Two more of our gifted student-athletes this week committed to playing on teams in college next fall.

On Friday, senior Alyssa DeNofa signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Mansfield University. On Monday, senior Kara Brownlie signed a celebratory commitment form to play soccer at Cedar Crest College.

Alyssa thanked her mom and dad, Bridget and Ellison Huggins, sitting by her side, for their support and drew a laugh when she recalled the day her father “took my Bratz dolls, put them in the shed and gave me a basketball.”

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to play college basketball,”she said, noting the sacrifice and the ups and downs were worth it.

Kara’s parents, Doug Brownlie and Karen Zinn, also sat by her side as she signed on to play at Cedar Crest, a Division III school. Although the school is prohibited from giving out athletic scholarships, Kara has been awarded significant academic merit scholarships, her mom said.

Kara was recruited by colleges from across the country, including Divisions I and II schools. She said she chose Cedar Crest after a visit and meeting the soccer coach. “I liked her persistence and the fact that she was interested in me and my well-being,” Kara said.

Jeff praised Kara for her leadership on the team and for “being unflappable and unselfish.”

“She’s a rock solid center to the team. It was never about how she could make herself better, but how we could make the team better,” he said.

Alyssa and Kara became the third student athletes this school year to sign on to collegiate play. On November 9, senior Jade Young signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball for the University of Hartford, a Division I team.