After years of hard work, many senior athletes are finally accomplishing their lifelong goals of playing their sport in college.

On Thursday, May 4, in the North Gym during Seminar, those athletes had an opportunity to gather and celebrate getting to the collegiate level alongside family, friends, and coaches. The athletic signing celebration was attended by 31 athletes across eight different sports.

Each coach got a chance to say something about each of their athletes, whether it be a story from the last four years or a school record they had set, and wished them luck in college. Afterwards, at the reception, cookies and drinks were served as families and friends got to celebrate with the athletes.

“I just want to say thanks to all my coaches and parents for being supportive,” Max Stoneking, Birmingham-Southern swimming commit, said. “It has always been a dream for me to be a collegiate athlete.”

Makayla Gooch, Mid America Nazarene basketball commit, had many similar people to thank for getting her to the next level. “I want to thank my family, who has supported me the whole time,” she said. “I am where I always wanted to end up.”

Gooch’s future school was by far the most represented school at the signing celebration, with five athletes going to the nearby Mid America Nazarene University. While most of the other athletes’ schools were also within several hours of Kansas City, others spread all the way from Wisconsin to Alabama to Indiana.

However, no matter how far away these athletes have to go for college, they all have accomplished their lifelong athletic dreams of playing a sport at the collegiate level.

Matt Johnson, athletic director, gave a congratulations to the athletes for doing just that.

“I am so proud of all these athletes and look forward to following their college endeavors on the playing field,” he said. “They are a great representation of the many great things we do here at South.”