High school seniors are normally elated by the chance to earn a scholarship doing something they love. So it’s no surprise that the student athletes of Beaver Area High School are overjoyed by the opportunity to not only play for a college team, but to earn a scholarship for it as well.

It is common to hear that seniors “signed” for a college team, but what is “signing?” When a student signs for a college team, they are essentially signing a contract between the student and the college they intend to enroll in. This contract, called the NLI—or National Letter of Intent—specifies that the student will commit to said college, the official scholarship amount, enrollment information, and so on.

So far, seniors Harrison Pontoli (to Indiana University of Pennsylvania) and Vinny Masterangelo (to Seton Hill University) have signed such contracts for baseball.

Mikayla Obrist (to Fairfield University), and Maria Miocic and Elizabeth Engle (to California University of PA) are also playing collegiate soccer.

Since the student athletes are also enrolling at the college, not just playing a sport, academics are a priority concern.

“I was attracted to the school [Seton Hill] by its outstanding academic reputation. Not only that but also its successful atmosphere and its baseball team being a top competitor in the nation year after year,” Masterangelo commented

Because it is still early in the school year, many seniors still are visiting and contemplating the colleges where they want to apply, so only a few student athletes have officially signed for a college. The ones who have, however, are delighted by the opportunity they have been given.

Obrist will be leaving Pennsylvania for Connecticut’s Fairfield University next year. After the Fairfield soccer team’s coach saw her play in the Jefferson Cup in Virginia, he contacted her and she was quickly enamored by the college.

“After getting in contact with the coach, he had me come up for a visit of the campus and lunch with the players, and I immediately fell in love with the place. I was super excited when after lunch the coach offered me a roster spot on the team,” said Obrist.

Attracting the attention of a college is no easy feat. Some students are lucky enough to have a college coach simply watch and want to recruit them. However, others may want to reach a greater range of potential colleges by using apps that colleges use to contact student athletes.

“I used a recruiting app called NCSA. The coach saw my profile and watched my highlight video [on the app], then contacted me and wanted me to visit Cal U. After I visited, he came to our game at Hopewell to watch me play,” said Miocic.

With skill and intelligence in tow, these student athletes are sure to excel not only on the college team, but in pursuing their preferred majors as well.