Student Athletes Sign Letters of Intent

Athletes from both Sachem North and Sachem East signed their college letters of intent yesterday, officially marking "National Signing Day" across the U.S.

Athletes from Sachem will play at some of the top colleges and universities around the United States in various sports, according to a release from the district published on The Sachem Report.

“Today is a very special day to celebrate all of the great accomplishments of our student-athletes,” said Sachem Athletic Director Pete Blieberg. “This is the best day for us as athletic directors. The great part about this is the word student-athlete. All the schools they are going to are outstanding institutions. If they didn’t do as well as they did in their athletic worlds, they wouldn’t have the opportunity they have today. Today is a celebration of all the hard work they put in.”

Sachem East Running Back Steven Casali drew the biggest attention from the local media, as the 2012 Hansen Award winner signed his Letter of Intent with the University of Massachusetts.  

“I’m proud to be a Minuteman and make it official,” Casali said in a statement. “It’s a very stressful process but you have to enjoy it as much as you can. You have to take it one step at a time and appreciate it. I went to UMass because I felt most comfortable there.”

“UMass is getting a great kid,” said [Sachem East Head Football Coach Mark] Wojciechowski. “As a man he’s going to do great things there no matter how football turns out. He’ll be a student, get his degree and he’s going to bring a lot of honor and pride to his family and to the program. He’s going to be an impact kid playing for them. Even if it doesnt happen right away he’s going to work real hard to get on the field. I can’t wait to go to the first bowl game.”

The complete list of students who signed yesterday include:

Sachem East

• Jordan Miller, Field Hockey, Adelphi
• Emily Hansen, Soccer, Iona
• Morgan Tinari, Soccer, St. John’s
• Cassie Asselta, Softball, Hillsdale College
• Anthony Stefanelli, Gymnastics, Michigan (also dives for Sachem)
• Nick Laffin, Volleyball, Ohio State
• Joe Eiseman, Lacrosse, Dowling
• Tom Engelken, Lacrosse, Delaware
• A.J. Solomito, Lacrosse, NYIT
• John Vigh, Lacrosse, Marist
• Dan Hetzel, Baseball, Rhode Island
• Mike Cassels, Baseball, Franklin Pierce
• Steven Casali, Football, UMass

Sachem North

• James Donlevy, Swimming, UConn
• Alex Lazarich, Track, Buffalo
• Victoria Barclay, Soccer, NYIT
• Courtney Cohen, Soccer, Holy Cross
• John Echel, Volleyball, Culver-Stockton