Cougars recognize 12 senior athletes across eight sports who have signed to continue their academic and athletic careers in college
By Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – The paperwork has long been signed, sent and filed and the high school seniors safely in place for their schools of the future. This was a day to celebrate their decisions.
Schalick High School recognized 12 seniors Wednesday who have signed with colleges to continue their athletic and academic careers.
The group included five for track and field – Brooke Watt (Rowan), Grace O’Neill (Monmouth), Sophia Longo (Rowan), Katie Little (Rowan) and Alivia Klancic (Stevenson) – golfer Hannah Widdifield (Kean); field hockey’s Ella Shimp (Susquehanna); swimmer Ella Price (College of New Jersey); soccer goalie Carly Hayman (Jefferson); Salem County boys cross country champion Charles Fuerneisen (Mars Hill); boys tennis No. 2 singles Jesus Espinoza Arias (RCSJ-Gloucester); and cheer’s Cianna Gaines (Rowan).
The track signees head off for one last hurrah together this weekend when the Cougars compete in the NJSIAA Group I Championship at Franklin High School.
It’ll be a bittersweet weekend for the seniors. Three of them – Watt, Longo and Little – will continue as teammates at Rowan. Klancic is headed to Stevenson and O’Neill is bound for Monmouth.
“It’s going to be emotional,” O’Neill said. “We’re going to go out there, we’re going to fight hard for whatever we have in us; it’s just going to be an amazing time. I know my last event is going to be the 4×4 and it’s going to be pretty emotional.
“A lot of us have gotten a stronger bond since the season started. It’s amazing we got to do this all together.”
O’Neill considered joining the group of Rowan, but Monmouth offered the academic curriculum she wants to pursue.
“I will miss them so much,” she said. “A lot of the girls on the track team pursuing it at Rowan are some of my best friends so I’m obviously going to be supporting them from afar and I’m sure they’ll be doing the same for me.”
O’Neill was one of the standouts in the Salem County Meet. She PR’d in every event she entered in the Salem County Meet and last weekend qualified for states in the 400 hurdles and discus, where she’s looking to set the school record. She’s on the 4×800 relay with Longo and the 4×400 relay with Klancic.
Among the other signees, Widdifield solidified her position as a trailblazer.
The 2024 county runnerup is the first girls golfer from Schalick to play college golf and one of the first signees of Kean’s start-up women’s program. The Cougars will start competing in the fall of 2024..
“(When) I feel like I’m one of the first on both teams, it just makes me feel like I really accomplished something,” Widdifield said. “I’ve strived to reach my goals and it really worked out well for me. Being the first girl, though, is kind of shocking because I never thought this would happen because I only started playing last year.”
A few hours after the signing recognition, the Cougars held their Spring Sports Award Banquet.
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