It’s National Signing Day! And These SPIRE Student Athletes Are Ready for Their Big Moment

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It’s a momentous time for any high school athlete. After countless hours of hard work and dedication to their sport, they’ve been offered a spot on a college roster and all that’s left to do is sign on the dotted line, formally accepting it. That’s what National Signing Day is all about, and we’re thrilled to report that seven SPIRE Academy student athletes will soon be doing just that.

“Starting the recruiting process early and staying organized is more important than ever, given all the recent changes in the recruiting landscape,” says Terri Long, Director of College and Academic Success at SPIRE. “But, ultimately, success in college still hinges on academic strength. From freshman year on, students should be focused on managing their academics, setting goals, and identifying the types of schools they’re interested in. On the academics side of SPIRE, that’s what we stress. So for me, signing day is the highlight of my job—a day to celebrate with our athletes as the hard work of our coaches, students and staff finally pays off.”

Since 1964, student athletes have signed something called a National Letter of Intent, or NLI, on National Signing Day. It’s worth noting here that, as of October of this year, the NLI no longer exists. The NCAA did away with it as part of a larger restructuring that promises major changes across the collegiate athletic landscape, including the elimination of scholarship limits and changes to rules that now allow college athletes to earn money from their name and likeness.

But that’s all just a technicality. The fact is, our featured SPIRE student athletes will still be signing official paperwork on National Signing Day, formally binding them to their college of choice; it just won’t be called an NLI. Here are the SPIRE student athletes who will be committing their considerable talents on this year’s National Signing Day, November 13:

• Julian Amick, Lacrosse – University of Mount Olive
• Christiana Gordon, Women’s Basketball – University of Vermont
• Korbin Jefferies, Men’s Soccer – Ashland University
• Ryan Kennedy, Wrestling – Brown University
• Liam Luzza, Lacrosse – Drexel University
• Morgan Wagner, Swimming – Georgia Southern
• Kyle Waltz, Men’s Basketball – Miami University of Ohio

“Signing day is such an exciting moment for the students, their families and SPIRE Academy,” says Tricia Johnson, Director of Admissions at SPIRE. “It’s a time to celebrate all they’ve accomplished. It’s the payoff for what’s been years of hard work and relentless focus. Seeing our incredible student athletes achieve their highest goals is the reason every SPIRE employee comes to work every day. It’s why we do what we do, and it’s a very proud moment for all of us.”

We congratulate these hard-working student athletes, and are happy for the part SPIRE has played in helping them achieve their dreams. We look forward to hearing more about each of them and their continuing achievements in sport, academics and life. And we’re certain we will.