Signing Day: Morris County soccer players ready for next step
Jane Havsy
Dani and Bella Vito had "always planned on playing soccer in college, but not together."
They were half right.
The Montville twins are set to sign National Letters of Intent today. But while Dani Vito will be putting pen to paper to continue her academic and soccer career at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Bella Vito has chosen to play basketball at the University of Vermont.
Dividing up clothes and learning to adjust to an unrelated roommate comes later. So will attending each other's games, since both schools are now in the America East Conference.
"Right now, it's a weird thought. It's all so stressful," Dani Vito said. "I don't know what we're going to do without each other. It could be good, because we've spent every single day together and we need to learn things on our own."
NJIT was Dani Vito's only campus visit before the COVID shutdown began.
"I got really, really lucky," said Vito, who broke Montville's career goal-scoring record last week.
"They wanted me from the very beginning. I know I can make a change in their program, and do stuff as a freshman. The main purpose of going there is I can actually play."
The NLI is essentially a one-year contract in which a student promises to attend the school and remain academically eligible in exchange for athletics-based financial aid.
The signing period opens Wednesday and continues until Aug. 1 for most sports, except football. Football players can ink their letters Dec. 16, 17 and 18.
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The coronavirus pandemic impacted Curt Calov's recruitment process.
A Delbarton senior, he committed to Syracuse soccer on April 30. But some other coaches had expressed interest in seeing him play again, which couldn't happen due to travel restrictions and quarantine.
Calov played U-10 soccer as a 5-year-old in Somers, N.Y., north of New York City. He "really took it seriously" once he moved to the Red Bulls Academy for U-12 and U-14. Calov shifted to PDA so he could also play at Delbarton, rather than being committed to a year-round academy program.
Calov, an attacking midfielder, still hopes to become a pro someday.
"It's definitely a dream come true," said Calov, whose family relocated to Morristown during freshman year.
"It sounds so cliche, but it's a relief. Until now, I'm committed but nothing signed, so you never know what's really going to happen."
Kinnelon midfielder Grace DenBleyker expressed similar sentiments about signing with Loyola. She first visited the campus as a freshman "and really enjoyed it, but it was too far off to think about where I really wanted to go." She returned last September and made up her mind, committing in October 2019.
"I've taken my steps to successfully complete a goal," said DenBleyker, who broke Kinnelon's career goals record with a Nov. 6 hat trick.
"That just means I need to take new steps and make new goals, and continue to grow as a person and a player."
Jane Havsy is a sports reporter for DailyRecord.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis, subscribe today.
Email: JHavsy@gannettnj.com Twitter: @dailyrecordspts