Three sign to play field hockey, one to soccer
National Letter of Intent signing day and the 48 hours after the prep tradition in which athletes declare where they will take their talents saw four Gilroy High students scribe, with jittery hands, one of the more memorable signatures they will ever pen.
Dani Hemeon (University of Iowa), Aubrey Young (Saint Louis University), Emily Costa (University of California at Davis) and Katelyn Nebesnick (California State University Stanislaus) all declared their commitments in front of family, friends and teammates last week.
Each showed off their new school colors as friends clapped and proud parents watched their children take the first step to accomplishing lifelong dreams.
“It feels good, but I can’t really believe it yet,” said Nebesnick, who inked her signature Wednesday and will play soccer for the Warriors next fall.
Nebesnick is the first player under the guidance of GHS girls soccer head coach Jose Hernandez (seven years) to sign a letter of intent to attend a Division I or II college. Stanislaus is Division II school.
Also a standout on the field hockey team, Nebesnick had a chance to play at UC Davis, but soccer is where she finds her passion.
“I had to follow my heart,” she said.
Though Nebesnick decided to stick with soccer, collegiate programs around the country had no trouble finding plenty of GHS field hockey players to help fill their rosters. The revolving door from the GHS turf to the next level continued.
Hemeon, Young and Costa will suit up and swing the stick for their respective squads in the fall.
“It’s pretty exciting. It’s kind of nice to know that I already have something taken care of and I know where I’m going,” Young said. “I like the atmosphere there. The people welcomed me in with opened arms.
“I’m looking forward to the food, because I like the food in Missouri,” Young continued with a chuckle. “But I’m also excited for the new start.”
Hemeon, one of Gilroy’s most decorated field hockey products, had already verbally committed to become a Hawkeye during her junior year. But Friday’s finalization had a reassuring feeling.
“I was nervous, not like I changed my mind, but it’s like now I’m signed and it’s real and I’m actually going there,” said Hemeon, who had six schools pining for her presence, including Stanford, Cal, Indiana and Northwestern, the latter two teams she will face in conference action.
“Once you know, you just know. I went there last summer for Junior Olympics and fell in love with it,” she said. “It just all fit and had everything I was looking for.”
Costa, meanwhile, will follow in her parent’s footsteps, who were also Aggies, a decision she came to in November.
“It’s a really cool team,” Costa said. “The team chemistry is awesome and I could see myself getting along really well with the girls.
“It felt really good even though I was kind of nervous signing. Everyone was there. It was fun.”
