Farmington High School athletes sign commitments to colleges

Several graduating Farmington High School athletes are going on to play sports at the collegiate level. Thirteen of the athletes signed their letters of intent at the school, on May 11.

Athletic Director Matt Martorelli said one of the most important elements of his job is celebrating the accomplishments of the school’s athletes.

Among the athletes were Tomas Yonkers, who played football, wrestled, and will continue his track career at the University of Hartford. He specialized in pole vault while also competing in decathalon and other events.

Yonker said he chose Hartford so he can be close to home and help with Farmington’s track team.

“I can come back here and check up on the vaulters,” he said. “I came here as a sophomore and started as one of the first pole vaulters in a while. We kind of built that program from the ground up.”

Yonkers said he looked at a few other schools, as well, but UHart made sense.“I just knew, when I was looking at schools that that was where I wanted to go,” he said. “I guess it’s set in stone now.”

Yonkers will be majoring in physics with plans to become a researcher.

Alyssa Dapont said she chose her college, Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where she plans to major in business administration and finance, because it quickly became her first choice when she visited the campus.

“I really felt at home there,” she said. “I really loved the program, in general. I met the coaches, and they were so kind and so nice.”

She will be running track, as she did in Farmington, specializing in the 100- and 200-meter sprints. In her high school career, she had qualified for the conference and state meets multiple times.

Other athletes signing were Jennifer Austin, Babson College, lacrosse; Aidan Cooke, University of St. Joseph, soccer; Arianna Fitzsimmons, Eastern Connecticut State University, soccer; Sarah Hannah, Union College, crew; Thomas Keough, Western Connecticut State University, baseball; Griffin Kiniry, Worcester State University, football; Maya Koster, Union College, soccer; Alexander Lee, Carleton College, swimming; Hannah Sams, Union College, soccer; Daniele Simeone, University of Hartford, soccer; and Amber Wolkner, Springfield College, field hockey.

Martorelli gave advice to Yonkers, and all of the athletes.

“Make sure to balance your academics and athletics,” he said. “Remember that as a student athlete, your top priority is academics. While you have to dedicate at lot of time to your sport, make sure you prioritize your studies and obtain good grades. This will help you achieve academic success and success after college.”

“Have fun,” Martorelli added. “Playing college sports is an incredible opportunity, and it’s important to enjoy the experience.”

For more information, visit https://www.fpsct.org/beyond-the-classroom/athletics.