Just before signing her name, Emily Trotman paused, and then laughed as she confessed that she forgot what the actual date was. Trotman may have forgotten the date, but she will never forget this moment.
On April 25, Trotman, a Mt.St.Mary senior and four of her classmates-Paige Freer, Mary Grace Downey, Grace Burich and Gabrielle Teoli all signed their National Letter’s of Intent during a ceremony inside the Wellness Center at the Mount.
“Being at the Mount…All the people in my life has gotten me here and I’m very grateful for all of them,” said Trotman, who will be continuing her softball career at Division III St.John Fisher.
Trotman, a two-year captain in both softball and volleyball, is also a two-time All-Catholic first team selection in softball. This season, Trotman is the owner of a .484 batting average and 0.00 ERA.
Trotman, however, won’t be the only Mount student-athlete going to St.John Fisher as Paige Freer has signed along the dotted line to play soccer for St.John Fisher.
“I’m very excited,” said Freer. “It’s been a great four years here at the Mount and I’m going to miss these girls so much, but I’m excited for the next journey.”
Freer, a four-year starter in soccer, was captain of the Thunder soccer team for three seasons-helping them win the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association B Division playoff title her junior year and the B Division regular season title this past fall. The team MVP for soccer, was also featured as the WKBW-TV Super 7 Athlete of the Week countdown.
Burich and Downey, members of the lacrosse team, will also be taking their talents to III schools as Burich signed to play for Ohio-Wesleyan and Downey will be going to John Carroll.
Both were members of the 2015 squad that won the MMAA playoff title and the 2016 team that was the runners-up in last season’s title game.
“It’s just really exciting knowing that everything we did paid off,” said Downey, who was a three-year member of the lax team.
Downey,who was also a state champion in indoor track, spent three seasons on varsity lacrosse team. This season she is one of the Thunder’s best two-way players alternating between defense and midfield.
Burich, who had been on varsity all four seasons, is the anchor of the Thunder defense. As she reflected on the moment Burich thanked Mount and her experiences as an MSM student-athlete for preparing her for life.
“I think Mount really gave me the confidence to be able to take my lacrosse career further,” Burich said. “They really supported me through everything I’ve done academically and athletically. So I think they really helped my confidence and determination in everything I’ve done and everything I want to do in the future.”
Gabrielle Teoli, the quietest of the five, made the biggest noise with her signing and she will continue her crew career as a member of Division I Loyola Maryland.
A four-year starter for the Thunder crew team, Teoli and the Varsity 8 team won the New York State championship. Thankful to be able to take that next step in her career as a student-athlete, Teoli said signing with four classmates made the day ever more special.
“It’s really nice,” Teoli said. “We’re so close at the Mount. Like a big family.”
