Bethlehem Catholic held a signing ceremony last month for 14 student-athletes that are continuing their careers at the next level.

Some of the students that were honored already made their decisions public earlier in the school year, but the ceremony was more of a celebration for all involved, as well as recognizing new signees to the college athletic platform.

Kyle Benbrook is one of those students who made a late change to his future, as Benbrook decided to attend the University of Pittsburgh to walk-on the football team. Benbrook had the chance to go and play at Lehigh or Lafayette, but once he was accepted to Pitt, his decision changed.

"I really liked Pitt and talked to the coach and decided that I'm walking on," Benbrook said. "I'm going to really take the opportunity for the chance to compete. I'm in the weight room six days a week right now and I'm running a couple miles a day to get ready."

The road for a walk-on at a Division-I school is not the easiest track for playing time, but Benbrook hopes he can speed up that process with his work ethic.

"I want to get on the field by my sophomore year," he said. "They tell walk-ons that you won't see the field until your junior or senior year, but I want to play my sophomore year. In the end, I think I can do it and I really relish the opportunity."

Katie Altpeter decided Lehigh was the best place for her moving forward with her track career, as it was a school she had always wanted to attend ever since she was in grade school.

"When I was little, I always said I wanted to go to Lehigh," Altpeter said. "This past summer I went to a track camp there and they started recruiting me. Ever since then I fell in love with the school. The campus is gorgeous, the school spirit is crazy and the coaches are great. It really was an easy decision for me. I really didn't want to consider any other schools."

Staying close to home is also a perk for Altpeter.

"I'm going to be 10 minutes from home, so I won't be far but I'll still get the college experience," she said. "It'll be nice because I'll still be away, but I can come home and sleep in my own bed if I want to."

Other students that are heading to college to play sports include Andrew Dunn (Virginia Tech, wrestling); Joshua Heron (St. Francis University, football); Michael Italiani (Kutztown University, football); Dante Lonardo (Lafayette College, football); Freddie Simmons, Jr. (NC State, football); Jessica Attieh (Lebanon Valley College, volleyball); Kalista Walters (Pittsburgh, basketball); Matti Reightler (IUP, field hockey); Ryan Johnson (Lebanon Valley College, football); Peter Demyan (Moravian College, tennis); Julie Kollar (King's College, volleyball) and Michael McDaniel (Temple University, football).