Leading off today: Although it made big headlines on the educational front in Rochester today, the
announcement that Aquinas Institute and Nazareth Academy will merge their schools in September probably won't have much of an effect athletically.
The all-girl Nazareth Academy is playing in Class B in basketball and Class C in most other sports. The expected enrollment bump after the merger however should still leave Aquinas in Class A in all sports; its four-time state championship football team has been playing up a class for several years.
The more dramatic change for Aquinas came in the early 1980s, when the school ended its all-male tradition in order to take in students from St. Agnes after that all-girls school closed its doors.
Nazareth has been particularly strong in recent years in softball, a sport is which Aquinas is already strong, and basketball.
"Nazareth and Aquinas have historically enjoyed a natural partnership, brought together by both geographic location and a common Catholic mission," Aquinas President Michael Daley said. "This new venture will provide a faith-based, college preparatory experience rich with the traditions and values shared by nearly 40,000 loyal Aquinas and Nazareth Alumni."
Football signing day: I'll be back in a day or two with the annual summary of football Letter of Intent developments across the state, but I did want to make note of the fact that Riverhead linebacker Malcolm Cater did end up flipping back to Syracuse today.
Cater had given a non-binding commitment to the Orange in the fall and then changed his mind in favor of Rutgers in December. He told Scout.com over the weekend that he might take the decision right down to the wire.
"Syracuse is the right place for me," Cater told Newsday. "The coaching staff made me feel very comfortable. And the head coach, Doug Marrone, treated me like family."
Though his name will not show up on scholarship lists this week, Brentwood wide receiver Christopher Jean-Pierre could probably have waited out the first wave of commitments and picked up a scholarship somewhere, Instead, he'll attend Bowling Green in the fall as a preferred walk-on.
Speaking of signings: Track and field at its highest level tends to be recognized as a sport in this country only in Olympic years, so I wanted to point out a couple of signings about which New York fans should feel particularly proud.
Catherine McAuley two-lapper Phyllis Francis and Monroe-Woodbury counterpart Megan Patrignelli both signed today with the University of Oregon, a school with a rich tradition in track and field similar to what lacrosse has come to mean at Johns Hopkins or linebackers at Penn State over the years.
