November 14th is the date that high school athletes are allowed to officially sign with the colleges they have been recruited by. On this day, three of Brien McMahon's most talented athletes sat down in front of many of their friends and family to sign their way into the next four years of their life. As can be expected emotions were on full display with one athlete, Justin Forde, even getting choked up with how powerful the moment was for him. Below are the stories of each athlete and why they ultimately choose their institution. Eduardo Vargas Becomes a GaelBrendan Duddy & Reggie Fleurancy PrideTime Senior Editor & PrideTime Reporter One of the lingering questions among athletes at McMahon is who is going to commit to a college for their sport along with when and where to. One of these athletes is Eduardo Vargas who has now officially committed to the Iona College mens’ soccer team. “I feel good about this coach, he really seems to like me and he's a good guy. He is one of the only coaches I have been contacted by that believe in freshman playing their first year if they deserve it and work for it,” said Vargas in regards to how he feels about his new head coach. Vargas, who credits his family and past coaches for his success, says he chose Iona in part because of its proximity to his home. “A big role was because my family could come watch my games and I could go back to Norwalk whenever I want.” “I dream of playing in the Premier League but obviously that's a huge step, I would have to go to the MLS first and then get scouted from there to go overseas to a good team in Europe. I dream of playing on Manchester City,” said Vargas. Chloe Ortolano Signs with ProvidenceBrandon Miller & Brendan Duddy PrideTime Reporter & PrideTime Senior Editor For someone who has been playing soccer since she was about four or five years old, Chloe Ortolano (‘19) has worked as hard as she could to reach her goals. On November 14, she took the next step in this goal and signed with No. 51 ranked Providence College. Even with the hard work, Ortolano thanks her parents most of all saying, “My parents have been my biggest supporters, they helped me get to where I am today.” She went on to mention that because of her relationship with her family, she wanted to be a good distance from home but not too far. Ortolano, who was also being looked at by schools such as Boulder and Villanova, says she ultimately decided on Providence because it had everything she was looking for. “The atmosphere, people, the location and receiving an athletic scholarship,” had to do with helping her decide on her final decision. She also stated that her coach had an impact on her decision because, “He motivates the team and is very supportive.” Ortolano has played other sports throughout her life but stuck with soccer because she enjoyed playing it the most. She will now have the opportunity to continue playing the sport she truly loves. Justin Forde Joins the "U"Reggie Fleurancy & Brendan Duddy PrideTime Reporter & PrideTime Senior Editor Justin Forde had no intentions of becoming a track star but when he joined the McMahon track team to impress a girl he had a crush on, he ended up leaping into being the No. 2 recruit in the country from the 2019 class and signing with the University of Miami.
“I never knew I would be one of the best track athletes in the country” said Forde who added: “I had 60+ phone calls, I could’ve went anywhere in the country.” Forde says was being recruited by every division 1 school in the country with the exception of Harvard. “Miami wanted me before everyone! They didn’t just hand me a scholarship, but they told me what I have to do to get a scholarship and I went above those standards. When I went on my official visit, it felt like home.” Forde has an amazing leaping ability and therefore competes in the high jump, triple jump, and long jump for the track team. Forde was amazed that he was No. 2 in the country and that all of these colleges where messaging him and giving him offers especially his dream school UCLA. All of these messages that he got and schools saying that they want him made him feel that he needed to work harder. “It made me want to work harder so when it’s time to make my decision I would be happy and not be forced into choosing a school that I wouldn’t want to go to.” His goal right now is to be the No. 1 high end track jumper in the country. “I want to lead the Country by a long shot!” His college goal is to work harder than the rest and make it to the Olympics in 2020. To Forde anything is possible in his head and it’s not cockiness, it’s confidence. “My long term goal is to be the best ever, if you know me, nobody will tell me 'no'.” Forde intends to study Music Business and Entertainment Industries in Miami. He said he wants to own his own record label one day.
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