The St. John’s Prep athletic department announced on Wednesday that 10 Eagles student-athletes have made written commitments to compete at the college of their choice. Scholar-athletes representing six sports at St. John’s inked commitment letters during the ongoing NCAA signing period.
“What a great time of year and a remarkable accomplishment for all of our student-athletes, their families, teammates, and coaches,” said St. John’s Prep Athletic Director Jameson Pelkey. “These signings are a testament to all of the time, energy and effort that our guys have put in over the years. We congratulate them and wish them all the best.”
This recruiting window’s signees from St. John’s Prep represent eight cities and towns along the North Shore.
A primary provision of the NCAA National Letter of Intent (NLI) program is that competing collegiate athletic programs must cease recruitment of a prospective student-athlete once an NLI is signed with another institution. Athletic scholarship aid is renewed on an annual basis at the discretion of each school’s athletic department.
The 10 NLI signees are:
LACROSSE
Conor Kelly, Defenseman (Marblehead), University of Richmond
Prep coach John Pynchon on Kelly: “Conor is a two-year starter who was a key part of our team’s state championship run last year. He has great range, quick feet and a sharp lacrosse IQ. Conor played his best lacrosse of the season last year in the sectional and state championship games, during which he caused numerous turnovers on the defensive end. We are excited to see the impact Conor has at the next level playing for the Spiders.”
Tommy Sarni, Attack (Lynnfield), Providence College
Pynchon on Sarni: “Tommy was a core part of our offense on last year’s state championship team. He is big, athletic and skilled. A dominant left-handed player, he has natural scoring ability and great field vision. We are thrilled to see him join the Friars and carry on a strong tradition of St. John’s lacrosse athletes who have played and won championships at PC.”
Nolan Philpott, Long-stick midfielder/defenseman (Boxford), St. Anselm College
Pynchon on Philpott: “Nolan is an athletic long-stick midfielder who is excellent at creating turnovers, getting the ball off the turf and pushing in transition. He has a tremendous work ethic and has been a core part of our offseason weight-training program for the past three years. We are excited to see Nolan continue his lacrosse career at St. Anselm.”
CROSS COUNTRY
Charlie Tuttle, Distance (Salem), Boston University
Assistant coach Zach Lankow on Tuttle: “Charlie has grown into a poised leader and confident competitor over the past four years. He’s one of the top distance athletes in the state and region, but I’m even more impressed with his self-motivated work ethic, the example he sets for others and his attention to detail as an athlete. His personal bests of 4:27.04 in the mile and 9:12.41 in the two-mile may fall this spring. He has great personal goals this upcoming season, and I can’t wait to see the process unfold for him. Charlie will go down as one of the best distance runners in school history, but an even better example of where the sport can take you with dedication and commitment. We’re so proud of him.”
FOOTBALL
Jackson Delaney, Wide receiver (Boxford), Brown University
Prep coach Brian St. Pierre on Delaney: “Jackson Delaney owns every single-season (51-978-13 in 2021) and career-receiving (115-2,045-25) record at our school. He has unique size and speed for the position and his work ethic is exemplary. He has tremendous positional versatility. He can play inside and outside. We moved him around a lot via motions and shifts as well as flex formations and condensed formations—excelled at it all. Extremely intelligent, Jackson is quiet by nature, but his play here spoke volumes. His durability (never missed a game due to injury) and his ability to play his best in the biggest games are his hallmarks. He made so many big catches it would be impossible to remember them all. He was a coach’s dream — never had to tell him something more than once and it was done. He’s as good a young man as you’ll ever come across. We will miss him, but it will be exciting to follow his career at Brown.”
BASEBALL
Payton Palladino, Second baseman (Danvers), Flagler College
St. John’s Prep Coach Dan Letarte ’86 on Palladino: “Payton is a very good all-around player. He made some plays defensively last year that only high-level players make. Flagler College is getting a very good hitter as well.”
Connor Remley, Pitcher (North Andover), Wake Forest University
Letarte on Remley: “Connor is a drop-down, accurate pitcher with really good movement. For him to have an opportunity to challenge hitters in the Atlantic Coast Conference next year will be fun to watch. We’re expecting him to have a big year for us this spring.”
CREW
Colton Potter, Starboard 5-seat (Newbury), Fairfield University
Prep coach Tim Broderick on Potter: “Colton is a three-year member of the varsity rowing program and a key contributor to Boat No. 2 this past fall, as that crew produced the most successful season in the program’s history in that slot, finishing first at both the New England and New Hampshire championship regattas. Colton’s work ethic and leadership were reflected in the mentality of that boat and he was an important part of its success. He’s always been an athlete that coaches can ask to do anything that’s needed, from motivating his teammates to getting the shell trailer ready for long road trips. He will become the first rower from St. John’s to row at Fairfield University.”
Matt Viliott, Port 4-seat (Melrose), College of the Holy Cross
Broderick on Viliott: “Matt is a four-year member of the program and when he completes his spring season in 2022, he will have competed in eight seasons as part of our team. He’s worked his way up from an eager freshman to being the strongest member of Boat No. 1. As a senior, he’s one of the leaders of our program and a calming, steadfast presence both in competition and at practice. He raced in the 2021 Head of the Charles Regatta, leading the Prep to one of its best overall finishes in the Men’s Youth 8-plus event. Upon graduation, he’ll continue his rowing career at Holy Cross, where there’s a strong presence of St. John’s alumni, who are excited to welcome him aboard one of the most successful college rowing programs in New England.”
SWIMMING
Carter Randall, Diver (North Andover), La Salle University
Prep coach Jeff Fiore on Randall: “Carter has been a huge asset to our program and has led our divers since seventh grade. He’s been competing at the highest level and scoring big points for us at championship meets. It’s been really fun to watch him improve over the years and begin to master his craft. I’m excited to follow his collegiate career.”
