Grace Hennessy and Samantha Killin to bring their games to college

Warwick Valley High School seniors Grace Hennessy and Samantha Killin signed National Letters of Intent last week to play collegiately at NCAA Division I universities.

The two scholar-athletes celebrated their signings with their families, coaches, Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Leach and Athletic Director Gregory Sirico.

The following profiles were provided by the Warwick Valley Athletic Department:

Grace Hennessy

Warwick Valley High School four seasons Varsity Softball

National Letter of Intent to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington of Wilmington, North Carolina, and play softball. UNC Wilmington competes in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) of the NCAA Division I.

Career highlights as an athlete

· Will be a four-year starter at shortstop for the Warwick Wildcats.

· Career batting average: .458; Fielding Percentage: .937; 55 runs scored.

· Will-to-Win softball award winner; three-year volleyball standout.

Recruited by Kristy Norton, the head Softball Coach for the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. UNC Wilmington competes in the CAA along with Drexel, Delaware, James Madison and Towson.

She chose UNC Wilmington over Furman, Lemoyne and St. Peters University. She will enter this fall as a math education major.

Academic accomplishments

· Ranked in the top 30% of her class with a weighted GPA of 92.2

· Member National Honor Society

· NYSPHSAA Scholar–Athlete four consecutive years.

Parents: Kelly and Michael Hennessy of Warwick. Her sister Hannah (sophomore at James Madison University) attends rival school on scholarship for softball. Her brother Michael is a standout freshman football player.

Samantha Killin

Samantha Killin in her sixth year of scholastic tennis competition intends to sign a National Letter of Intent to attend Rider University of Lawrence Township, New Jersey, to compete as a tennis player.

Rider University competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) of the NCAA Division I.

Career highlights as an athlete

· Four-year tennis MVP for the Warwick Wildcats, including six seasons as a high school tennis player (since 7th grade).

· 2019 Section IX Doubles Champion placing 20th at the NYSPHSAA Championships.

· Finished 10–4 this season as #1 singles player (played first singles since freshman year).

· Three-year captain of the Varsity Tennis Team.

Recruited by Tom Battaglia, head Women’s Tennis Coach at Rider University. Rider Competes in the MAAC against Marist, Sienna, Quinnipiac, Fairfield and Niagara University. She chose Rider over Ithaca College. She plans to study exercise science.

Academic accomplishments

· Ranked in the top 20% of her class with a weighted GPA of 95.25.

· Member National Honor Society.

· NYSPHSAA Scholar–Athlete six consecutive years.

Parents: Caprice and David Killin of Warwick. Her sister Hayley Killin (’19) attends the College of Charleston.