The first Wednesday in February has become a cultural phenomenon, featuring a multi-media frenzy over the signings of high school athletes across the nation. The Inland Empire and specifically, Southwest Riverside County, was a part of this frenzy on Wednesday, Feb. 6, as the area has been discovered by colleges and universities as viable recruiting grounds for athletic talent.

Eighty-one student-athletes from 12 Valley schools signed their National Letters of Intent this past week. The athletes excelled in 14 sports: football (16), softball (13), girls soccer (12), girls volleyball (11), cross country/track (7), baseball (7), swimming (4), boys soccer (4), gymnastics (2), and one each in water polo, diving, girls golf, girls lacrosse, boys lacrosse and cheer.

National Signing Day is the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent (NLI) with an NCAA school, committing in writing to attend that school in exchange for a commitment from the school to receive financial aid (scholarship). Once an athlete signs an NLI, all participating NCAA schools are forbidden to further recruit that athlete. Up until that time, an athlete can make a verbal commitment that can be changed or revoked at any time; coaches from other schools can still continue to recruit that athlete. Programs and schools compete aggressively with one another for the athletes’ commitments and media and recruiting services feed the hype surrounding those decisions.

The process is a difficult one and there is a sense of relief as well as joyous celebration when this day finally arrives. Here are some of the signees and the schools they have committed to as well as some notes about their decisions. Valley News is proud to recognize and congratulate these student-athletes for their accomplishments in the classroom and in their respective sports. Congratulations also to the coaches and athletic directors whose programs have developed and provided opportunities for these student-athletes.