Natalie Gilbert, Jenna Lawrence and Anna DeClerck (left to right, front row) and Shaye Angelo, Sarah Smith, Chris Noto and Jacob McVige (left to right, back row) are all smiles after the signing ceremony at HF-L. Photo provided by HF-L Athletic Department
The excitement of college signing day where students formally accept and commit to the colleges/universities where they intend to study and also play a sport was multiplied at Honeoye Falls-Lima by seven a couple of weeks ago.
Seven HF-L students signed their letters of intent on Thursday, November 13 in front of family, friends and teammates.
Shaye Angelo, the daughter of Megan and Ralph Angelo, will be attending Duke University to study finance and play for the Women’s Lacrosse team. She carries a 3.95 academic average and will be credited with seven Advanced Placement courses by the time she graduates this coming June.
“I really loved the balance between academic and athletics,” said Angelo, who also seriously considered Notre Dame and Syracuse University. “The ACC has a high level of lacrosse and also a high level of academics. The school and team culture is awesome, just like HF-L, and very supportive. The warmer weather is also a plus.”
A member of National Honor Society and one of the social media managers for the HF-L Athletics Department, Angelo has also played varsity basketball for five years and will be a captain of the team again this year as she was as a junior. She has also played varsity lacrosse for five years, playing attack, and plays club lacrosse with the Monster Lacrosse team. Angelo says her favorite memory from lacrosse is going to the state tournament as an eighth-grader and her biggest accomplishment is being a two-time All-Greater Rochester selection in lacrosse.
“I love both lacrosse and basketball,” said Angelo, who will likely play low attack at Duke. “Lacrosse is similar to basketball. It’s like basketball but with a stick. My brother, Drew, played lacrosse and that inspired me to pick up the game as well.”
Anna DeClerck, the daughter of Lisa and Mike DeClerck, signed with Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina and will likely major in biology while playing lacrosse at Winthrop. She carries a 3.9 academic average and will have credits in seven Advanced Placement courses by the time she graduates in June.
“I was looking at a number of schools in Pennsylvania, particularly Slippery Rock and Lock Haven, but they all felt similar,” said DeClerck, who will likely play midfield at college. “But, Winthrop was a totally different vibe and it’s also someplace new and different. The school and team culture was incredible. When I visited there, it was like a family and you couldn’t tell who was a freshman or who was a senior. The coach is always there for the students and is very supportive. It was similar to what I have experienced here at HF-L. “
A member of National Honor Society, DeClerck is also co-founder and co-leader of HF-L’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Bible Study Club. She just completed her fourth year on the varsity soccer team where she played midfielder. She was in the Big Cougar/Little Cougar program as a sophomore and was matched with a girl at the Manor School whom she is still in touch with. She has played FCA Club Lacrosse for seven years and has worked at Pinehurst Community Living Center for about a year-and-a-half in the food service area, serving between 50 and 60 residents at Pinehurst and communicating between them and the chefs at Pinehurst. She will be in her third-year of varsity lacrosse this spring and has played both midfield and defense for the Cougars.
“My favorite memories of lacrosse so far is the team-bonding we did last spring prior to the start of the season and then winning the Section V Class C title last spring,” DeClerck said. “My biggest accomplishment in lacrosse would be receiving second-team Monroe County League honors and All-Greater Rochester honorable mention honors as a junior. It felt good because I had put in so much hard work.”
Natalie Gilbert, the daughter of Heather and Joe Gilbert, will be attending Niagara University where she will be studying nursing and competing for the Women’s Swim team. She carries a 4.0 grade point average and will graduate with credits in eight Advanced Placement courses.
“After visiting Niagara, I knew it was the school for me,” said Gilbert, who will likely swim the long distance freestyle events. “A lot of the girls on the team are majors in nursing which is what I would like to major in because I want to be a nurse practitioner and they seem to balance their academic work with the athletics well. I loved the campus, the coach and the team. Niagara is also far enough from home but not too far, being about an hour-and-half from here and about 30 minutes from my grandparents. When I was younger, I broke both my arms at the same time and I became fascinated by how the doctors and nurses worked.”
Gilbert is Vice President of community service in the school’s National Honor Society and also is a member of the Spanish National Honor Society. She is a member of the Newspaper Club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has been on the varsity track team for four years. She is a Girl Scout and swims year round for the PACK Swim Club in Pittsford. She works at the YMCA’s Schottland Branch in Pittsford as a lifeguard, swim instructor and coach. She has been on the varsity swim team for six years.
“My greatest achievement is holding two school records in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle and two Section V Class C Championship meet records in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle,” Gilbert said. “My favorite memory is winning the 400 freestyle relay last year with Addy (Boggio) and my two sisters, Alyssa and Julia. We called it the Sibleyville Estates relay. Being on the team with my sisters last season and this season has been wonderful. I have cherished every moment with them and with the team.”
Jenna Lawrence, the daughter of Kelly and Geoffrey Lawrence, signed with Grand Valley State University in Michigan and will play for the Women’s Lacrosse team. She is leaning toward a major in biomedical sciences with a possible goal of going pre-med. She carries a 4.17 grade point average and will graduate with nine or 10 Advanced Placement credits and also a couple of dual enrollment courses through Monroe Community College or Genesee Community College.
