Last Wednesday marked a monumental day for five superstar Academic Magnet athletes. If you pay any attention to Raptor sports, you should know one, if not all of the following athletes for their superior skill and tenacity in their sports. Maddy Carens, Connor Woods, Cooper Pitts, Elaine Zhou, and Hayden DiBona have all officially committed to play their sports in college.

After signing their National Letters of Intent at school Wednesday morning, Maddy and Connor joined Cooper, Elaine, and Hayden (who signed their letters in the fall) to travel downtown for a county-wide recognition for their decision and ability to continue their sports careers in college. Along with athletes from schools all over the county, our five Magnet athletes went downtown to the Charleston County School District National Signing Day Ceremony where they received recognition of their high school, sport, and college.

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Connor and Maddy slip on their college tees after signing at school on Wednesday

Maddy Carens- Soccer for Swarthmore College

Maddy has played soccer for the Academic Magnet Girls Varsity team since her freshman year and has helped lead the team to 3 consecutive state championships. Going into this spring soccer season she hopes to end her high school career with a 4-peat before she heads to Pennsylvania in the fall.

Connor Woods- Baseball for Pomona College

Connor Woods began his baseball career at a young age when his parents encouraged him to start playing while living in the Cayman Islands. Now, 18 years later, Connor is going into his fourth baseball season as a Raptor this spring before continuing his career in California next year.

Cooper Pitts- Swimming for Virginia Tech

Cooper ranks fourth in the state for swimming and repeated this year as an AA state champion for the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley, leading the Raptor boys to a second place finish at state this season. Cooper hopes to swim his favorite stroke, the breaststroke, for Virginia Tech next year.

Elaine Zhou- Swimming for Princeton University

Elaine is ranked fourth in the state overall for swimming and won first place in the 100-yard butterfly and second in the 100-yard breaststroke. She also swam as a member of the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay that  finished second, helping to lead the girls swim team to a state title this past season. After deciding between schools like Yale, Georgia Tech, and Princeton, Elaine chose to continue her career as a part of the Princeton family next year.

Hayden DiBona- Cross Country for the College of Charleston

Hayden returned to Columbia earlier this year to defend his cross country state championship, earning the title after running a 5k in 16:08. Hayden’s win helped lead the boy’s XC team to its third consecutive state title. The College of Charleston is lucky to have him next year!

The Talon wishes these five seniors the best of luck as college athletes!