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College Signing Day celebrates the largest college-bound group of student-athletes in DA history

Story by Bria Irizarry

Spring student-athlete college signing day honored 16 members of the class of 2023 and marked their official commitment to play the sport they love at the next level. At lunch time on Thursday, Athletic Director Andy Pogach led the celebration of this special group. The event, traditionally held on the quad, was moved to Kirby Gym because of rain.

Watch a recording of the ceremony here.

Sixteen Cavalier Student-Athletes participated in the 2023 Spring Signing Day

For the 2022-2023 school year, this group of 19 seniors (which includes three fall signees) represents the largest group of college bound student-athletes DA has ever had from one senior class.

“There are a lot of people here today who have helped you navigate the paths you have taken to get to this point,” Pogach said in his remarks to the crowd. “And while we hope each of you will individually thank those who had a special impact on your success, right now I would like us to take a second to thank as a group those parents, siblings, teammates, coaches, teachers and friends who have all played a role in getting you to where you are today.”

Pogach also thanked the tireless DA athletics staff and coaches and all DA student-athletes for their investment of time, energy and talent to the program.

“This group of 16 student-athletes represents the best of our program,” he said. “Tireless workers who have made a commitment to their sport, their teammates and our program, and now we are ready to launch them to the next level of their careers!”

Soccer

During these two varsity boys soccer members’ time with the program, Cavaliers boys soccer earned three conference titles in 2019, 2021 and 2022 and the team made an appearance in the state semifinals in 2019 and 2021.

Kaia Vorenkamp ’23: Ohio Wesleyan University (D3) Soccer
After a four-year varsity career at DA, Kaia Vorenkamp signed with Ohio Wesleyan University to play soccer next fall. Vorenkamp helped lead the DA girls soccer program to three, third-place conference finishes and two Cavalier appearances in the state quarter-finals. She was awarded All-Conference honors in 2021 and is a current team captain. On Tuesday, Vorenkamp and the team earned their first out-right TISAC championship since 2017.

Max Brown ’23: Gettysburg College (D3) Soccer
Max Brown signed with Gettysburg College to play soccer. Brown contributed to the DA varsity boys soccer team for four years and earned All-Conference honors in 2021. This past fall, Max earned All-Conference for the second year in a row, was named All-State and was recognized as the 2022 TISAC Player of the Year.

Robert Hillhouse ’23: College of Wooster (D3) Soccer
Robert Hillhouse will continue his soccer career at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio in the fall. Hillhouse contributed five goals and four assists in 22 career games with the Cavaliers.


Baseball

Each of the three signees for the DA baseball team was a member of the 2022 team that won the conference title after going 8-0 against TISAC opponents, and went on to compete in the state semifinals. This year’s team is 15-3 and has a chance to claim another conference title with a win at Cary Academy on Friday night.

Jack Goldstein ’23: Rhodes College (D3) Baseball
A varsity baseball player for four years, Jack Goldstein signed with Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Last spring, Goldstein hit 16 RBIs, four doubles, one triple and one home run to earn a spot on the All-Conference team. This season, he has notched three home runs, 20 RBIs and seven doubles and holds the highest fielding percentage on the team. Goldstein has also struck out 45 batters over 30 innings and holds an ERA of 2.74.

Sam Schaeffer ’23: Haverford College (D3) Baseball
Sam Schaeffer signed with Haverford College in Pennsylvania after spending five years on the varsity squad at DA. In his junior season, Schaeffer led the team in home runs, RBIs and stolen bases and had the highest batting average with a .509. This spring, he has 23 hits, 20 runs and 17 RBIs. Schaeffer earned All-Conference honors in both 2019 and 2022.

Ben Tarpey ’23: College of Wooster (D3) Baseball
Ben Tarpey has been a four-year member of the varsity program at DA and last spring had an ERA of 3.00 and struck out 48 batters across 42 innings pitched. This year Tarpey has a 1.15 ERA, and has struck out 44 batters across 36 innings. He will play at the College of Wooster in Ohio.


Fencing

Matthew Chaves ’23: Brandeis University (D3) Fencing
Matthew Chaves will fence next year at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. Chaves has been fencing since he was 7 years old. While Chaves did not fence for DA, he did first learn how to fence in the DA Summer program. He also significantly contributed to the boys basketball program while at DA and was named All-Conference this past season.


