Cheverus seniors Sophia Pompeo, left, Justin Ray and Bella Booth react after signing their National Letters of Intent Wednesday morning. Pompeo will play field hockey at Providence College, Ray baseball at Assumption College and Booth field hockey at Bentley University.

Three Cheverus athletic standouts achieved their longtime dream of playing at the college level Wednesday morning, when they signed their National Letters of Intent in a ceremony in the school’s gymnasium.

Senior Sophia Pompeo, one of the state’s premier field hockey players, will matriculate at Providence (Rhode Island) College next year.

Teammate Bella Booth, another Stags’ star, will play field hockey at Bentley University in Waltham, Masschusetts.

Justin Ray will play baseball at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Pompeo, a stick-wizard, who scored a lot of key goals during her career, began playing field hockey seriously in middle school and made her mark over four seasons at the varsity level. She’ll play Division I field hockey at Providence, where she plans to study business.

“I’m so excited, so grateful,” said Pompeo, who also plays ice hockey and runs track for Cheverus. “Playing D1 was my dream. I looked at other schools too, but I fell in love with everything about Providence. It’s the perfect fit for me. I’ll play wherever they need me. I’ve had so many great teammates here and I’ll really miss that, but I’m excited to start with my next team.”

Booth also had a penchant for scoring the big goal during her time with the Stags. She was the team’s leading scorer as a junior and was a team captain as a senior. Booth said that she’s had her eye on Bentley for years.

“This has been a dream since eighth grade when I went to Bentley for a field hockey tournament and fell in love with the school,” said Booth, who plans to study business. “For me, it was Bentley-or-bust. I would have applied there even if I couldn’t play field hockey. I’ll work as hard as I can to earn a spot. That’s how life works. You work your hardest to get what you want. I’ve made lifelong friends here. I have great memories of field hockey here. Some great games.”

Cheverus coach Sally Cloutier feels that both Booth and Pompeo will continue to enjoy success at the next level.

“It’s so exciting to have two players go on and play field hockey in college,” Cloutier said. “It’s such an accomplishment for our program. They’ve both developed so much. They’re not just wonderful young ladies, but they’re great players. They’ve worked hard. They created a plan and executed it. They’ll both develop further and further. They’ll both flourish.”

Ray has helped Cheverus’ baseball team reach the Class A South Final two years running, getting the job done as a pitcher and an infielder, as well as at the plate. Ray was a team captain as a junior and also plays ice hockey at Cheverus.

“This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” said Ray, who plans to study business with a minor in sports management. “I looked at other schools, but Assumption was up there for me. Cheverus has been a great experience. Coach  (Mac) McKew has been awesome. He’s taught me a lot about being a great leader. Hopefully we can reach the mountaintop this year.”

McKew expects Ray to turn heads in college and is excited he has him for one more high school season.

“Justin has been a big part of our program for three years,” McKew said. “He’s been All-Conference as a pitcher and an infielder and that shows his versatility. He’s been a big part of the program in all aspects, offensively, defensively, pitching. He’s a competitor. We look forward to having him one more year.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.