'This was my dream': Jacksonville athletes sign with colleges on Fall Signing Day 2023

Until two years ago, Chris Joost said, he didn't expect to have the chance to compete in college athletics.

One stroke of the pan, and years of effort leading up to that moment, changed everything.

"It really speaks to how far hard work and dedication can get you," the Bolles senior runner said after signing his national letter of intent to race for Boston College in men's cross country and track.

Lined up across the floor of the Davis Gym, a 17-strong crop of Bolles athletes put pen to paper at 8:52 a.m. Wednesday to open another Fall Signing Day for high school sports across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.

Bolles entered Wednesday with the First Coast's largest signing class but far from the only one, with athletes in a host of high school sports — excluding football and basketball — celebrating the next step in their journey to college athletics.

Shortly after the Bolles ceremony, Fleming Island distance runner Graham Myers signed with Florida, with more events following throughout the day.

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THE TWINS: ALEX AND KATE MEYERS-LABENZ

For twin swimmers Alex and Kate Meyers-Labenz, signing day meant double the fun.

Double destination: Duke.

"It's pretty exciting, pretty cool that we're going to the same college," said Kate, who had originally planned to attend Brown before switching recently to Duke.

Both were only four days removed from helping Bolles defend its Florida High School Athletic Association championships in Ocala. Alex helped win relays for the Bolles boys on the road to their 36th consecutive state title, and Kate picked up relay victories and a third place in the 100-yard backstroke as the Bulldog girls stretched their streak to 33 years.

The siblings were among eight Bolles signees in the pool, a list that also includes Landon Kyser (Wisconsin), Carter Lancaster (California), Seth Tolentino (Texas A&M), Sophia Joos (Emory), Simany Lee (Georgia) and Julia Murphy (Virginia Tech).

For years, the pair didn't expect that they'd be going to college together. Kate was originally the more accomplished swimmer of the two, advancing to the Bolles varsity team as an All-First Coast eighth-grader in 2019 and qualifying for two Class 1A finals before entering high school. But as Alex developed his talent in the water, including state final berths in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, NCAA interest began to grow.

"When I started swimming, I did not think I would get as far as being in a place where I could go to college for it," Alex said. "It's been very, very cool, and I'm very grateful."

THE ACE: CHAYCE KIECK

For Chayce Kieck, it was a dream come true.

Surrounded by his family and a crowd of orange and purple-clad supporters, the senior pitcher signed with Clemson.

"When you're young, you're just playing in the backyard and you don't really think about this stuff," Kieck said. "But as I got older and college baseball became an option, this was my dream. So to be able to be here is amazing."

He joined teammates David Martin, who signed with Samford, and Spencer Stephens, who signed with the U.S. Naval Academy. Kieck, a strikeout ace who fanned 98 batters in 65 innings in the spring, said Clemson's coaching staff and atmosphere led him to the ACC school.

"It's another step on a journey," Kieck said. "I'm excited to get up there and keep working hard to be ready to make a difference when I get there."

THE FAST RISER: CHRIS JOOST

When Joost started running, he didn't expect his path would lead him to college track.

"I'd always been a pretty good runner but nothing great," he said. "I just really started to try a lot more, and the more I got better, the more fun it became. It kind of became a cycle.

"It was like, 'This was something I wanted to do in the future, and can I do this in college?' That was one of the things that really pushed me to do this, and seeing it happen now is really nice."

Those college dreams finally bore fruit in spring. While racing with Bolles in March at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston, Joost said he came to love the New England atmosphere and began to contact colleges in the area. Pretty soon, buoyed a strong spring track season, he landed a Boston College offer.

"One thing just led to another," he said.

For Joost, there's still unfinished business. District cross country champion a week ago, he races Thursday morning at the Region 1-2A meet at Alligator Lake Park in Lake City, followed by the Nov. 17 state championship at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee.

"I've kind of been under the radar for so long in running, and I don't feel like people really know a lot about me when it comes to running," Joost said. "These last few weeks are the weeks I really want to make count."

FALL SIGNING 2023: JACKSONVILLE-AREA COLLEGE SIGNINGS

Atlantic Coast: Aubrey Abercrombie, Nicholls, cheerleading; Olivia Garcia, Edward Waters, softball; Valentina Goodloe, Jackson State, women's soccer; Lola Pedersen, Bluefield, volleyball; Gaby Rourke, Kentucky, women's soccer.

