AURORA | On the stage at its gleaming new Performing Arts Center, Regis Jesuit High School broke ground on a new athletic tradition Wednesday afternoon.
For the first time, the Boys Division and Girls Division held a joint National Athletic Letter of Intent signing ceremony, where four boys and four girls confirmed their verbal commitments by signing on the dotted line.
While other athletes such as Overland’s Wyoming-bound basketball standout Austin Conway and Colorado Mesa University-bound lacrosse player Amanda Geary of Cherokee Trail signed their NLIs at home, early morning ceremonies took place at Eaglecrest, Grandview and Smoky Hill and Regis Jesuit in the afternoon.
The Regis Jesuit class that signed together included five Division I-bound swimmers in girls team captain Taylor Wilson (Villanova), along with star diver Kyle Goodwin (Missouri) and boys tri-captains Quinlan Stuart (North Carolina State), Will Pieseski (Miami Ohio) and Garrett Suter (Seattle University).
Joining them on stage were Metro State-bound volleyball player Santaisha Sturges, West Point signee and basketball standout Jess Lewis and Colorado Christian University golf recruit Sydney Gillespie.
At Eaglecrest, star volleyball player Jordyn Poulter finally signed her NLI with the University of Illinois, the school she committed to during the summer of 2012, in between her freshman and sophomore years.
Raptors’ standout point guard Elijah Ross signed with the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, while three other female athletes — softball player Jordyn Wiatrak (Northern Colorado), diver Indiya Williams (Idaho) and lacrosse player Alyse Mims (Adams State) also took part.
A few days after helping the Grandview volleyball team win a second consecutive 5A state championship, Haley McLaren (Oregon) and Katie Patrick (Naval Academy) signed their NLIs, along with another member of a title-winning team, Seton Hall-bound softball shortstop Emily Supercynski.
Swimming standout James Boone signed with Purdue and lacrosse players Caelynne Blackwell and Nicole Donnelly each signed with the University of Indianapolis.
Half of Smoky Hill’s four-athlete signing ceremony was made of the Yount twins, Blake and Brynell. Blake Yount, a two-time all-state cross country runner and track standout, confirmed his recent commitment to the University of Oklahoma, while sister Brynell is set to play soccer and run track at Northern Iowa.
Swimming star Alex Kohlman signed with Emory University, while pitcher J.R. McDermott’s future playing days will be at Colorado Mesa University.
Conway — who just wrapped up his senior season in football and will begin basketball practice for the new season shortly — gave his long-awaited signature to the Wyoming basketball program and will celebrate on Sunday.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
AURORA NLI SIGNEES BY SCHOOL (NOV. 12)
CHEROKEE TRAIL — Amanda Geary, lacrosse, Colorado Mesa University
EAGLECREST — Alyse Mims, lacrosse, Adams State; Jordyn Poulter, volleyball, Illinois; Elijah Ross, basketball, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; Jordyn Wiatrak, softball, Northern Colorado; Indiya Williams, diving, Idaho
GRANDVIEW — Caelynne Blackwell, lacrosse, Univ. of Indianapolis; James Boone, swimming, Purdue; Nicole Donnelly, lacrosse, Univ. of Indianapolis; Haley McLaren, volleyball, Oregon; Katie Patrick, volleyball, Naval Academy; Emily Supercynski, softball, Seton Hall
OVERLAND — Austin Conway, basketball, Wyoming
REGIS JESUIT (BOYS & GIRLS) — Sydney Gillespie, golf, Colorado Christian University; Kyle Goodwin, diving, Missouri; Jess Lewis, basketball, West Point; Will Pieseski, swimming, Miami (Ohio); Brent Schwarz, baseball, Rice; Quinlan Stuart, swimming, North Carolina State; Santaisha Sturges, volleyball, Metro State; Garrett Suter, swimming, Seattle University; Taylor Wilson, swimming, Villanova
SMOKY HILL — Alex Kohlman, swimming, Emory University; J.R. McDermott, baseball, Colorado Mesa University; Blake Yount, track and cross country, Oklahoma; Brynell Yount, track and soccer, Northern Iowa
