On Thursday, April 24 2026, Shaler Area High School hosted its “Signing Day” which is a day chosen by the school where the athletes who are committed to various colleges, for numerous sports, make it official by signing the commitment paper.
Over time this event has always had the same sentimental feeling that is mixed in with excitement. Parents and grandparents all show up to see their kids’ bright future begin right in front of their eyes.
This year there were a total of 15 seniors signing, each going to different colleges all over the U.S.
The Titans also had Bria Bosiljevac, varsity pitcher for the Softball team sign with Indiana University this past fall.
The ceremony began with the superintendent reading a powerful speech anticipated to hit each one of the seniors right through the heart. After the speech the athletes were called one by one in alphabetical order, each with their own walk-up song that they picked ahead of time, before putting pen to paper.
In the past Shaler never made signing day a big thing but with the new age of athletics and with new Athletic Director Ms. Strauss in the district, they wanted to recognize those who were heading to the next level and make this a much bigger event.
“I’m hoping each year we can build upon the event to make it even more meaningful and help more student-athletes reach their goals of playing at the college level. I want to be a resource to help athletes and their families navigate the recruiting process and find the best fit for them,” Strauss said.
The event lasted for around 30 minutes with each athlete getting their own special moment to sign their commitment letter and share a connection with their family.
There were many different athletes going to many different places and that’s what made this event special. From traditional sports such as track and field, to more modern sports like flag football, these signees have forged a path that a lot of them never saw themselves getting to.
“Lots of hard work and time reaching out to coaches and especially putting in that time to improve on those days off,” Westminster soccer signee Conor McClean said .
Some of the signees thought they’d always get to this point but not for the sport they expected. Jayla Antomachi always believed that she would make it to the college level, but she always thought it would be for softball. Little did she know that the same sport she used to get more athletic and stronger for softball, was the very sport she was best at, track and field.
“I truly did believe I’d be at this point because I was naturally gifted at softball and track, but it’s definitely surprising to me that I signed for track because I started track so late in my life, back in 8th grade,” Antomachi said.
Overall it was a successful event for Titan Athletics as we saw many athletes achieve their dream of getting the chance to play college sports.
“I am extremely proud of all the student-athletes who will be continuing their athletic careers at the collegiate level. It was special to see how much this moment meant to the athletes, their families, teammates and coaches,” Strauss said.
