It’s an exciting time for seniors all across America, but especially for students at New Providence High School.  Seniors at NPHS are deciding what to do next year, and many will leave the comforts of their home to experience life through new lenses.

For  a small number of students who have chosen to pursue higher education, not only are they committing for an education, experience, and life, but they are also committing to become a better athlete.

According to ScholarshipsStats.com, “Overall a little over 7% of high school athletes (about 1 in 13) go on to play a varsity sport in college and less than 2% of high school athletes (1 in 57) go on to play at  NCAA Division I schools.”

So who are the future athletes of America and what are they planning to do to benefit their careers?  Here are some of the Pioneers who will be going off to play their sport at the next level.

Nick Bisaccia will be attending Seton Hall (Division I) for baseball.

How long have you been playing/participating in your sport for?

Basically my entire life probably since I was like four years old.

Why were you so interested in playing in the sport?

I’ve always gravitated to it from a young age. My dad played and my grandpa played it. So I think it’s just in my blood and something I’ve always loved to do.

When did you know that you wanted to compete in college for your specific sport?

I think I’ve always known that I wanted to be the best I could and it took me here. So yeah, I think I always knew I wanted to be the best that I could employ at the next level.

Was competing in your sport a deal breaker when choosing a college? 

Yeah, it definitely narrowed down my options. I mean, there’s only so many places you can play. So I tried to find the places that fit me best and that was Seton Hall. I was very happy.

How are you hoping to manage your academic, social, and athletic calendar?

Well, it’s definitely a busy schedule. So just try to do the best you can. I mean, school comes first and then sports. So you have to enjoy yourself a little bit. So it’s all balanced that way not to learn as they get there.

Ian Landsittal will be attending Alfred University (Division III) for soccer.

How long have you been playing/participating in your sport for?

I’ve been playing soccer for at least 12 years.

Why were you so interested in playing in the sport?

I just had a lot of fun playing soccer in my high school career and I want to continue it in college.

Was competing in your sport a deal breaker when choosing a college? 

I feel like I didn’t base it just on if I could play soccer there. 

How are you hoping to manage your academic, social, and athletic calendar?

Kind of the same I did this year. I was able to balance it. So I think we’ll be able to balance it and college. 

Joe Vignali will be attending Stevens Institute of Technology (Division III) for lacrosse and will be majoring in mechanical engineering.

How long have you been playing/participating in your sport for?

I have been playing lacrosse for as long as I can remember, I would say when I was about 8 years old I started playing youth lacrosse in New Providence.

Why were you so interested in playing in the sport?

I was so interested in playing lacrosse because it was something different than most sports at the time. It was still a pretty new, growing sport that was not soccer, baseball, football, etc and I think this attracted me to play. Also, I had grown up watching both of my older brothers play which definitely influenced me to play as well. 

When did you know that you wanted to compete in college for your specific sport?

I think I knew I wanted to compete in college for lacrosse after watching my brother do the same for himself. This was around 6th grade for me and at this point I had realized if I worked hard enough I too could play in college. Before this moment I had not really considered, let alone even knew, it was possible to do such a thing, so this definitely opened my eyes to the process.

Was competing in your sport a deal breaker when choosing a college? 

Honestly no, playing lacrosse was not a “deal breaker” for choosing a college. I believed that education came first and lacrosse came second. However, being given the offer to continue playing the sport I love at an incredible school like Stevens Institute of Technology was an amazing opportunity I knew I should take!

How are you hoping to manage your academic, social, and athletic calendar?

I plan to manage my academic, social and athletic calendar with scheduling and of course some trial and error. I plan to make allotted times for both school work and social activities when I am not participating in my sport. However, since practices are not at the same time everyday like highschool, I’m going to have to “roll with it” and make the best use of my time when I can!

Sabrina Boyle will be attending Ithaca College (Division III) for Track and Field.

How long have you been playing/participating in your sport for?

I started doing track my freshman year of high school and I started pole vaulting my junior year. 

Why were you so interested in playing in the sport?

Something I really like about track is always working towards getting a new PR (personal record), and I also love the team aspect of the sport. Also, pole vault has become my favorite event and I am excited to continue doing it more in college. 

When did you know that you wanted to compete in college for your specific sport?

I knew I wanted to compete in college for track when I started pole vaulting last year. It is a really fun and challenging event and I knew I wanted to compete more in college. 

Was competing in your sport a deal breaker when choosing a college? 

Yes because track and field is something I am very passionate about and I really wanted to continue this sport in college to be able to keep improving. Since I only started pole vault last year, I also wanted to be able to continue doing that for more seasons. 

How are you hoping to manage your academic, social, and athletic calendar?

I’ll probably try to manage it in the same way I do now, by using time during the day before my practices to complete most of my work so that after practices I am not overwhelmed by work and will be able to have a social life as well.

Floyd Conlin will be attending Loyola University Maryland (Division I) for swimming.

How long have you been playing/participating in your sport for?

I have been swimming for the past 12 years since I was 6 years old. 

Why were you so interested in playing in the sport?

The hard work and dedication that the sport required both in and out of the pool made me very interested in swimming. 

When did you know that you wanted to compete in college for your specific sport?

I knew after my sophomore year of high school that I wanted to swim in college and that I had a real shot at doing it. 

Was competing in your sport a deal breaker when choosing a college? 

Being able to compete as a collegiate athlete definitely influenced my decision regarding colleges, as I wanted to continue my swimming career and potentially earn a scholarship.  

How are you hoping to manage your academic, social, and athletic calendar?

I am hoping to make a lot of new friends on the team, but also meet new people outside of the sport. Being a student athlete requires a lot of time management, and balancing academics with swimming and a social life can be very difficult. However, I believe that if I stay focused, I can attain my academic goals while participating in a Division 1 sport. 

Dean Licari will be attending The College of New Jersey (Division III) for football and will be majoring in mechanical engineering.

How long have you been playing/participating in your sport for?

Since fourth grade PAL.

Why were you so interested in playing in the sport?

I honestly thought I would be playing baseball in college, but I don’t know over the past four years [something changed]. I really like football and baseball.

When did you know that you wanted to compete in college for your specific sport?

Probably junior year.

Was competing in your sport a deal breaker when choosing a college? 

Yeah, for sure it was. There’s a lot of weighing different things: weighing football, weighing coaches, weighing the school itself, so a lot of different things to take into account.

How are you hoping to manage your academic, social, and athletic calendar?

I honestly hope that football kind of provides a little structure because you know, college has a lot of responsibilities and freedom so I think football, along with school, provide a lot of structure.

Good luck to all our future athletes in their sports careers and to all seniors on their commitments!