Armonk's Byram Hills Celebrates 11 Student-Athletes Committing To College Athletic Programs

ARMONK, NY — Byram Hills High School recognized 11 student-athletes during an April 29 ceremonial signing day, celebrating students who have committed to continue playing their sports in college next year.

The event honored students in baseball, track, football, lacrosse, wrestling, golf, basketball and tennis. Byram Hills said the ceremony highlighted both athletic achievement and the work students put in outside public view to reach the college level.

"We are incredibly proud of these student-athletes for their dedication, perseverance and commitment to excellence," said Scott Saunders, the Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics. "Their achievements reflect years of hard work on and off the field, and we look forward to seeing all that they accomplish at the next level."

Before each athlete was introduced, Byram Hills teacher and Boys Varsity Soccer coach Matt Allen spoke about the effort behind those commitments. He commended the athletes for the "unseen hours" and "quiet discipline" they put into their sports.

"I think it's the decision to really keep going when it really would have been easier to stop, as all of you have probably had those exhausting moments when you couldn't carry forward, and yet you persevered," Allen said.

Allen also noted that about 7 percent of high school athletes play in college. "You got there because you repeated the small things," he said. "You did the ordinary things until they became extraordinary. You showed up, you worked harder and you believed in yourselves. And today is a celebration of what you've accomplished."

The 11 students recognized were Ryan Arcamone, who will play baseball at Bates College; Zach Bourkadi, track at Concordia University in Montreal; Frankie Cangelosi, football at Union College; Brayden Fang, lacrosse at the University of Hartford; Nick Fortugno, wrestling at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; Zara Gardam, golf at Odessa College; Kevin Kendall, basketball at SUNY New Paltz; Alex Lewis, tennis at Muhlenberg College; Maura Lunde, track at Catholic University; Nate Pettengill, track at Colby College; and Jaden Zipper, football at the University of New England.

The school also highlighted each athlete's accomplishments. Among them were Fortugno's more than 150 career wrestling wins and four Section One championships, Kendall's 18.1 points per game this year, Arcamone's .397 on-base percentage, and school records held by Bourkadi and Pettengill in track events. Lewis was a state tennis finalist in eighth and 11th grade, and Gardam finished in the top five in the state in 10th grade.