Greenwich High School Students Mark Next Step In Athletic Careers

GREENWICH, CT — Several Greenwich High School student-athletes put pen to paper Wednesday morning, as they officially signed National Letters of Intent to play athletics at the collegiate level next year.

Friends, family members and fellow teammates of the athletes gathered inside the GHS staff cafe for the "signing day" ceremony.

"This ceremony boils down to hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance," GHS Principal Ralph Mayo told the students. "That's what these athletes had to do to obtain these offers from these great schools that they're going to go to."

Michael D'Angelo, who will head to Elon University to play football, told Patch Wednesday was "a big day, a long time coming."

"I owe everything to my parents, all the time they sacrificed and everything they gave me is really important to me. I'm just happy to have this opportunity," he said.

D'Angelo said the support from his teammates in the audience meant a lot to him.

"Greenwich High School is a whole community and everyone has each other's back. It's really evident when [teammates] come to these things. I'm happy to have such a support group," he said.

For GHS Athletic Director Peter Georgiou, the ceremony was extra special since he's known some of the students for several years going back to his teaching days.

"It's a great honor to be associated with these kids. Some of them I've taught before, some of them I've known for four years-plus, especially if they went to Central Middle School," Georgiou said. "Just to see them grow and be able to take their talents to the next level speaks a lot to their commitment, our coaching staff that gets to coach them, and their parents as well. This is a great honor, and the further they go, the harder the work gets for them but they're prepared for it."

Aquinnah Geisler will head to the University of Wisconsin next year for crew.

"I feel like I've put so much hard work into this sport so far throughout my high school career," she said, "so I'm excited to see what else I can accomplish at a higher level in college."

The full list of student-athletes who will play sports at the collegiate level next year can be found below:

• Pietro Carvalho, soccer, Pace University
• Michael D'Angelo, football, Elon University
• Thomas Fiorito, rowing, University of Washington
• Aquinnah Geisler, crew, University of Wisconsin
• Joy Houdre, volleyball, Iona University
• Jack Jedlicka, football, Fordham University
• James Markline, rowing, Hobart & William Smith Colleges
• Donovan Moses, rowing, Cornell University
• Peter Murphey, rowing, University of San Diego
• Thomas Stowe, rowing, MIT
• Ana Sucic, crew, Oklahoma University
• Colin Zeller, lacrosse, Yale University