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Huddled in unison, all, now signing, Westwood athletes in the class of 2026 join together for one last picture on their special day. In total, over 12 Warriors participated in this event and will go on to play in the collegiate level.
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Expressing her gratitude, Nadia Giannetti ’26 presents her signing day speech to a gym full of supporters. Each individual athlete prepared a speech to present prior to their signing to insure they were able to express their emotions towards this monumental day.
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Facing the supportive stands, Grace McCluskey ’26 prepares for her signing with a moment to herself. With the gym pack, athletes used the time before the event began to ground themselves, chat with their fellow athletes, and prepare for the moment ahead.
Tables of fresh talent lining the gym floor with students, teachers, and parents alike packed onto the bleachers bright and early on Wednesday Feb. 4, at 8:00 a.m. to show support for their friends and families on National Signing Day. This event took place in the field house and marked the start of many Warriors’ next steps in their athletic careers as they signed individual contracts to their chosen schools.
“I was definitely nervous going into the day,” Nadia Giannetti ‘26 said. “But, [I was] also so excited to sign because I’ve known where I’m going for quite some time so finally getting to make it official was exciting.”
The event was split into categories by sport to help streamline the student athletes’ experience. Football opened the segment of speeches, and boys soccer closed on this monumental day. As each signed athlete was announced, their coach stepped up to the podium to share sentimental moments from their time with the athlete. Following the coach’s insight and reflection, the respective athlete got a moment to step to the podium and share their gratitudes and memories from their time playing at Westwood.
“I’ve been collecting a lot of decorations [for my table] to showcase my whole soccer career,” Giannetti said. “For my speech I had a lot of people to thank so I made sure to carefully construct my speech so I was able to thank everyone that has been there for me throughout this process.”
With a total of 15 student-athletes signing, including five athletes each from boys soccer and swim/dive, the event wrapped up in just under 45 minutes. As the event folded to a close, friends and family had the opportunity to step down and congratulate athletes, capture celebratory pictures, and take goodies from each athlete’s well-decorated table.
