Wednesday, November 13th was a big day for the NDA Athletics community – National Letter of Intent Signing Day.  On this day, student-athletes all over the country who have committed to Division I collegiate athletic teams sign their Letter of Intent. The National Letter of Intent, or the NLI, is defined as “a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution”.  NDA was honored to have 3 student-athletes from the class of 2020 sign their NLI that day: Cara Charette (Colgate Lacrosse), Ellie Hilsabeck (Vanderbilt Lacrosse), and Margot Osterman (Siena Golf)!

About a hundred NDA students, teammates, teachers, faculty, coaches, and family members had gathered in the gym to show their support during the signing ceremony.  The three student-athletes present to sign entered, each wearing a shirt featuring their future school, along with their classic NDA kilts.  Sitting in the front row before the signing table and backdrop, they listened carefully as President Kenneally opened the event, appearing poised and ready for their next new adventure.

As each recruit’s name was read, their teammates and friends cheered, waving navy and gold pom-poms in the air with excitement.  Athletic Director Mrs. Kelley, delivered a small speech honoring each respective athlete and her accomplishments in NDA Athletics as she signed her letter, followed by jubilant cheers from the audience.

By the time our Principal, Mrs. Perrault, said her closing remarks, coaches, family members, and teammates had posed for photos with the future collegiate athletes, and celebrated together.  The atmosphere was one of true pride and joy, and an outside visitor would be able to tell how much everyone present loved and cherished the NDA Athletics program.

“It feels surreal,” said Ellie Hilsabeck ’20. “I was nervous before, knowing I would have to sit up there by myself and take the pictures, but once my family and coach came up it was all very exciting . . . Afterwards, I was even more excited and it took me a while to realize that it was actually official.”

Ellie said her goal of playing at a Division I school required hours of practice in and out of season, and she is so glad her hard work paid off.

“My experience in NDA sports has helped me more than I would have ever imagined,” Ellie told The Medallion. “Every season of both lacrosse and basketball has made me a better athlete and competitor. My first two seasons of lacrosse were challenging because we ended in two devastating losses in the south sectional finals of the state tournament, but those moments pushed me to get where I wanted to be.”

Since the National Letter of Intent Signing Day, NDA Athletics has continued to see big accomplishments from its student-athletes. Senior Ana Bertarelli recently signed her NLI and will be participating in Division I Track and Field at Bryant University next year!

We sure do have some awesome student-athletes! Our community knows these young women will continue to make us proud as they move on in their athletic and academic careers.