Celebrating letters of intent signing are, left to right,PHS Swim Coach Brendan Burgess, Emily McCormack, Michael Curcio and PHS Lacrosse Coach Chris Grassi. (Submitted photo)
Emily McCormack and Michael Curcio, two Pomperaug High School (PHS) seniors, each signed a National Letter of Intent indicating their commitment to participating in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) colleges and universities in the United States.
McCormack, 18, was recruited to swim by the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt., and will attend the school next year to study occupational therapy. She lives in Middlebury with her parents, Mike and Michele McCormack, and her siblings, Lindsey, Harrison and Brady.
The captain of the swim team, McCormack has received All State for two years, was CIAC State Open qualifier for three years, South West Conference (SWC) All Academic, First Team All SWC, and a four-year varsity letter recipient. She set the PHS record for the 200 freestyle relay. Academically, McCormack made honor roll every semester throughout high school and was enrolled in English and Spanish honors classes.
“One of the highlights of my years swimming at Pomperaug is being a part of the winning team during the state championship my freshman and junior years,” said McCormack. “Coach (Brendan) Burgess has a mantra before every meet – ‘the power of positive thinking.’ This pushed me to try my best throughout the season. I want to thank my coaches for setting the bar high and turning us into a winning team.”
The University of Vermont, a Division 1 school in Burlington, competes in the NCAA America East Conference. This year, the UVM swim team placed third at the America East Championship, dominated the relay event in the conference and finished the season at 8-2.
Curcio, 18, signed his National Letter of Intent to play lacrosse for Assumption College. The Assumption College lacrosse team is in the Division 2 Northeast-10 conference. Curcio plans to major in business at the Worcester, Mass.-based school.
The Pomperaug High School Varsity Lacrosse team captain, Curcio was named All SWC Division 2 during his sophomore and junior years and the SWC All-Academic team as a sophomore. The team is coached by Chris Grassi and Joe Perreault.
“Two of the highlights of my years on Varsity Lacrosse were last year’s SWC Division 2 championship and when our team beat Weston during my sophomore year – that was the biggest upset in the state that year,” said Curcio.
“I’ve been with both coaches for all four years as a lacrosse student athlete and they guided me in pursuing my goal of playing college lacrosse.”
Curcio also credits the summer coaching staff from Team 203 club, Coaches Lee Bailey and Eric Bailey.
In addition to playing lacrosse, Curcio has played PHS Varsity Football, including being named SWC All-Academic (sophomore), All-SWC Honorable Mention (junior), and Waterbury Republican-American All-Academic Honor (junior).
Michael lives in Southbury with his parents, Michele and Ben Federico, and his sister, Brianna. He is an honors and AP student with a 3.4 grade point average.
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