Fall is a time for apple cider, raking leaves and for standout athletes signing a letter of intent.
The cr’me of Clarkston’s crop will rise in new pastures next year after five youths made their school’s of choice official this week.
State champions Liz Mengyan, Anne Oltman and Lauren Little signed letters of intent in the CHS library on Nov. 11.
Mengyan will head to Illinois for cross country, Oltman will also run at Dayton, and Little will ply her tennis skills at Marquette.
‘I’m very excited for the new level of competition and the new experiences,? said Oltman.
According to her coach, Jamie Labrosse, Oltman particularly appealed to Dayton due to her natural affinity for the steeplechase.
While she knows her athletic path well, Oltman is still unsure as to what route she will take at Dayton academically, but she has narrowed the choices down to business and education.
Oltman’s teammate on the Clarkston 2004 state champion cross country team, Mengyan, is also looking forward to collegiate athletics.
‘I’ll be able to push my limits moving up to the big ten level,? said Mengyan.
‘I predict that (Mengyan) will be big-ten freshman of the year,? said Labrosse. ‘She will find a way to take it to the top.?
Mengyan will pursue a degree in kinesiology.
Labrosse is glad both girls are in programs that will be good fits for them, and that they are close enough he can still follow their progress.
Little was wooed by Marquette’s campus as well as the school’s excellent nursing program.
Having sat out her sophomore and junior years due to injuries, winning the State singles crown was especially sweet for Little who went 23-1 individually.
‘I was really happy to win (the State championship) this year. It was a goal I set a long time ago.? said Little
Aside from the CHS students who committed this past week, two other Clarkston youths signed on the dotted line.
Brandon Gentile and Tim Miller both attended CHS up until after their sophomore years (02-03) when their hockey skills surpassed what the local competition had to offer.
Gentile has played with the US National Team Development under 18 team in Ann Arbor for the past two years. Miller played for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL during the same period of time.
The two former teammates from their days in Little Caesars AAA league will now be bitter rivals for the next four years: Gentile will suit up for MSU next year and Miller will be wearing the maize and blue of U of M.
Clarkston’s Mike Holody, Braden L’amoreaux, and Gillian Nordquist are all expected to sign on with Division I schools this week.