Many Cardinal fans and coaches gathered at Big Rapids High School on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the signing of eight collegiate-bound student-athletes.

Here's a breakdown of the signed athletes and their next destinations:

• Sophia Blackwell, Track and Field, Grand Valley State

  • Four-time all-conference honoree, two-time state championship qualifier, regional champion in long jump, school record holder in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays

• Keaton Edwards, Soccer, Grace Christian University

  • First-team all-conference, all-district honoree, Pioneer Dream Team selection, team captain during the 2024 season

• Ty Gielczyk, Baseball, Kalamazoo Valley Community College

  • #2 in school history for career pitching strikeouts, multiple-time all-conference honoree

• Hayden Gould, Cross Country & Track and Field, Ferris State University

  • Conference champion in the 4x800 relay, four-time all-conference honoree, four-time state finals qualifier

• Michael Horning, Track and Field, Ferris State University

  • All-conference champion in discus, currently ranked in the top five in the region for discus

• Mallory Neglio, Soccer, Great Lakes Christian College

  • Two-year varsity player, recorded 11 goals and one assist in varsity career

• Ethan Voigt, Golf, Grand Rapids Community College

  • Four-year varsity competitor, three-time all-conference honoree, 16 top-10 event finishes in high school career

• Isaac Zocco, Baseball, Alpena Community College

  • Four-year varsity starter, most runs scored in a high school career by a Big Rapids player since 2018, one of only five hitters in recent school history to log over 100 hits in his career

"Today’s event is easily one of my favorites each year," Athletic Director Dawn Thompson said. "It is a great opportunity to highlight our student-athletes as they look to compete at the next level, but more importantly, we celebrate where they will continue their academic careers."

Gabe Njenga, who recently signed to play basketball at Colby Community College in Kansas, was unable to attend the ceremony.

These nine individuals join Garret Foster, who signed with Ferris State Football, and Brenna Mossel, who signed with Ferris State Volleyball, as Big Rapids athletes to ink their letters of intent during the 2024-2025 school year.