If applying to college isn’t already challenging enough, UPHS student-athletes planning on playing sports after graduating need to do some extra work and research to find their perfect school. These students will partake in Division 1, 2, or 3 sports, signing with schools that are interested in recruiting great players.
Keep an eye out on April 23rd, the Athletic Signing Day and Upper Perk’s first-ever Post-Secondary Music Recognition Day in the Library. A few of our well-known students will be featured, such as Homecoming King and Queen Matthew Fisher and Morgan Sweed for Soccer, Jade and Julia Traynor for Field Hockey, and Roman Macedo and Ashlee Shafer for Track and Field, as well as UPHS musicians who excel in Band, Orchestra, and/or choir.
Division signing refers to the contract between a college/university and a student-athlete. After signing a contract with a college, the athlete is usually obligated to attend that school.
In some instances, division signing can lead to large scholarships. Many players get 30-60% scholarships from colleges where they decide to play a sport. The best players can sometimes be eligible for full-ride scholarships—with no cost at all.
Throughout junior, senior, and sometimes sophomore year, students who play sports are observed by college recruiters at games, tournaments, and showcases. Students who perform well at these events are seen and chosen by these scouts to play for a college. Division one is usually reserved for only the best of the best players—those who dedicate their whole lives to their sport.
Being signed to a college for a sport can mean a lot of things for an athlete’s career. They may go on to compete in the Olympics or could potentially play for a professional team.
Although only Division One and high–end Division Two teams consist of the best players, it does not mean that students who do not get placed in these categories are not great players. According to Mr. Kurzweg, the athletic director for the UPHS and UPMS, “Tim Mayza, whose Jersey is hanging in our hallway, was not a division-one athlete, but he was good enough; he was seen, and he’s a major league baseball pitcher now.”
If you want to support your friends, family, or fellow athletes/musicians, we’d love to see you there! If you cannot make it, UPTV will begin livestreaming the event at 10:00 AM on April.
