On Monday, November 22nd, Patchogue-Medford High School held its annual National Letter of Intent Signing Day. 9 student-athletes from Patchogue-Medford High School signed a contract with the college they will be continuing their academic and athletic careers at. Those 9 students-athletes are: 

• Tyree Jackson, Baseball, Coppin State University 

• Alyssa Abramson, Women’s Soccer, Syracuse University 
• Gianna Sacco, Field Hockey, St. Thomas Aquinas College 
• Canan Bademci, Women’s Bowling, Belmont Abbey University 
• Jacob Feldman, Men’s Lacrosse, Wingate University 
• Vincent Scalzo, Men’s Lacrosse, Belmont Abbey University 

• Mackenzie Carita, Women’s Lacrosse, Pace University 
• Kayla Thompson, Women’s Lacrosse, Gannon University 
• Ella Halpern, Women’s Lacrosse, North Greenville University 

Dr. Ryan Cox, Director of Athletics at Patchogue-Medford, had this to say about signing day; “I look most forward to the smile on our student-athletes’ faces because this is a culmination of all their hard work and dedication over the years and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. To have 9 signees during this difficult time is pretty incredible and for me that is very rewarding.” 

Tyree Jackson, who will be playing Division 1 baseball at Coppin State University, had this to say when asked if there was anyone in his life that he would like to acknowledge as helping him achieve this next step in his athletic career; “ I just wanted to thank both of my parents and my brothers and my family because they always kept me going even when I felt like I didn’t want to play baseball anymore, they’re the ones who kept me going and I thank them every day for it.” Tyree is also the starting quarterback on the football team here at Pat-Med. 

When asked about the significance of soccer in her life, Alyssa Abramson said “It’s meant a lot to me, I’ve met a lot of cool and fun people and it’s taught me a lot of life lessons out of soccer. I’m really happy, I’ve worked really hard for this over the years so it’s something I’m really excited for.” Alyssa has decided to take her talents to Syracuse University to continue her academic and athletic career. 

I asked Gianna Sacco, who will be playing Felid Hockey at St. Thomas Aquinas College, about how she’s feeling about making this big commitment, she said, “I’m very excited to move onto another chapter of my life and especially to play the sport that I love for so long, I’m very excited.”  

Canan Bademci had this to say about the significance of bowling in her life; “Bowling’s been a huge part of my life so being able to bowl in college is an amazing opportunity. Bowling’s kind of been passed down in my family. My parents bowled, my brother and sister committed to college for bowling and now I did.” Canan will be continuing in her family’s legacy by bowling at Belmont Abbey University next year. 

And speaking of Belmont Abbey University, we have another student-athlete who will be continuing onto Belmont Abbey University, Vincent Scalzo. Vincent, who, like Tyree Jackson, played on the football team here at Patchogue-Medford High School, will be playing men’s lacrosse at Belmont Abbey University. When asked about how he feels about his commitment to Belmont Abbey University, he said “I’m pretty happy about it, Belmont Abbey is a place I’ve wanted to go for a while, so I’m pretty happy. Lacrosse has gotten me through a lot. I’ve been playing it my whole life so it’s kind of shaped my life into what it is today.” 

Ella Halpern, who will be playing women’s lacrosse at North Greenville University in South Carolina, said “Lacrosse has helped me with a lot, anytime I feel stressed I just go up to the fields so honestly, it means everything to me. I would like to thank both of my parents, my coach, Emily Armstrong, and my travel coach for everything. There was a point where I wasn’t going to play lacrosse anymore but they pushed me to believe in myself.” 

Congratulations to all of our student-athletes for making this next step in their athletic careers. We are all so proud of you, all you have accomplished, and all you will accomplish in the future. Best of luck to all of you.