The following eight student athletes have committed to collegiate programs across five sports including Baseball, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Softball, and Track & Field. They will go on to play at D1 and D3 schools across the country.

Valentina Baizan ’27 – Field Hockey – Stanford University – Stanford, CA – D1

Cole Coffman ’27  – Baseball – Rice University – Houston, TX – D1

Henry Hogan ’27  – Baseball – University of Chicago – Chicago, IL – D3

Jett McBride ’27  – Baseball – University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA – D1 

*Caroline Peterson ’27  – Lacrosse – Claremont McKenna – Claremont, CA - D3

Thea Popovic ’27  – Track & Field – University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA – D1

Sofia Ruegg ’27  – Field Hockey – Wake Forest – Winston-Salem, NC – D1

Gabby Sherrill ’27  – Softball – Bucknell University – Lewisburg, PA – D1 

The signing ceremony was organized by Athletic Recruiting Liaison Kathy Halligan, who welcomed the crowd and introduced Director of Athletics David Cohn.

Cohn congratulated the athletes and welcomed their families and supporters with opening remarks, saying, “I think the word that best captures this moment is gratitude. Gratitude for the journey, for the people who have supported us along the way, for the opportunities we’ve been given, and for the privilege of being part of something bigger than ourselves.”

 

“Success is about more than the scoreboard–it’s about the people beside you, the relationships you build, and the community you represent,” he continued. “To our signees, today we celebrate your accomplishments, but just as importantly, we celebrate the journey that brought you here. We recognize the early mornings, the long practices, the weekends on the road, the sacrifices and countless hours of work that often went unseen. But I hope you also recognize the people who helped make this day possible: your parents, your families, your coaches, your teammates, your teachers, and everyone who believed in you along the way. ”

SJS Board Chair Gentry Lee ’90 served as emcee, sharing the impressive career highlights of each athlete and inviting the students to share a few words. All expressed deep gratitude to their families, coaches, teammates, and school community for their support. Chair Lee reminded the athletes that although they are moving on in their academic and athletic careers, they will always have a home at St. John’s School.

“Congratulations to all of you,” he said. “We know you are headed off to represent new teams in addition to St. John’s, but I would like to say that you are ambassadors for this school and we are incredibly proud of your run here.”

Sherrill, a multi-sport athlete who has played softball since the age of 4, described her experience playing for SJS as “amazing.”

“Softball means so much to me,” she said. “It has been formative for my whole life and really represented my personal growth. As I started to play at St. John's I got to develop the best community I have experienced around the sport. I am excited to take this experience to the college level and beyond.”

Ruegg, a highly-decorated center forward and repeat All-SPC athlete, cited a quote from Billie Jean King when describing the importance of field hockey and its lessons to her. “‘Pressure is a privilege–it only comes to those who earn it.’ I have been on varsity all of my four years and it's safe to say that the expectations are always high.”

McBride, a pitcher who boasts a 95 mph fastball, credits his teammates and coaches for his love of the game and continued development as a player. “I really appreciate the coaching staff, especially Coach Everts and Coach Dishman, for helping me improve as a pitcher throughout my time here,” he said. “Entering freshman year, I never would have thought that I would be playing Division I baseball as a pitcher; if anything maybe as a position player. But with their help and countless hours of training, I really improved immensely over my high school career. If you told me that I would throw a 95 mile fastball in high school when I was entering freshman year, I probably would have laughed.”

SJS congratulates these student athletes on their tremendous accomplishments and the school community looks forward to watching their journey at the next level.