilities are also unbelievable and Syracuse as a whole was just the right choice for me. The decision to commit to Syracuse meant a lot because I have been achieving it my whole high school career.” – Joe Rondi, football commit to Syracuse University.

“I chose UCLA because of the connections I have to the school and how they have a great academic program as well. This decision impacts my future greatly because even if football ends, the connections I have to the school will help me throughout life and I will finish with a degree from UCLA.” – Charles Njoku, football commit to UCLA.

These student athletes are ready to take the next step in their career and they will all have great success in what they do.  WHHS wishes them the best of luck.