Four Knights sign letters of intent

Four North Penn Knights signed their Letters of Intent to play a sport at the collegiate level Tuesday morning.

Kailyn Evans

Evans will be attending the University of San Diego to take her swimming career to the collegiate level. She was considering other schools, such as Penn State and the University of Alabama, but the atmosphere of USD is what sold her on attending the school.

“It really came down to team comradery. I really believe that if everyone gets along, and everyone pushes each other, a [team can succeed],” said Evans.

For Evans, swimming has been a apart of her life for as long as she can remember.

“I have been swimming since I was five years old, so I always knew I wanted to swim in college,” said Evans.

Jeff Faikish, the Swimming and Diving Head Coach at North Penn, was actually Evans’ coach when she was five years old.

“When Kailyn sets her mind to do something, she follows through with a lot of intensity and forward thinking, “ said Faikish.

Faikish knew that the University of San Diego was the right place for Evans after a conversation they had after a visit Evans took to the school.

“After she returned, I said, ‘What did you think?’, and she said, ‘I loved that place!’”, said Faikish, “I knew immediately that it was the perfect choice for her.”

Evans is leaving North Penn with two school records that her mother used to hold, one in the 200 IM and one in the 100 breastroke.

Riley Houlihan

Houlihan will be attending Clarion next year to play soccer. Houlihan chose to attend Clarion over Townsen because she really enjoyed their team and coaches.

“Riley is very passionate about soccer and she is very passionate about her team. From watching her play, she was quite aggressive because she obviously wanted her team to succeed,” said Athletic Director William Bartle.

Houlihan was awarded this year with a North Penn coaches award along with other league honors.

“To receive the coaches award is something very special because it says a lot about the athlete [as a person],” said Bartle.

David Giuliani

Giuliana will be continuing to play basketball at Merrimack College next fall.

“If you follow North Penn Basketball, you would know that David made an immediate impact on the basketball program. He certainly has a passion for the sport, a passion to win, and a passion for him team,” said Bartle.

That passion for basketball led Giuliani to his decision to attend Merrimack College.

“I was between the University of the Sciences, West Chester, and Salisbury. I chose Merrimack because it is twenty minutes outside of Boston, it has great academics, and they have a really good basketball team that plays in a good league,” said Giuliani.

While many athletes know at a young age whether or not they want to participate in collegiate athletics, the decision did not come so easy for Giuliani.

“I was back and forth throughout the entire beginning of this year about whether or not I wanted to play [basketball] in college,” said Giuliani, “The deciding factor was that basketball keeps me in check with my grades and everything else, and it’s always great to be a part of a team.”

Giuliani is excited to have a core group of teammates that will help make the transition from high school into college a little bit easier.

Kathleen Stevenson

Deciding between Bloomsburg and Bucknell, Stevenson will be running track as a Bloomsburg Husky next year.

“I always knew I wanted to run track in college,” said Stevenson.

Track and Field Assistant Coach Brandon Turner spoke about watching Stevenson mature over the past four years as an athlete.

“When I first met Kathleen four years ago, she was a kid who had incredible potential. She could do everything; she threw shot put, she jumped, and she sprinted. Over the last few years, her work ethic has really changed and she has grown as an athlete,” said Turner, “I am proud of her and am excited for what she is going to do moving forward.”