5 Student-Athletes Honored At Greenwich HS Signing Day Ceremony

GREENWICH, CT — There were smiles all around on Wednesday morning inside the media center room in the Greenwich High School library, as five student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent to officially take the next step in their athletic careers.

Gianluca Bianchi will head to Princeton University next year for track; Sean Cowie will play football at Bryant University; Belle Bordier is going to the University of Southern California for rowing; Sophia Neitzell will play lacrosse at the U.S. Naval Academy; and Whitaker Grover will be on the diving team at Yale University.

The five GHS seniors put pen to paper as their families looked on with pride.

GHS Principal Ralph Mayo spoke briefly during the ceremony, and thanked the students' parents for their help and dedication to athletics over the years.

A former college lacrosse player himself, Mayo also spoke directly to the students about the next chapter in their lives. He reminded them to enjoy the process of being involved in a sport at the collegiate level.

"On behalf of all the staff at Greenwich High School and your peers, I want to congratulate you on this amazing accomplishment," Mayo said. "[Playing a sport in college] is like another job. School is a job, then going to practice is going to be like a job. But have fun with it, and enjoy it."

GHS Athletic Director Peter Georgiou said holding signing day ceremonies for student-athletes throughout the school year never gets old.

"We're always grateful for the efforts they've put in for our programs, whether they're playing for us or in sports we don't offer, like rowing," Georgiou said. "For me, it's awesome. Some of these kids I've taught since sixth grade. I've seen them mature from middle school to high school, and now they're going to the next level."

Georgiou said seeing the students grow and hone their skills on the field or court has been great to see; he attends nearly every home game.

"I'm sure they're going to be doing great things at the colleges they're going to be representing," he said.

GHS also held a signing day ceremony this past November in which 23 student-athletes were honored.