Thursday, February 10, 2011

National Signing Day Charts Course for Athletes' Futures

Madison students
Madison High students at signing ceremony.
Several San Diego Unified high school seniors made national news during National Signing Day, the first day that seniors can sign a letter of intent to attend a university the following fall on an athletic scholarship.

Athletics provides an important path to college for many students. While the top players can receive scholarships on National Signing Day, other students can receive partial scholarships as "walk on" players after a tryout. Along the way, they're learning the discipline and teamwork skills taught by our coaches and athletic staffs.

Football gets the most attention, with the following signing their letters on Wednesday, Feb. 2 during a ceremony at the San Diego Hall of Champions: From Morse, Denote Flowers goes to Montana State and Karl Mickelson to Fresno State; Hoover's Dame Ndiaye to University of Arizona; from Scripps Ranch, Nick Sloan to Navy; and Christian Heyward from Pt. Loma to USC.

From Madison High, De’Saan Hardwick signed for football at San Diego State University; Jeremy Hutchison will join football at the Air Force Academy in Colorado; and Jamarie Sanders was awarded a scholarship to play football at Humboldt State University.

Other sports also provide a path to a college scholarship. For example, Madison High's Mitchell Esser earned a baseball scholarship to Loyola Marymount University, and Ian Clarkin to the University of San Diego. From La Jolla High, Bradley Zimmer received a baseball scholarship from the University of San Francisco.

A complete list is available from the San Diego Union-Tribune.