Ithaca, New York doesn't get a lot of sun during the year. The upstate location is a virtual snowdrift in the winter months and summers and springs don't last very long, compared to the good 'ole Midwest.

Well, the city will be getting just a little bit sunnier with Troy Athens' Sunny Shettigar coming to town next year to play his college soccer in the Ivy League smack dab in the center of Ithaca at Cornell University.

Starring on the prep pitch for the Red Hawks the last four years, Shettigar, a fleet-footed and savvy forward, recently signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Big Red, starting next fall.

This past fall, he helped lead Athens to a Division 1 district title and a spot in the Elite 8. In the Red Hawks district championship game victory against Sterling Heights Stevenson, Shettigar posted a hat trick.

For the 2011 season, he registered 18 goals and 12 assists. Since he was 14, Shettigar has been a member of the local US development squad.

Shettigar is the second area prep athlete to commit to play his college sports at Cornell in the last 6 weeks. Novi Detroit Catholic Central football star Matt Doneth (TE) committed to the Big Red back in December as well.