North Jersey's elite athletes share how they made their college decisions
Two of North Jersey’s best all-around baseball players, Ramsey’s William Kirk and Pascack Hills’ Joey Giordano, will be playing collegiately in the Old Dominion State.
Kirk, who led Ramsey to the State Group 2 title in 2022, has signed with Virginia, while Giordano, who guided Pascack Hills to last season’s State Group 2 crown, is headed to Richmond.
"Virginia kind of has the best of both worlds," Kirk said Wednesday. "Obviously it's a very prestigious school, but the baseball program is great as well."
“I chose Richmond because they are an all-around great school,” Giordano said Wednesday. “They have always had an awesome baseball program and great education, which will help shape my future. When I visited, I felt at home and it was the place I wanted to be.”
Wednesday marked the first day of the early signing period for all sports except football and Kirk and Giordano are among the most notable North Jersey names to sign letters of intent.
Kirk is a two-time All-North Jersey selection who last season battled .447 with four home runs and 25 RBIs. The left-hander was 7-1 with a 0.64 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 44 innings as a junior. As a sophomore, he struck out 13 and paced the Rams to a 5-2 win over Haddon Heights in the Group 2 final.
Kirk chose Virginia over Duke and Wake Forest mainly because of the Cavaliers' coaching staff. "I felt like they really saw my strengths and appreciated me for who I was," Kirk said, "so it was kind of a no-brainer committing there."
"I think it's part of his character and makeup of who he is," Ramsey coach Paul Urbanovich said. "It's been instilled by his parents to put his mind to something and work extremely hard at it both on the baseball field and in the classroom."
Giordano closed his All-North Jersey junior season by tossing a three-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over Rumson-Fair Haven in the Group 2 final. He also had two hits and scored the only run. The left-hander was 4-2 with a 2.13 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings and batted .414 with 20 runs.
Giordano also was considering Maryland, Rutgers, Seton Hall, William & Mary, and George Washington, but, he said, “Richmond felt perfect for me and I did not want to be anywhere else.”
Ramapo’s Seals to Princeton
Peyton Seals, who led Ramapo to last season’s State Group 3 basketball title, is headed to Princeton. The point guard guided the Green Raiders to back-to-back state finals, and last season he averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists en route to earning All-North Jersey. He also was in contact with Yale, Lehigh and Boston University.
"Obviously the academics are the best you can get, and so I thought that was a great opportunity for me," Seals said. "But also, the playing style, the culture of the players with the coaches, I thought it was a good place for me, a place where I could succeed. It kind of matched my style."
Big Winn for Ridgewood
Ridgewood had more than a dozen student-athletes commit or sign with colleges, and leading the way is soccer standout Bella Winn, who is headed to defending national champion UCLA. She chose the Bruins over Virginia and Notre Dame.
"Both academically and athletically, I could develop myself, as a player, as a person, whatever it might be, to then have a successful career later in life in whatever I decide to do," Winn said.
MORE: Ridgewood soccer star graduating early to join national champion UCLA
St. Joseph: 9 signees
Frank DiBella, who helped St. Joseph's wrestling team win a state title last season, is among nine from the Montvale school to announce his college choice. DeiBella, a two-time medalist and state semifinalist as a junior, signed with Virginia Tech.
"It's a great school, first of all," said DiBella, a Park Ridge resident who also considered Rutgers and Cornell. "And with that, they have a great wrestling team, a great program. They're really coming together and doing a great job of developing. Also, it's a great school to be at. There's things to do. They've got awesome football games and other things to do."
Bergen Catholic: 7 signees
Bergen Catholic’s Ryan Ford, a three-time state wrestling medalist, signed with Rutgers. Ford, a state semifinalist last season, chose the Scarlet Knights over Lehigh and Wisconsin. Teammate Christopher Nucifora chose Bucknell.
“I chose Rutgers because the school, the academics, and the wrestling program is obviously one of the top in the country,” said Ford, a Mahwah resident. “It’s a Big Ten schedule, and I just felt it was the right choice.”
“He’s put in the work in the offseason to do whatever it takes,” Bergen Catholic wrestling coach Dom Santoli said. “He’s the kind of kid who thinks about it every day, and that’s what you want.”
Cosimo Tristani signed with Fordham and Joe Lee chose Lafayette for soccer. Doyee Kim is headed to Army West Point for swimming, Parker Day will play lacrosse at Bucknell, and Ryan Marchina chose Mount St. Mary’s for baseball.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: North Jersey HS sports: Top athletes share Signing Day decisions