“I also had offers from Gettysburg College and Messiah College, both in Pennsylvania, and John Carroll University in Ohio,” said Lawrence, who will likely play midfield in college. “Grand Valley is a D2 school but they are like a D1 school in lacrosse. I just thought it would be a better balance between academics and athletics because I thought being at a competitive D1 school and the academics if I went pre-med would be tough. My mom is a pharmacist at Strong and my inspiration for looking at the medical field.”
A member of National Honor Society, Lawrence is also a member of Spanish National Honor Society, the Class of 2026 secretary, an officer with the Green Team and an officer with the Math Club along with being a co-founder and co-leader of the FCA Bible Study group and on the costume crew for the spring musical. She just finished three-and-a-half years on the varsity soccer team and is starting her fourth year on the varsity Nordic Ski team and will be in her fourth year on the varsity lacrosse team in the spring. She also volunteers at her church, Grace Road Church, and plays on the FCA Upstate Lacrosse Club. She said her favorite memory was her freshman year when the Cougars went to the state tournament and also beating Pittsford last spring. While many lacrosse players play basketball in the winter if they are a three-sport athlete, Lawrence finds that Nordic Skiing has helped her in lacrosse.
“When I mentioned I was on the Nordic Ski team, some coaches asked me about that,” Lawrence said. “My older sister Cayla started doing Nordic and my parents felt it was important to be three-sport athletes. Originally I hated it when I started with the modified team. For me, Nordic Ski has been the best option because Nordic gets me in peak shape and helps my endurance for playing midfielder.”
Sarah Smith, the daughter of Nicole and Chris Smith, will be attending the University of New Haven where she will play for the Women’s Lacrosse team. She is undecided on a major but is leaning toward forensics and criminal justice. She has a 4.0 academic average and will have six credits from Advanced Placement courses by the time she graduates in June.
“I also looked at St. Bonaventure, Southern Connecticut and Bentley University,” said Smith who will likely play midfield at New Haven. “I chose New Haven because of the great team chemistry and atmosphere, for its academics in forensics and criminal justice and also its location, about 5-and-half-hours from home, so it’s not too far away and not too close.”
Smith is a member of National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society. She just started her third year on the varsity basketball team and will be in her fourth year as a midfielder on the varsity lacrosse team next spring. She has worked at Yotality in Pittsford for the past two years and played for the Monster Lacrosse Club for about six years. She credits her brother, Owen, for igniting her interest in playing lacrosse and said her greatest achievement in lacrosse is being a two-time All County selection and being able to commit to a Division 1 school since New Haven has joined the NEC. Her favorite memory is the two Section V title wins as a freshman and as a junior. Like her teammates, she is aware she is looked upon as a role model by younger girls in the youth lacrosse program.
“It’s important to show up at their practices,” Smith said. “I know they idolize and are inspired by us. I remember being their age and looking at the older girls and being inspired by them, so it is important to give them support and encouragement.”
Jacob McVige, the son of Renee and Joseph McVige, signed his letter of intent to attend Lock Haven University where he will wrestle and is leaning toward a major in finance although he is keeping an open mind. He carries a 3.45 academic average and will have three Advanced Placement courses to his credit by the time he graduates in June.
“I considered Mercyhurst and Bloomsburg, but just felt that Lock Haven gives me the greatest opportunity both academically and athletically,” said McVige, who will likely wrestle at either 149 pounds or 157 pounds at Lock Haven.
McVige is starting his sixth year on the varsity wrestling squad at HF-L and also participates in wrestling year-round with a club team. He credits his father, who was a wrestler in high school, with introducing him to the sport. He has been with a club team since the fourth grade.
“My greatest achievement in wrestling is being a three-time Section V champion, qualifying for states four times and placing at states three times with my best finish being second at states,” said McVige, who has been a captain of the team for three years. “My favorite memory is just being on the team and winning a Section V team title twice.”
Chris Noto, the son of Sue and Tony Noto, will be attending Lock Haven University where he will be on the Wrestling team and probably studying environmental science since he would like to be a DEC officer. He holds a 98 academic average and will be credited with two Advanced Placement courses when he graduates in June.
“I also considered UPenn, Edinboro and UB, but chose Lock Haven because my brother Anthony went there,” said Noto, who will probably wrestle at the 133 pound weight class in college. “Anthony will be helping coach the team and I just found the team atmosphere is similar to what I experience here at HF-L.”
Noto just began his sixth year on the varsity wrestling team, where he has been a captain for the past three years. He helps run HF-L’s social media accounts for wrestling. He has been involved in wrestling for a club team since he was young. He became interested in the sport thanks to his older brothers, Anthony and Nick, both of them star wrestlers for HF-L.
“Winning at states is my favorite memory,” said Noto, who owns a 168-9 record at the varsity level. “My greatest achievements are being a five-time Section V champion, winning one state title and competing at the National level where my best place is fourth.”