Cross-Country/Track and Field

Wyatt Benjamin ’23: Washington and Lee University (D3) Track and Field
Wyatt Benjamin will don the blue and white as a member of the track and field team at Washington and Lee in Lexington, VA. Benjamin finished fourth in the conference cross-country meet this fall and earned All-Conference honors. This spring, he ran the second leg of the 4x1600-meter relay that set a new school record and his current time in the 1600-meter and 3200-meter races rank fourth and third in the TISAC.

Aaron Caveney ’23: Brown University (DI) Track & Field
Aaron Caveney will run track and field next year at Brown University in Providence, RI. Caveney will run middle distance for the team with a focus on the 400-meter and 800-meter races. Last spring, he won the TISAC championships in the 400-meter and 800-meter and also finished second in the state in the 800-meter. This season, Caveney was a member of the 4x1600-meter relay team that broke a DA school record. He currently holds the third-fastest times in DA history for the 400-meter and the 800-meter.

Sanju Patel ’23: University of Chicago (D3) XC/Track & Field
Sanju Patel will continue his running career at the University of Chicago next fall. He will run both cross-country and track, as he did here at DA. Patel has been a staple on the running scene as a Cavalier, helping the team achieve second place in the conference twice, second place in the state twice, and a conference championship in 2021. He earned All-State honors this past fall for his cross-country season and has had a record-breaking spring with the track and field team. Sanju recently beat the school record for the 3200-meters by six seconds, crossing the finish line in nine minutes and 20 seconds. The 4x1600-meter relay team also earned a place on the DA record board.


Basketball

Jake Chisholm ’23: Roanoke College (D3) Basketball
Earning All-Conference in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 and conference Player of the Year in 2023, as well as serving as a member of the 2023 conference championship hoops team, Jake Chisholm signed with Roanoke College to play basketball. While his time at DA has been short, he has made a significant impact on the boys varsity basketball team. Chisholm led the team in points during the two years that he was a part of the program, scoring 381 points in 2021 and 353 points in 2022 while averaging just shy of 17 points this past season. He was named to the All-Conference team both seasons and this past winter was also named the TISAC Player of the Year. Chisholm contributed to the team’s conference title and the Cavaliers’ appearance in the second round of the state tournament. He earned his 1,000th career point this season and ended his year with a total of 1,286 total points.

Kendall Harris ’23: Hamilton College (D3) Basketball
Kendall Harris will play basketball at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, after a stand-out senior season where she earned All-Conference, All-State and Conference Player of the Year honors. Harris led the team this year in points, steals and blocks. She averaged 21 points per game this season, scored 545 points and recorded 67 steals and 59 blocks. Harris tallied a career-high 32 points against Cary Academy this season and notched her 1,000th career point during the team’s contest against North Raleigh Christian.


Golf

Jack Condray ’23: William Peace University (D3) Golf
Despite being at DA for only two years, Jack Condray helped guide the DA boys golf team to a conference title in 2022 and the team currently sits in first place in the NCISAA. Jack will continue his golf career at William Peace University next year.

Ona Lukes ’23: Appalachian State (D1) Golf
Ona Lukes will continue her golf career at Appalachian State University. Lukes helped lead the DA girls golf program up the ranks over the last few years, earning the conference title in 2019 and 2021, earning a second-place finish in the state tournament in 2019, 2020, 2021, and ultimately taking conference and state championships this fall. She has garnered All-Conference honors for four years and All-State honors for three years.


Lacrosse

DA boys lacrosse has two members heading off to play Division 3 lacrosse next year. In their time as Cavaliers the team has been co-conference champions in 2021 and 2022 and has a chance for an outright league title with a win Tuesday at home.

John Bolognesi ’23: Franklin & Marshall College (D3) Lacrosse
John Bolognesi has committed to play lacrosse for Franklin & Marshall College next year. A four-year varsity member and current team captain, he was named All- Conference in 2021 and 2022. Bolognesi currently leads the team in caused turnovers.

Brodie Mason ’23: University of Lynchburg (D3) Lacrosse
Brodie Mason will play lacrosse next year for the University of Lynchburg. Mason earned All-Conference honors in the spring of 2021 and 2022 and was named a team captain in 2023. He currently leads the team in goals scored with 33.