Last month brought another round of NCAA signings for high school athletes, as Feb. 7 marked the first day seniors could sign scholarship letters for all sports.
Santa Margarita Catholic High School saw 29 of their student athletes either sign official letters of intent or make public commitments to attend colleges for their sport.
Nine of the Eagles football team members will continue their playing careers in college. Jake Peters will play for the University of Arizona, and John McCartan has committed to Oregon State University. Richie Caragao and Caden Fitch will remain teammates at the University of San Diego.
Chad Magyar will continue his football career at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Hunter Cifuentes is headed east to play for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, while Mark Eaton has decided on The University of Chicago. And both Dylan Brady and Alex Kilander will continue their playing careers in the Ivy League, with Brady at Brown University and Kilander at Princeton University.
“They are truly an extraordinary group of young men on and off the field,” says Santa Margarita head football coach, Rich Fisher. “I feel blessed to be their coach and be a small part of their journey.”
The Eagles girls soccer team will send eight members off to play at the collegiate level. Dani Spensiero has committed to Miami of Ohio University, and Mia Roth will play for Purdue University. Chloe Boice signed with the University of Notre Dame, while Emma Leong has committed to Southern Utah University.
Goalkeeper Kierstin Flint is headed to Southern Methodist University, Thalia Georgiou has committed to Carnegie Mellon University and Jessica Roux will remain local to play soccer for Chapman University.
“What sets this group apart is that they’re very considerate of underclassmen,” says Santa Margarita girls soccer head coach, Chuck Morales. “They are good teammates and good to each other. They have excellent people skills. That’s what is going to make them even more successful.”
In boys water polo, swimmer AJ Rossman has committed to Stanford University, while Jacob Wright will play for University of California, Davis. Twin brothers Brock and Chase Petersen will continue to compete as teammates for the Bruins at UCLA, and goalkeeper Noah Hodge is heading east to play for Harvard University.
In track and field, Eagles sprinter Mallory Barnes will run for Dartmouth College and distance runner Mckenzie Shulman has committed to USC. Sprinter and hurdler Blake Hennesay will run for the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University. And Gwyn George, a varsity letter winner in both soccer and track and field, has committed to UCLA to continue her running career.
Additionally, Kyle Carey will play soccer for Loyola Marymount University, Giana Pellizzon has committed to play volleyball at the University of Tennessee, and girls lacrosse players Aiden Pike and Maddie Bush have committed to Rhodes College and the University of Redlands, respectively.
“It is truly remarkable what these student athletes achieve on and off the field,” says Santa Margarita Athletic Director, Rich Schaaf. “Their athletic accomplishments almost pale in comparison to what they do in the classroom and in their communities.”
Servite High School also recognized eight of their student athletes during a National Signing Day ceremony held February 7th on their campus.
The Friars had three members of their soccer team sign college letters of commitment. Corbin Mercado will play for Loyola Marymount University, Jose Sosa has signed to play at the University of the Pacific and Marc Trejo has committed to Vanguard University.
“Corbin, Jose and Marc have worked hard to achieve their goals, and we are happy that they are choosing to play college soccer,” says Servite soccer head coach, Jon Spencer. “All three seniors were part of the reason we have won five consecutive Trinity League titles. I pray that they continue to use their soccer skills as a platform to be faith-filled leaders.”
On the gridiron, six Friars will be continuing their football careers at the collegiate level. Delon Hurt will play at UCLA, and Julius Irvin has committed to the University of Washington. Luke LaCilento will join his brother, Michael, at the University of San Diego. Clayton Martin will play at Western State Colorado University, TJ McMahon is headed east to Mississippi State University, and Parker Thomas signed to play with Colorado Mesa University.
“We had a very special group of athletes this signing day who have really epitomized what it means to be a Servite Friar,” says Servite Athletic Director, Alan Clinton. “We are so thankful that they have represented us so well both on and off the field, and we are extremely proud of all they have accomplished. We know that they will be successful at the next level, and we are excited to see what God has planned for them.”