The MVHS Athletic Senate hosted their annual Senior Athlete Signing ceremony on Tuesday, May 20. The event, held during lunch in the rally court, celebrated MVHS athletes who intend to play a sport in college. The athletes took photos with friends and family and enjoyed donuts afterwards. In total, the Athletic Senate recognized 15 students who have committed to play their sport in college, eight of whom attended the signing ceremony.
Senior Tanay Parikh, one of the event attendees, plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University in the fall where he will participate in cross country and track and field. He hopes to earn all-American honors at the NCAA Division III Championships, at which he plans to run the mile, 3000-meter run and potentially the 5000-meter run.
“This sport means a lot to me because I’ve spent so much time doing it and have made many memories,” Parikh said. “It means a lot to me to be able to continue running after high school and be able to keep improving and making more memories.”
Athletic Director Nick Bonacorsi has helped organize athlete signing ceremonies for ten years. He says each ceremony makes him proud of the student athletes who have “done everything they needed to do, kept their grades up, stayed out of trouble and worked hard” to receive an opportunity to compete collegiately. He believes that collegiate athletics offer students unique opportunities to develop lifelong skills, memories and teammates.
“It takes so much for athletes to have gotten to this point, whether it be coaches, teammates, families or private coaches,” Bonacorsi said. “I think sports are huge for kids growing up and at the high school level, so I just encourage everyone to keep playing, keep having fun, keep working hard and good things will happen.”
