Shady Side Academy, Fox Chapel athletes seal future plans in early signing period

By: Michael Love
Sunday, November 30, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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When a high school athlete gives a verbal commitment to a school of his or her choice, it sets off a period of waiting until they can make it officially binding.

For several of those local athletes, that signing-day period began Nov. 12, and it signified a major commitment and the start of a Division I or Division II journey which will shape their foreseeable future.

Shady Side Academy basketball star Karis Thomas began her senior academic year with the knowledge that Division I Purdue Fort Wayne was the place for her. She gave a verbal commitment to the Horizon League school in August.

It became even more real on the first day of the signing period as she made her decision final with putting her name all of the necessary forms online. She was celebrated with family and friends at a ceremony with fellow senior teammate Cassie Sauer (Chicago, Division III).

“There was even more pressure dropped from my shoulders,” said Thomas, who averaged 19.4 points, 4.4 assists and 2.4 steals a game as a junior for a Shady Side team which finished 28-2 and reached the WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A title games.

“It is sometimes a challenge when you are deciding on your future and where you want to go as an athlete. It was a blessing to find my home away from home. It’s always been a dream to play college basketball on the big stage. That has been a big motivator for me since I was young.”

Karis, Sauer and the rest of the Bulldogs opened their season Saturday against Imhotep Charter and then Sunday against John Carroll, at the Play For Mae Tournament at Woodland Hills.

“We’re really excited for this season,” Thomas said. “We’ve really worked hard.”

The period to sign with Division I and II schools remained the same despite the NCAA eliminating the national letter of intent in October 2024. NLI was replaced with financial aid agreements between the NCAA and student-athletes.

The switch comes after the NCAA announced changes to things such as scholarship limits, the D2 recruiting calendar and the transfer portal.

But it didn’t change the excitement for area athletes to celebrate one of the biggest decisions in their lives.

Starting Nov. 12, Division I athletes in basketball were able to sign for one week, through Nov. 19, with the regular signing period starting April 15.

For those in wrestling, swimming and diving, rowing, bowling, soccer, baseball, tennis, softball, lacrosse and track and field, it depends on the college as to when the initial signing period concludes.

The early signing period for Division I football is three days, from Dec. 3-5, with the regular period for Division I and II football signees set to start Feb. 4.

Fox Chapel record-setting kicker Harran Zureikat is set to sign for a full scholarship to Georgia, which currently is immersed in the chase for a top spot in the college football playoff.

He made his verbal commitment in June as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 rated kicker in the country by Kohl’s Kicking Camps.

Fox Chapel senior Emma DiRocco was set with a verbal commitment to Division I Old Dominion at the start of her final varsity volleyball season in early September.

“It was a lot less stressful when I committed and I could really concentrate on my season,” said DiRocco, an All-WPIAL middle hitter who helped the Foxes reach the 2025 WPIAL Class 4A playoffs.

She joined several Fox Chapel Division I and II athletes who finalized their college decisions online as the signing period opened.

“In one click of a button, it was all there,” DiRocco said. “There is excitement because I know that there are five other amazing players in my class that I get to meet and play with in the summer.”

DiRocco said she gained an additional measure of confidence on the court this fall.

“I also felt respected by being committed already,” she said.

“I felt an even bigger responsibility because I had another team and school I was representing. I wanted to make Old Dominion proud just as much as I wanted to be my best for my (Fox Chapel) teammates and coaches.”

While DiRocco was bringing the hammer down on the volleyball court, Duquesnecommit Ava Calandra was delivering the goods for the Fox Chapel girls golf team.

With added energy knowing she had her college decision made with a verbal commitment, Calandra helped the Foxes place second in the WPIAL Class 3A finals at Cedarbrook Red and earn a berth to states.

The team finished just one shot behind Peters Township in the chase for the title.

Individually, she was the low medalist (71) at the Section 4 qualifier, tied for eighth after the first round of the WPIAL tournament at Seven Oaks Country Club, and finished 17th after the final round on the challenging Sewickley Heights course.

Calandra, an invitee to the WPGA Girls Match Play Invitational this past summer, will join a Duquesne team that will enter its third competitive season next fall.

Fox Chapel senior pitcher Blake Krushinski, who gave a verbal commitment to West Virginia baseball in August of last year, waited 15 months to make his decision final. He said there was absolutely no thought of looking elsewhere during that whole time.

“Once I (verbally committed), it made me want to work that much harder,” said Krushinski, who had also garnered interest from Pitt, Penn State, Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina.

“When I signed, it was a sense of relief. At the same time, it was a new chapter in my life, and I can’t slow down now. I have so much I still want to work on with the knowledge that I will be at a great school like West Virginia doing what I love, and that’s baseball.

“I had this mindset and dream to play at the Division I level since I was 4 years old when I was throwing Wiffle balls and swinging a bat in the back yard with my dad. The end goal for me now is to be in the Major Leagues.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Fox Chapel, Shady Side Academy