Many high school students dream of playing a competitive college sport and others just want to play for fun. Either way, it’s an outstanding accomplishment to have the opportunity to play collegiately. Many students at Pascack Hills High School have that honor and are willing to share their recruiting journey.

Paula Mancinelli/Softball/Albertus Magnus

Erica: Before senior year, did you think you’d play softball at the collegiate level?

Paula: No I didn’t think I was going to play softball at the college level because I didn’t know if I would be able to play at that kind of level. I was surprised when I heard the coach was interested in recruiting me.

Erica: How did the Albertus Magnus coach find you?

Paula: Coach Curatola sent the Albertus Magnus all of my information and my video.

Erica: Any recruiting advice for other softball players?

Paula: If you have a chance at getting recruited, go for it. It’s worth a try. If you don’t like it after playing for a while, you can always stop. It’s a chance of a lifetime that you should definitely take advantage of if you have the opportunity.

John Molinelli/Baseball/The College of New Jersey

Erica: Before senior year, did you think you’d play baseball at the collegiate level?

John: Before senior year, I did not think I would play college baseball because I was not interested in the schools that were interested in me.

Erica: How did the TCNJ coach find you?

John: In DIII recruiting, you have to find a team or coach because they won’t actively find you. In my case, it happened to be that I was visiting TCNJ for no athletic reason and I happened to be visiting during their practice. At this practice one of the assistant coaches came up to me and eventually the conversation led to me attending some of their recruiting camps.

Erica: Any recruiting advice for other baseball players?

John: The best advice I could give is don’t be shy trying to get your name out to college coaches and attend as many college recruitment camps as possible

Jared Mactas/Golf/Lafayette College

Erica: How did the Lafayette College coach find you?

Jared:  Well, I emailed a lot of schools that I was interested in. There is also a world ranking for golfers that I was in that a few coaches saw.

Erica: Any recruiting advice for other golfers?

Jared: Yes, just keep emailing the schools you’d like to play for.

Brian Horn/Basketball/Trinity

Erica: Before senior year, did you think you’d play basketball in college?

Brian: I wouldn’t say I definitely knew I’d play basketball in college before my senior year, but knew I would be able to. As a junior, I was contacted by coaches saying they were interested in me playing basketball at their respective basketball programs.

Erica: How did you get in contact with the coach?

Brian: Well I am going to attend Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. The coach saw me play at a college showcase in the summer in Pennsylvania. Over the summer I would attend many basketball camps and showcases where college coaches would come watch and search for talent for possible recruits.

Erica: Any advice for other basketball players?

Brian: I would say the number one thing is that you have to make the first move and initiate contact with a school you may want to play at. A school you want to play at will not necessarily come to you and have the opportunity to watch you play. So, it is extremely important to contact a coach first to tell him what camps, tournaments, showcases, etc. you will be at so they can watch you play and assess your game.

Other athletes include Chantal Ramhorst, Brian Horn, Corey Pic, Nick Bianco, Deniz Piatt, Olivia Cheng, Trevor Bickel and Joe Zariello.