NPHS athletes sign with universities
On Nov. 12, thousands of student athletes across the country signed a Letter of Intent to play their sport at the National College Athletic Association [NCAA] level. Four athletes from Newbury Park High School [NPHS] participated in the first National Signing Day, including Jack Laubacher for baseball, Sophia Grant for cross country and track and Mia York and Slater Copeland for soccer.
For the past seven years, Sophia Grant, senior, has run track and cross country, training six days a week at the high school level. She is committed to run Division I [D1] cross country and track at the University of California, Berkeley. “I made my decision because I really like the team and the coaches at Berkeley, and I really like the school as well because [of my] official visit,” Grant said. Although Grant has been running for many years, training in college will look much different. “There will be a lot more facilities and a lot more attention from the coaches because it is at the D1 level. So it’s going to be a lot more intense as well, and a lot more competitive than I think high school is,” Grant said. However, Grant is looking forward to the change that the collegiate level will bring. “Even though I love it here in Southern California, I’m excited for a change in scenery. And I’m also excited to run with a really competitive team. I think that’ll be fun too, and just meeting new people,” Grant said.
For Grant, the journey to collegiate athletics meant consistently practicing healthy habits. “[I practice] eating well and eating a lot throughout the day and also sleeping well, recovering well and working hard at practices. It’s just to instill these good habits that I can carry on with me into college,” Grant said.
As the athletic director of NPHS, Ethan Gray is a major part of the planning process for Signing Day. As athletes’ friends and family congregated in the gym, Gray enjoyed the celebratory nature of the event. “[I enjoyed seeing] the people that show up for them, the family, the teammates, and looking at just the happiness, or the celebration that is that moment for them,” Gray said. Compared to previous years, Gray felt that there were more people present at Signing Day. “There were just more teammates there supporting different athletes than normal. It’s usually like that, but this was extra. This was a little better,” Gray said.
Mia York, senior, committed as a junior to play D1 soccer for Loyola Marymount University [LMU]. “Starting on June 15th, [schools] could contact me, and I had a couple phone calls with different schools,“ York said. However, LMU stood out to York. “A lot of the schools that I was talking to, I had already visited, but LMU, I’d never really heard of. Then I went on a visit there, and I just fell in love with the campus and the coaching staff and the whole program,” York said. On Signing Day, York felt appreciative of the hard work she’d put in. “I feel like it was a moment that I was waiting for for a long time. So it was just so exciting to have everyone there. And it was just an exciting day,” York said. She is looking forward to the social, as well as athletic, aspect of college. “I’m really excited to make new friends and new teammates, and the whole experience of living away from home in an area that I love. I’m just excited to see what happens,” York said.
As high school comes to an end, these student athletes feel that they are ready for the next chapter. Whether they will be busy on the track, the soccer field or the baseball field, these athletes have a lot in store. “I’m really excited for next year at college because I think it’ll be a new, fun experience. And I’m really excited for that,” Grant said.
