Twenty-Three Montverde Academy Student-Athletes Sign National Letters Of Intent To Play Collegiate Level Sports

 The day a student-athlete officially signs a National Letter of Intent, declaring his/her intent to attend and play a sport for an academic institution where he/she has earned a scholarship, is a milestone second only to graduation for many high school students. For 23 student-athletes at Montverde Academy, all of the hard work, commitment, hours invested in practice and games they have dedicated to pursuing their sport, has led to the achievement of earning a scholarship to continue playing the sport they love at the college or university level.

Each student was announced to cheers from the audience of their peers as they entered the Center for Health and Wellness, also known as the “Nest” at MVA, accompanied by their family, friends and coach. Once all 23 student-athletes were announced and seated, they collectively signed their letters to applause and flashes as the moment was captured in photographs and videos.

“We are so proud of our student-athletes’ accomplishments both academically and athletically,” said Dr. Kasey C. Kesselring, Headmaster, Montverde Academy. “They embody the ideals of Knowledge, Character and Community that are part of our culture at the Academy. What they have learned here provides a solid foundation of skills to help them further pursue their dreams in their secondary education and beyond. We congratulate them and their families and wish them continued success.”

The student-athletes’ names, sport and the college/university they signed to are:

Genesis Aviles, girls’ softball – Lake Sumter Community College

Manhua “Wendy” Chen, girls’ golf – University of Washington

Anna Chen, girls’ golf – University of Illinois at Urbana

Simone Armando Colozza, boys’ golf – San Diego State

A’Jah Davis, girls’ basketball – Northern Illinois University

Whitney Ellis, girls’ softball – Florida Institute of Technology

Jake Holland, boys’ baseball – Georgia Technical University

Petr Hryby, boys’ golf – University of Washington

Ying Ting Hsieh, girls’ golf – University of Kansas

Gibson Jimerson, boys’ basketball – St. Louis University

Balsa Koprivica, boys’ varsity basketball – Florida State University

Xavier Marcoux, boys’ golf – Rutgers University

Carmen Marin, girls’ soccer – Florida International University

Samantha Pacheco, girls’ basketball – Webber International University

Dongjin Park, boys’ golf – University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Ramani Parker, girls’ basketball – University of Louisville

Samuel “Omar” Payne, boys’ varsity basketball – University of Florida

Brittany Shirley, girls’ softball – Lake Sumter State College

Daniel Song, boys’ golf – Lehigh University

Anika Veintemilla, girls’ golf – Baylor University

Susan Xiao, girls’ golf – University of Pennsylvania

Cindy Zhou, girls’ golf – The College of William and Mary