FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Courtesy of Anna Maria Athletics Communications
PAXTON, Mass. - The Anna Maria College athletic department and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is celebrated NCAA Division III Week on Wednesday with a full-day field trip for 10 students from Worcester South High School, who spent Wednesday living the life of an AMCAT student-athlete.
The 10 high school students attended a college class, toured the dorms, ate lunch in the dining hall and participated in a panel that featured Anna Maria head coaches Vincent Sinagra (football), Danielle Del Ponte (softball) and Samantha Shomo (volleyball) and graduate assistant coach Jordan Koehler (football).
After all four coaches introduced themselves and their coaching philosophies, the students were able to pose questions to the panel. Both Sinagra and Del Ponte emphasized the importance of character when bringing in new student-athletes to the team.
Del Ponte, who is also an admissions counselor, spoke to the benefits of good grades. “We reward good grades with merit scholarships here at Anna Maria. At the Division III level, having a high GPA in high school is your best way to cut costs.”
Shomo, the athletic department’s academic liaison, furthered this thought by telling the high school group that NCAA student-athletes must maintain a 2.0 GPA.
Dennis Vanesse, Anna Maria’s Director of the Learning Center who also works at South High School, asked the panel to explain the best way for high school students who are interested in playing college sports to get started in the recruiting process.
“Should they send video of themselves, should they contact coaches directly, or is there an option we’re missing?” he asked.
All three head coaches took part in this answer, explaining that it is different at all levels.
“At the Division I level, top recruits often use recruiting services, or they are already on the coaching staffs’ radar. There are some good services out there and some bad. If that’s a route you want to take, do your research,” cautioned Sinagra.
Shomo and Del Ponte advised the South students with their own recruiting experience in Division III, stating that the best way to express interest is through online recruiting forms or an email sent directly to the head coach.
“Once we know someone is interested and has opened the line of communication, it allows us to focus our recruiting efforts accordingly,” said Shomo.
Added Del Ponte, “I always encourage recruits to send us their schedules. We try our hardest to see all of our recruits play in person.”
Each South student concluded the day with gifts from Anna Maria’s SAAC, which included an AMC sweatshirt and drawstring bag.