Five Nansemond-Suffolk Academy Saints made official their march to the world of collegiate athletics during a recent signing ceremony at NSA.

Signing letters of intent to play college volleyball were Lizzy Fowler, who chose Montreat College, Brooks Gillerlain, who selected Randolph College, and Caylin Harris, who committed to Shenandoah University.

Taylor Berard signed to continue her swimming career at Bridgewater College, and Grace Haddad committed to continue her lacrosse career at Randolph-Macon College.

“It was really awesome to finally have it on paper,” said Fowler, who had previously verbally committed to Montreat.

Brooks Gillerlain had been considering some other schools, like Springfield College in Massachusetts and Bard College in New York, but she wanted to be closer to home.

Randolph fit that condition, and its small size was also a positive for Gillerlain.

“I’ll get more help from teachers and professors, and I just really like the team and the coach,” she said.

“I was really happy that she found a school that she really liked,” Lady Saints volleyball coach Robyn Ross said. “She found a program and a coach that she really liked.”

Caylin Harris naturally wanted to find a school that would be the best fit academically, and she was concerned about the overall feel of the campus.

“I wanted to find somewhere that made me feel at home,” she said.

She had an offer from Virginia Wesleyan College and looked at Randolph, but after visiting Shenandoah, she said, “I just felt that that was the place that made me feel the most welcome and somewhere that I could really see myself going.”

“I was thrilled for her, too,” Ross said. “She came back from visiting those schools and talked the most about Shenandoah, and so I was excited again for her.”

Taylor Berard chose Bridgewater over two other schools that had recruited her, Marymount University and Ferrum College.

Of Bridgewater, she said, “I felt that the academics were the right fit for me, and the coaches and the team all felt very committed, and I felt that I would fit in best there.”

Lady Saints swimming coach Karen Norman was happy for her.

“I was thrilled that she wants to continue her swimming career,” Norman said. “I think she’s going to be a really good sprinter for them. I think she’s going to be swimming right away and probably be in some of their top relays.”

Randolph-Macon had everything Grace Haddad wanted academically. Lynchburg College was an option, but Haddad said she was mostly focused on Randolph-Macon the whole time.

Playing lacrosse at the college of her dreams was a bonus to her.

“It was something that I really was hoping for, but if it didn’t happen, it was OK,” she said.

“I think it’s a great placement for her, and I think she’s going to be really successful,” said Lady Saints assistant lacrosse coach Anne Fowler. “She’s going to play defense for them.”

Haddad said that as she signed on the dotted line during the ceremony, “it seemed a little unreal. I’ve been playing lacrosse since seventh grade, and it just seemed like all the hard work and camps and summer leagues that I did just really paid off.”