Bloomingdale High School continues to churn out college athletes, as eight seniors signed to play college sports on National Signing Day, November 13, 2024.
Natalie Cable signed to play softball at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
“It was such an amazing feeling being surrounded by family and friends, and celebrating such an important milestone,” said Cable.
She plans to major in biochemistry and wants to attend med school at UCLA as well. She had a record-breaking season in 2023, setting a school record for most strikeouts in a season by a pitcher, and led her team to a state semifinal appearance. Cable said she would like to have as big of an impact at UCLA as she did in high school.
“My goal is to thrive and make an impact as soon as I step on campus,” she said.
Basketball player Noelle Mengel, who recently broke the school record for most points in a career, will attend the University of Tampa and major in premed/health sciences.
“My goals for college basketball are to contribute to a winning program, win as many championships as possible and graduate,” Mengal said.
Baseball player Hayden Porter will attend Polk State College. He said he felt a sense of relief when he signed because a lot of pressure was taken off him, so he can focus on his last high school season of baseball.
He hopes this opportunity will get him to the next levels of baseball.
“My goal for college ball is to ultimately perform well enough to end up at a Power Four school and eventually move on to the minor leagues,” said Hayden.
Vinny Denzio will play baseball at Indian River State College, where he will major in sports management or sports medicine. He said that he wants to stay in the sport of baseball for as long as he possibly can. He said Indian River is the right fit for him because it emphasizes winning.
“The coaches also made me feel like family while I was there, almost like we’ve known each other for a long time. The group of athletes they have there seemed to welcome me and get along together,” he said.
Denzio is looking forward to his final high school season this spring.
“The 2025 Bloomingdale Bulls may have a lot of new faces, but we still have the same goal — win. This group of guys has resilience and grit,” said Denzio. “Giving up and quitting is not an option. I love what this team has to offer, on and off the field we just win.”
Other signees include Savannah Ferguson, who will play basketball at Maine Maritime Academy; soccer player Mya Cripe, who will be attending Southern New Hampshire University; volleyball player Elaina Fischer, who will study sports management at University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky; and Alaina Norris, who will play volleyball at St. Mary of the Woods College in Indiana and major in kinesiology.
