SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Central Catholic School held a college signing ceremony on Monday, honoring a pair of students who will be competing at the next level.
Saratoga Catholic seniors Christopher Comstock (University of Alabama at Birmingham, rifle team) and Jacqueline Fornabia (SUNY Potsdam, volleyball) both signed letters of intent to their respective schools.
Comstock was introduced to shooting at a young age, and has competed with the Galway Junior Rifle Club since 2017, and the Galway Senior Rifle Club since 2018. He was invited to the National Junior Olympics Rifle Championships for air rifle in 2022, and for both air rifle and smallbore in 2023.
He said one of the highlights of the sport has been the sense of community surrounding it.
“Really appreciative of everyone who introduced me to the sport, because it’s not something you think of immediately,” said Comstock. “It’s a small sport, it’s a small community. But the nice thing about that is that everyone’s really supportive.”
Comstock said he was drawn to UAB for its team atmosphere, saying it is “an environment that I could really get behind.” He plans to major in mechanical engineering.
“It’s more of a family down there,” Comstock said. He noted that head coach Lori Goodwin, who has led the Blazers’ rifle team since 1995, will be traveling to Colorado to watch him compete later this year.
“I don’t think any other coach would be there doing that,” said Comstock. “She really has that drive to see her athletes succeed.”
Comstock also credited Kyle Donnan, his coach at Galway Fish and Game, with helping to keep him driven toward his goals. While Saratoga Catholic does not have a rifle team of its own, Comstock said the school has been very supportive of his athletic escapades.
“The support structure that you get from family, from your coaches, I think that really drives people,” said Comstock.
Fornabia was named to the Wasaren League First Team in the fall, and will continue her volleyball career at SUNY Potsdam. She first began playing volleyball after arriving at Saratoga Catholic, and credited the school with helping her advance to the next level.
“I reached out to a lot of the SUNY schools, but Potsdam was the one that had my major and the one that I liked,” said Fornabia of her college decision. “I like that it’s far away from home, but not too far.”
Fornabia will major in psychology at Potsdam. She also credited her teammates, saying, “They all helped me throughout the way.”
“My teammates, they’ve always been supporting me, along with my coaches,” Fornabia said. “My coaches are still giving me recommendations for camps in the summer and stuff like that.”
Fornabia said her time at Saratoga Catholic was “really special.”
“Just because if I didn’t go here, I probably wouldn’t be playing,” said Fornabia. “I just think that coming here and playing was a big part of me being able to play in college.”
Fornabia said she is excited for the upcoming volleyball season, but also said she is excited for the academic side of college as well.
“I’m excited to obviously play, but I’m also excited to go into school and learn new things, and being able to go to a bigger school and meet new people,” Fornabia said.
