A wave of graduating seniors from Lackawanna County are trading high school jerseys for college uniforms, as a dozen promising athletes have announced their intentions to continue both their studies and their sports at institutions across the United States.
The commitments span a spectrum of Division I, II and III programs, reflecting the region’s deep talent pool in sports ranging from baseball and basketball to cross‑country, swimming, field hockey and gymnastics.
Among the baseball prospects, Brayden Miller is headed to Marywood University, while Alden Felker will join the same program at Misericordia University. Their decisions underscore the strong baseball tradition at local schools.
Cross‑country and track athletes Cody Adams and Whalen Kinney will also call Misericordia University home, while Brynn Warriner has chosen Division I Niagara University to pursue swimming, and Saddie Smith is set to dive for Mount St. Mary’s University.
A diverse slate of commitments
In basketball, John Heitsman and Madi Casselbury will stay close to home, with Heitsman joining Misericordia and Casselbury heading to Pennsylvania College of Technology. Isaiah Jones will continue his volleyball journey at Wilson College, and Greta Krimmel has committed to Hofstra University for field hockey.
Football and soccer players Colin Owens and Caden Newswanger will remain in the region, with Owens at Misericordia and Newswanger at the University of Scranton. Martin Ortiz will play soccer at Lackawanna College, while Randall Paxton will showcase his javelin throw at Mount St. Mary’s University.
Additional signees include Callum Jerome at King’s College, Michael Milz joining the same school’s swimming program, and Janelle Turner, who will bring her gymnastics talents to the University of Pennsylvania.
The breadth of these selections illustrates how local coaching, community support and competitive high school programs are nurturing the next generation of student‑athletes, many of whom will carry the Lackawanna name onto larger stages.