Iona Prep Student Athletes Headed to Yale, Cornell, Dartmouth

 Nineteen Iona Preparatory School scholar-athletes committed to playing collegiate sports as part of the school year’s second National Signing Day. This brings the total to thirteen Division I signings from the Class of 2023, seven members of its 2021 Catholic State Championship team sign with Division 1 schools, including the previous season’s New York MaxPreps Player of the Year, Catholic High School Football League Player of the Year and Westchester/Putnam Player of the Year  senior Ajani Sheppard, who signed with Rutgers. (Video Clips of Ajani Sheppard can be found here: https://spaces.hightail.com/space/6VPjdUwwcl) An incredible thirteen students – 8 percent of the graduating class – signed with Division 1 schools compared to the less than 7 percent of all high school athletes going on to compete at any level.  

The average GPA for the nineteen scholar-athletes was 91.29, and over the course of the fall season, 6 of 7 teams – some 254 students – posted combined GPAs over 90 with the highest going to cross-country (the largest team) at 93.30.  The following Gaels committed on December 21, 2022:

Iona Prep student athletes from Westchester included:

Brandon Blenk, 17, New Rochelle, NY

Commitment: D1, Siena College,  Sport: Lacrosse – Midfield 

Other offers/interests: LIU Post, St. John Fisher University, Nazareth College

Sports at Iona Prep: 3-years Lacrosse and 1-year Winter Track  

Team Accomplishments: Member of the 2022 Catholic State Championship Lacrosse Team

Personal Accomplishments: Captain of JV team, earning most competitive player award “MVP of GFW College Showcase. Selected  to All-Star game at Maryland College Showcase and one of three players selected to play for the National Team . GPA: 93

Gaetano Corrao, 17, Thornwood, NY

Commitment: D3 – SUNY Cortland, Sport: Soccer –  Midfielder/Forward 

Other offers/interests: SUNY New Paltz, Bard College, Eastern University, SUNY Potsdam 

Other sports: 3-years Indoor Track & Field 

GPA: 3.4 

John DeStefano, 17, Eastchester, NY

Commitment: D3 – University of Scranton, Sport: Baseball – Right Hand Pitcher 

Other offers/interests: Ursinus College, Johnson & Wales University, Skidmore College, Leslie University, SUNY New Paltz, Clarkson University, Hobart College 

Other sports: 4-year member of baseball program  

GPA: 3.8

Jonathan Mayer, 18, White Plains, NY

Commitment: D1, Cornell University,  Sport: Crew – Port 

Other offers/interests: Princeton, UPenn, Dartmouth and Harvard   

GPA: 97

Matteo McIver, 17, Scarsdale, NY

Commitment: D1 – Bryant University , Sport: Track & Field – Discus & Hammer

Other offers/interests: Stonehill College, College of the Holy Cross, University of Vermont

Other sports: 3 years of Football, 2 years of Crew and 3-year member of Track & Field program, where he is a captain of both Indoor & Outdoor Track.

GPA: 91

Marcus Nahim, 17, Ossining, NY 

Commitment: D1 – State University of Binghamton, Sport: Track & Field, also committing to Soccer; Position: Sprinter, Winger, and Striker 

Other offers/interests: Arcadia University, Manhattanville College, College of Staten Island, George Mason University, West Point, Holy Cross, Dartmouth

Personal Accomplishments: Qualified for 114th Millrose Games (First Runner from Iona to do so); 21st in the 200m at Nike Indoor Nationals for Emerging Elite; 10th in the 60m at Nike Indoor Nationals for Emerging Elite, 8th in the SMR at Nike Indoor Nationals for Championships; 3rd Fastest Outdoor 4x200m Time for School Record; Fastest 100m Time in School History; Fastest 4×100 Time in School History, 100m County Champion (2022); 2nd in 200m and 4x100m at County Championships (2022)

GPA: 92.35

Blaise New 18, Bedford, New York 

Commitment: D1, UMASS, Sport: Lacrosse – Midfield 

Other offers/interests: Holy Cross, Drexel, Merrimack, Providence

Sports: 4-years of varsity basketball &  4-years of Varsity lacrosse 

GPA: 94.5

Colin O’Garro 17, New Rochelle, NY

Commitment: D1, Dartmouth College, Sport: Football – RB 

Other offers/interest: Colgate University, Bucknell University

Sports: 4 years of Football (4) & 3 years of Track (3)

GPA: 94.2 

Sean O’Neill, 17, Yonkers NY 

Commitment: D1 – University of New Hampshire, Sport: Football – Punter

Other offers/interests: University of Miami Ohio 

GPA: 86 

Ciaran Phibbs, 17, Yonkers, NY 

Commitment: D3, Dean College  

Sport: Soccer – Left Back

Sports at Iona Prep: 4 years of Soccer and  4 years of Track 

GPA: 93.8

Seamus Ruiseal, 17, Yonkers, NY

Commitment:D3, Tufts University 

Sport: Crew – Port

Other offers/interests: Holy Cross 

GPA: 96.16

Tomas Schulz-Langendorf (New Rochelle, NY) – Football DII, Trinity College 

To learn more about Iona Preparatory, please visit www.IonaPrep.org.