AFTON – She started playing the sport at the age of four. By eighth grade, she was traveling to one day clinics held at colleges up and down the east coast. She returned from her first New York State championship appearance on Sunday after reaching the semifinals.

On Wednesday – with many family, friends, teachers, and younger athletes who look up to her – Madison Baciuska of the Afton Crimson Knights Field Hockey program signed her national letter of intent to play at Wake Forest for the next four years

Baciuska, a member of the varsity team since seventh grade, knew she wanted to go to Wake Forest after attending a clinic with a friend in the eighth grade.

Many offers were on the table for the field hockey standout, most from the NCAA Division-I level. A recruiting trip to to one school and a visit to another, nothing made Baciuska feel more at home than Wake Forest.

“I kind of knew in eighth grade,” said Baciuska. “I went to the school to visit for a clinic and fell in love then. I was being recruited by other schools and going on visits to other campuses but after each one, I kept telling myself and my parents, ‘I need to go back and see Wake [Forest] one more time.

“I love the size, the energy, and the coaching. I am super pumped to play there.”

Wake Forest, a university located in Winston-Salem, NC, is a strong program in the college field hockey world at the D-I level and a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Currently ranked at No. 12 in the country, head coach Jennifer Averill was unable to be at the signing as she and the Demon Deacons were on the road to Louisville, KY for the NCAA Field Hockey Final Four. They will see the top-seeded North Carolina Tarheels in the semifinals at 1 p.m. on Friday.

“I’m excited to play in the ACC against some awesome schools,” said Baciuska. “We will see some schools that are the best of the best. I’m looking forward to competing and hopefully making it to the final four to carry on the Wake Forest tradition.”