More than 75 area high school athletes signed National Letters of Intent Wednesday, the first day that the students could sign the document that binds the athlete to a specific college.

A National Letter of Intent is a contract between an athlete and a college. The student agrees to enroll at a specific school and the school agrees to provide financial aid. There are athletics eligibility penalties if an athlete later enrolls at another school unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Athletes in sports other than football, field hockey, soccer, track and field and cross country can sign during this early signing period. The football signing period begins Feb. 6, although athletes in all sports can sign during the early period if they are graduating in the middle of the year.

Wakefield football quarterback Connor Mitch and wide receiver Jordan Fieulleteau signed with the South Carolina and the North Carolina, respectively, on Wednesday because they both plan to enroll in college in January.

The Millbrook girls basketball team had eight players to sign on Wednesday.

BASEBALL

Camby Abell, Apex, UNC Asheville; Joseph Bialkowski, Broughton, Georgetown; Justin Carroll, West Johnston, UNC Wilmington; Jared Kehagias, Southern Lee, N.C. Central; Michael Kelly, Leesville Road, UNC Asheville; Jake Kush, Riverside, UNC Greensboro; Evan Nations, Cardinal Gibbons, Charleston Southern; B.J. Nobles, Millbrook, Western Carolina; Tyler Pickard, Cardinal Gibbons, Charleston Southern; Robbie Thorburn, Cardinal Gibbons, UNC Wilmington; Christopher Silber, Sanderson, High Point; Cameron Snow, Riverside, East Carolina; Garrett Suggs, Fuquay-Varina, N.C. State

BOYS BASKETBALL

Logan Evans, Wakefield, Queens; Devonte Graham, Broughton, Appalachian State; James Hemphill, Broughton, Navy; Jared Hendrix, Jordan, Queens; Josh Newkirk, Word of God, Pittsburgh; Isaiah Hicks, Oxford Webb, North Carolina; Tyrone Outlaw Jr, Person, UNC Greensboro; Grant Rasmussen, Green Hope, Queens College; David Robertson, Green Hope, UNC Asheville; Shane Whitfield, Word of God, Lehigh

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Whitney Bunn, Bunn, Furman; Whitney Coleman, Cary, UNC Greensboro; Bayley Coleman-Cox, Jordan, Hampton; Mickayla Sanders, Cary Academy, Liberty; Courtney Best, Millbrook, Campbell; Bria Day, Millbrook, Syracuse; Briana Day, Millbrook;, Syracuse; Ryan Flowers, Millbrook;, UNC Wilmington; Mercedes Harris, Panther Creek, Long Island; Brianna Hinton, Millbrook, Barton College; Mykia Jones, Millbrook, Wake Forest; Tianna Knuckles, East Wake, UNC Asheville; Katelyn Mitchell, Millbrook, UNC Pembroke; Jordyn Smyth, Hillside, Howard; Alex Tomlinson, Millbrook, Wingate; Allie Tuttle, Panther Creek, Northwestern; Amy Van Deventer, Cary Christian, King College (TN); Makayla Williams, Wakefield, N.C. A&T; Amber Wright, Knightdale, Limestone (S.C.)

FOOTBALL-X

Connor Mitch, Wakefield, South Carolina; Jordan Fieulleteau, Wakefield, North Carolina

BOYS GOLF

Carter Jenkins, Leesville Road, UNC Greensboro

GIRLS GOLF

Sarah Bae, Athens Drive, High Point; Evie Dole, Ravenscroft, Virginia

BOYS LACROSSE

Jimbo Barnes, Ravenscroft, Furman; Quincy Leech, Durham Academy, Bowdoin (Maine); Colin McKendry, Cardinal Gibbons, Providence; William McEntee, East Chapel Hill, Air Force; Jake Penniger, Riverside, Wingate; Andrew Ruskey, Holly Springs, Catawba; Luke Sieber, Apex, Lynchburg; Derek Sweet, Apex, Robert Morris; Alex Thompson, Durham Academy, Furman

GIRLS LACROSSE

Maggie Auslander, Green Hope, North Carolina; Bailey DeMuth, East Chapel Hill, Elon; Sydney Holman, East Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Cassie Watters, East Chapel Hil, Presbyterian

SOFTBALL

Emily Libero, Cary, Maryland; Ashley Lindsay, Fuquay-Varina, Lees McRae; Madison Parker, Panther Creek, Peace; Lexi Ross, Green Hope, Western Carolina; Tyler Ross, Middle Creek, N.C. State; Madison Stewart, Garner, UNC Wilmington

BOYS SWIMMING

Bailey Maloney, Cardinal Gibbons, East Carolina; Tim Schade, Panther Creek, Towson; Kai Wombacher, Cardinal Gibbons, Brown

GIRLS SWIMMING

Claire Liu, Panther Creek, Emory (Ga.)

VOLLEYBALL

Ashley Battle, Middle Creek, Virginia Tech; Megan Blunden, Chapel Hill, Delaware; Madison Brown, Green Hope, N.C. State; Sasha Karelov, Leesville Road, Duke; Haleigh Nelson, Cardinal Gibbons, Wisconsin; Marissa Mayfield, Riverside, Erskine (S.C.); Kristen Powell, Garner, UNC Wilmington; Lauren Saxby, Wakefield, Western Carolina; Kati Stammen, Leesville Road, Appalachian State; Crystal Widom, Wakefield, High Point.

x-NOTE: The football signing period begins in February, but players who graduate in December and enroll in college in January can sign during the early period.

J. Mike Blake