Beachside: Ayla Kiziltas, West Florida, women's soccer; Lainie Stapleton, Air Force, volleyball.

Bishop Kenny: Clare Coyle, Furman, men's basketball; Graham Evans, Boston University, men's swimming; Skylar Fick, West Alabama, volleyball; Evan Gardner, Mount St. Mary's, men's swimming; Kaitlyn Gilmore, Pensacola State College, softball; Rachel Howard, Duquesne, women's swimming; Sydney Roundtree, Air Force, women's basketball; Claudia Stockard, UAB, beach volleyball; Mallory Swain, Belmont Abbey, volleyball; Riley Talbert, UAB, women's basketball.

Bolles: Ashlyn Anderson, Kennesaw State, volleyball; Bella Bergeron, Denison, volleyball; Gavin Boree, High Point, men's lacrosse; Daylin John-Hill, Jacksonville, men's lacrosse; Sophia Joos, Emory, women's swimming; Chris Joost, Boston College, men's cross country; Parker Kane, Florida Tech, men's lacrosse; Chayce Kieck, Clemson, baseball; Landon Kyser, Wisconsin, men's swimming; Carter Lancaster, California, men's swimming; Simany Lee, California, women's swimming; David Martin, Samford, baseball; Alex Meyers-Labenz, Duke, men's swimming; Kate Meyers-Labenz, Duke, women's swimming; Julia Murphy, Virginia Tech, women's swimming; Spencer Stephens, Navy, baseball; Seth Tolentino, Texas A&M, men's swimming.

Camden County: Garrett Albright, Coastal Alabama Community College, baseball.

Clay: Chantal Esparza, Emmanuel, volleyball; Aubri Martin, Mercer, volleyball.

Creekside: Leslie Dame, Siena, women's swimming; Chloe Iliff, Lipscomb, women's soccer; Christian Miller, Georgia, men's track; Avery Robinson, UCLA, women's soccer; Skye Tumbelty, Columbus State, women's soccer; Riley Waters, Mars Hill, softball.

Episcopal: Cam Goldknopf, William & Mary, men's golf; Ella Henderson, Wooster, women's swimming; Kent Jackson, Jacksonville, men's basketball; Grace Jones, Mercer softball; Henry Robards, Mercer, men's golf; Grady Schwartz, Tampa, men's basketball; Charlotte Seay, The Citadel, women's soccer.

Fernandina Beach: Kaitlyn Carolino, College of Coastal Georgia, softball.

First Coast: Hunter Carns, Florida State, baseball.

Fleming Island: Graham Myers, Florida, men's cross country.

Middleburg: Connor Rahn, Tampa, volleyball.

Nease: Conner Kunce, Detroit, men's lacrosse; Matt Ryan, Duke, men's cross country and track; Hanna Virts, Chowan, volleyball.

Oakleaf: Amya Mirelez, Edward Waters, softball; Meshayla Pettaway, Alabama State, softball.

Ponte Vedra: Egan Funke, Oberlin, men's lacrosse; Ava Grall, Gettysburg, volleyball; Matt Hoag, Florida State, baseball; Lily Mosser, USF, women's lacrosse; Tanner Parlette, Stony Brook, men's lacrosse; Jack Pelot, Penn, men's lacrosse; Chelsea Sutton, Tennessee, volleyball; Lily Toole, Anderson, women's lacrosse.

Providence: Chris Arias, Jacksonville, men's basketball; Katelyn Baxley, Keiser, volleyball; Bryson Clarke, Howard, men's soccer; Emily Collings, Jacksonville, volleyball; David Fonville, High Point, men's basketball; Caleb McAbee, Anderson, men's basketball; Kyle Powers, Jacksonville, baseball.

St. Johns Country Day: Seth Alford, North Florida, baseball; Sofia Avila, West Virginia Wesleyan, women's soccer; Trevor Bradley, Flagler, baseball; Kody Daneault, Flagler, baseball; Jack Ensell, Barry, baseball; George Gilson, Flagler, baseball; Mary Kate Kent, Newberry, women's basketball; Roxy Matthews, Columbus State, women's soccer; Jules Raimondi, Rollins, softball.

St. Joseph: Jessica Camacho, Eastern Florida State College, softball; Aiden Torrez, New Orleans, baseball.

West Nassau: Madison Driggers, College of Central Florida, softball; Reese Green, Troy, softball.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Northeast Florida fall signing day 2023-2024: College athletes sign