The looming choice each student faces of where to spend the next four years is never an easy decision. Some already have future plans and some go in undecided, yet for athletes that wish to continue their sport and play at a collegiate level, there are many more factors to consider when making this decision.   

Watertown High School field hockey players Jonna Kennedy and Maddie Leitner, alongside cross-country/track runner Emily Koufos, finalized their decisions to play at a collegiate level Monday, Nov. 13, 2017, at their National Letter of Intent signing in the WHS gym.  

For Jonna Kennedy, who will be attending Boston College next fall as a field hockey goalie, the process of verbally committing began in the summer of 2016.

“Boston College seemed like the perfect fit for me,” she said. “I fell in love with the campus and could see myself playing for the team.”

Maddie Leitner will be playing for Long Island University Post next year, a decision she made fairly recently. When asked about how it felt to finally sign her National Letter of Intent, Leitner said, “I felt really excited to finally know where I am going and extremely excited to join the LIU Post team.”

Field hockey coach Eileen Donahue spoke at the event, acknowledging both girls’ effort and contribution to the success the team has seen over the past four years. Both girls have been on the state championship-winning team all four years of their high school experience.  

Cross-country and track runner Emily Koufos has seen much success throughout her years at Watertown High, including becoming the first female in program history to win an individual Middlesex League cross-country title last month. She will be running for Holy Cross next year. Her accomplishments and hard work were highlighted by coach Tom Wittenhagen at the event, who spoke before her signing, noting that she was one of the best runners to ever grace Watertown High.

These three girls are lucky enough to be recognized for their hard work by these schools, as very few people get this opportunity. We wish these athletes luck and can’t wait to see what else they accomplish in the future!

–Nov. 24, 2017–