At The First Academy, our athletes participate in programs that aim to both further their skill and glorify God through interactions with teammates, fans, officials, and opponents. The goal of TFA Athletics is excellence both in performance and in character so that athletes are best prepared for the next level with a strong spiritual foundation. The National Letter of Intent is a voluntary commitment signed by the student-athlete, promising to participate in athletics at a National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) College or University in the United States. This is a momentous occasion in the careers of our student-athletes and one we truly enjoy celebrating with them. We know they will continue to build upon the legacy of outstanding character that has been instilled in them at The First Academy.

On April 11, 2018, we will host the third and final National Letter of Intent (NLI) signing ceremony of the 2017-2018 school year. We will recognize the following four athletes:

• Mattison McKissock, Women’s Volleyball, NCAA DI Georgia Institute of Technology—Atlanta, GA.
• Matthew Taubensee, Baseball, NCAA DIII Berry University—Rome, GA.
• Emma Zhao, Women’s Golf, NCAA DI Princeton University—Princeton, NJ.
• Valentina Martin, Women’s Tennis, NCAA DII Nova Southeastern University—Fort Lauderdale, FL

These individuals will be joining the additional ten student-athletes from the class of 2018, listed below, who have also been recognized at NLI Signing ceremonies earlier this year.

• Kendrick Calilao, Baseball, NCAA DI University of Florida—Gainesville, FL.
• Raymond Fields, Baseball, NCAA DII Florida Southern College—Lakeland, FL.
• Dakoda Grove, Baseball, NCAA DII Rollins College—Winter Park, FL
• Asia Newsome, Women’s Basketball, NCAA DII Rollins College—Winter Park, FL.
• Sydney Ellis, Women’s Volleyball, NCAA DII Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University—Daytona Beach, FL
• Jackson Toth, Football, NCAA DIII Wheaton College—Wheaton, IL
• Michael Shanahan, Football, NCAA DI The University of Tennessee at Martin—Martin, TN
• Treylan Barton, Football, NCAA DII Mars Hill University—Mars Hill, NC
• Jon-Laurence Flemming, Football, NCAA DII Mars Hill University—Mars Hill, NC
• Victoria Bubrick, Women’s Soccer, NCAA DI Cornell University—Ithaca, NY

The ceremony will begin promptly at 10:25 am on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, in the Cramer Family Field House. Please join us as we recognize and celebrate these outstanding individuals.