Three Sage Hill athletes celebrated signing their intent to play in college during a lunchtime ceremony in Wilkins Town Square on April 15.

Seniors Bella Giarla, Alice Wang and Alisa Ching sat for announcements of their athletic commitments by Director of Athletics Megan Cid. The college-bound athletes then posed for photos with their family members, friends, coaches and teammates. Surrounded by flowers and balloons to commemorate their accomplishments, this event was a culmination of all the hard work and dedication that the seniors had put into their sports for the past four years of high school.

Despite participating in different sports, all three athletes shared how playing a sport or being part of a team shaped who they are.

“Golf has really given me a family, and my closest friends are people I have met through the sport. It means the world to me to be able to do this at the collegiate level,” said Ching, who plans to play for Women’s Golf at Claremont McKenna College. 

Overcoming challenges as an athlete has also led to personal growth and academic success throughout high school for the seniors.

“Fencing improved my time management skills and the way I deal with stress. Fencing is so intense that one touch could change everything, but the pressure of that helped me thrive all four years at Sage,” said Wang, who will be fencing at Wellesley University in Massachusetts.

In the fall, Sage Hill celebrated seniors Jackson Cryst and Dylan Rosman for committing to collegiate athletics.

The Athletic Signing ceremony closed with a photo of all five committed seniors from both spring and fall sports. 

Senior Bella Giarla, who will attend McNeese State University to play beach volleyball next fall, hopes to continue playing her sport beyond her undergraduate years. 

“My goals for the future are to play beach volleyball while in college and then try and play indoor for graduate school,” Giarla said.