by E. Jay Zarett

After leading the Jamesville-Dewitt girls soccer program to its greatest period of success, including four Section III Class A titles, three trips to the state final four and two appearances in the state championship game, two of its top players made their future plans official.

In front of a lobby filled with family and friends at J-D High School, Alex Catanzarite and Sophia Dimkopoulos finalized their college commitments, signing letters of intent – Catanzarite to Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, Dimkopoulos to Siena University in Albany.

“We haven’t had two female soccer athletes go at the same time to a (Division I) school,” J-D head coach Hayley Nies said. “It’s exciting for the program. It’s all on them. It’s their hard work and dedication.”

Catanzarite led J-D with 35 goals and 12 assists in 2016. Just before her signing with Bucknell, the National Soccer Association of America named her the New York State High School Player of the Year.

“It just feels great,” Catanzarite said about that honor. “It’s really exciting.”

Catanzarite finished her high school career with 129 total points, counting goals and assists. She said she chose Bucknell because of both its academic and athletic programs. The Bison tallied a 16-2- 2 record last season and advanced to the NCAA tournament after capturing the Patriot League championship.

“I just thought it would be a great fit and a balance of both,” Catanzarite said.

Dimkopoulos anchored the back line for her first three seasons at J-D. She shifted into the midfield in 2016, a move that resulted in 13 goals and six assists. She said that continuing her soccer career at the D-I level is a dream come true.

“Soccer is much more than a sport to me,” Dimkopoulos said. “I learned to work with my team. I’ve made so many different friendships. I’m just so happy that I’m going to be able to continue that next year.”

Dimkopoulos said she had heard about Siena’s soccer program from a former teammate. On her visit to the Siena campus, she said she immediately felt good about the school and the soccer program.

“I just loved (Siena) from the minute I walked on the campus,” Dimkopoulos said. “To see all of my work pay off and (to be) going to the school that I’ve always dreamed of going, it’s so awesome.”

Dimkopoulos said that signing her letter of intent with her long-time J-D teammate, Catanzarite, made the day more memorable.

“Me and Alex have been playing together since we were little,” Dimkopoulous said. “We car-pooled together all of our lives. Finally, both of us can commit to a school, it’s awesome.”

Catanzarite echoed her teammate’s sentiment. “To be able to sign right next to (Sophia) was really exciting,” Catanzarite said. “She’s been a great teammate.”

During their four years on the J-D varsity team, Catanzarite and Dimkopoulos swept to those four sectional titles and won 82 games overall, claiming every possible honor except a state title.

“There are definitely going to be some holes to fill,” Nies said. “They were huge (for our program).  Their leadership was immeasurable with the young ones.”