Carter Murphy wants to be part of something bigger than himself.

Welcome to the Air Force Academy.

“I thought that Air Force was the best fit for me,” Murphy said. “It fits who I am the best and gives me the best opportunity for when I graduate.”

Isabella Fratesi wants to be a writer for a major New York publication.

Ivy League Columbia University, located in the heart of the Big Apple, fits in with her future.

“I’ve always wanted to go somewhere that has good academics because I work hard in school,” Fratesi said. “(Columbia) was the best one for me. Good (Division I) athletics and academics for what I want to pursue.”

Murphy, a star basketball player, and Fratesi, a star swimmer, are part of a whopping group of eight Arcadia athletes who signed letters of intent to Division I programs on Nov. 14, paving the way for their futures.

With fellow students rooting on their classmates during lunch, the school honored three women’s swimmers. The Titans honored Fratesi; Alexa Teneyck, who will be continuing her career at the University of Idaho; and Sydney Carlson, who will take her talents to the University of Alabama.

“Extremely proud,” Arcadia swimming coach Erica McClurg said. “After a lifetime of dedication to their sport, it has finally come full circle for them and they are getting to do what they love athletically as well as go to school for academics.”

Outside of swimming, the Titans celebrated the signing of Murphy, Chaz Aurilia, who will be playing golf for two-time national champion UCLA, Arizona State beach volleyball commit Lexi Sweeny; and softball player Jordyn Pender, who will head north to play for former ASU interim head coach Robert Wagner at the University of South Dakota.

Yet another future Division I student-athlete Arcadia included in the festivities despite not having a team in her sport was gymnast Avery Stauffacher, who will be competing for the University of Arizona.

Arcadia athletic director Cher Fesenmaier congratulated the athletes and said it is “pretty phenomenal” to have so many Division I athletes signing on the same day. She said it is a product of having good families sending their athletes to Arcadia.

This family support is what has inspired the athletes on their way to Division I schools. Multiple signees said their parents inspired the success they have had in their careers. Aurilia, Murphy, Carlson and Pender all said family members were the biggest inspiration in their athletic careers.

“They’ve always pushed me to work hard and achieve things that are bigger than yourself,” Murphy said. “I try to stay true to that and just continue to pursue my goals and my dreams.”

Jennifer Murphy, Carter’s mother filmed all of his games.

“That’s my role,” she said.

Visible in the cafeteria was the support of the athletes’ friends, coaches and administration.

“I’ve been really lucky to have my best friends as my teammates,” Fratesi said. “I think they have been the ones who have really helped push me forward. It’s a lot more fun when your best friends are doing it with you.”

Aurilia cited his coaches and Arcadia administration as key supporters in his journey.

“They’ve been very supportive,” Aurilia said. “Coach (Jason) Jones has been extremely supportive of me. Administration…Ms. Fesenmaier is very supportive.”

Stauffacher cited her coach, former United States Olympian Amanda Borden who captained the 1996 United States gymnastics team to a gold medal at the Atlanta games, as her biggest inspiration.

“She really inspires me to be positive,” Stauffacher said.

The student-athletes would not be in the place they are today without the hard work and dedication they put into their sports.

“I’d say I practice five to seven days a week, “ Aurilia said. “I practice a lot, play a lot. Just try and get better every day.”

“We have nine practices a week,” Carlson said. “Two hours a piece. Morning and night most days.”

Murphy said he has put in a lot of “unseen hours” in the gym to get to this point and Pender said she has gone to many camps and tournaments to improve.

Going to division one schools will be a new experience for the athletes, one they are excited about. Murphy will head to the Mountain West conference, a conference he respects greatly.

“The Mountain West conference is a great conference for basketball,” Murphy said. “It’s going to be very competitive. It’s not going to be easy, but I look forward to competing against some of the best players in the country and doing it at a high level. The ultimate goal is to win the conference and make the tournament.”

The athletes are also excited for the academic side of college and the new experience. Murphy said he is into math and science so he is going to pursue engineering. Pender said it will be great “getting out of state” and “meeting new people.” Carlson said she is excited for the environment of Alabama.

“It’s a lot different from (Arizona), and from high school,” Carlson said. “I’m just excited to see what the college life is like.”

Fesenmaier, a former Division I athlete herself, said time management is extra important as a student-athlete.

“They’re going to learn really quickly that their practice times that they had here while in high school are going to be completely different in college,” Fesenmaier said. “When they start finding themselves struggle in their studies or not sure about what to do, they need to ask and just reach out to the upperclassmen, their coaches and anybody else who is a sports staffer.”

Fesenmaier said she will follow the careers of her athletes at the next level.

“I’m just a sports enthusiast so I’m always trying to pay attention to what they’re doing and how they are doing,” Fesenmaier said. “I think it is important to let them know that I’m interested in them not just at the high school level but continuing on.”

She is extremely proud her school produced so many Division I athletes. She is looking at football and some of the other male sports as sports to produce more Division I athletes in the future.

“I put a challenge out last year to the boys because last year we had 18 kids (sign) and 16 of them were females. So, females are definitely stepping it up so now we need to start seeing the guys step in.”