Signing day: Pair of Palm Desert stars announce their college plans
Two Palm Desert student-athletes signed their name on the dotted line Tuesday afternoon, officially beginning the next chapter in their academic and athletic careers.
With family and ballons surrounding them, soccer player Megan Clapinski and softball player Aubrey Martinez signed their official Letters of Intent after school in the gym foyer.
One is going halfway across the country and one is going all the way across the country.
Megan Clapinski
Sport: Soccer
School: Barry University in Miami
She said: "Today was fun and a little nerve-wracking but exciting. My main goal in high school was to be better than my sister. Winning, of course, too. Ha!" Clapinski said referring to her sister Kaitlin who graduated in 2019, adding that she thinks she accomplished that goal. "The coaches at Barry saw me at a tournament a couple years ago, and my mom is from Florida and I think it's going to be a great fit. The visit was nice, it is very tropical, a different heat than here certainly, but it's near the beach. I'm anxious and excited about moving so far, mostly anxious. But getting to this moment is the thing I looked forward to most. The stress of choosing a college is over. Now I can breathe and look ahead to college."
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Aubrey Martinez
Sport: Softball
College: Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas
She said: "I'm so excited to be playing college soccer. Happy that I reached a goal that I wanted to reach since I was a little girl. It's really hitting me to know that I'm a college athlete. As far as Fort Hays, they found my profile on an app and asked me if I wanted to come for a visit. And I went out there during winter break and I fell in love with the school and knew I wanted to go there. At first I was like I don't know about Kansas, it's like in the middle of nowhere, but once I got there it's like a small little town and everybody supports the college teams. I want to thank my parents, and I know they are going to be sad to see me go, but I know they're really happy and proud too."
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Pair of Palm Desert athletes announce their college plans
