CdM athletes reflect on prep careers on signing day

Lined up across two separate rows on a raised stage, the college-bound athletes from Corona del Mar High participated in the school’s signing day ceremony on Monday inside the Sea King Theatre.

It was a fitting look for some of the athletes who have often performed at a high level in front of their local community.

Fifteen of the 26 signees for the Sea Kings will be competing in some form of aquatics, a range including swimming and diving, rowing, sailing and water polo.

Ruby Srinivasan is excited to be joining the rowing squadron at Harvard, where she will be returning to a place of her past.

Makena Macedo, left, and Jillian Schlom pose for a photo during Corona del Mar High School signing day on Monday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

“I lived in Boston until I was in sixth grade,” Srinivasan said. “A lot of my family still lives there. I tend to go back in the summers, but I’m just really excited because the Charles [River] is such a historical place to row. As a kid, I grew up watching [the] Head of the Charles [regatta] with my family. My grandpa used to be a professor at [Boston University], so I’m just really thrilled to be back.”

Among the group, the Sea Kings had five members of their senior class commit to play college football: quarterback David Rasor (UC Davis), wide receiver Cooper Hoch (San Jose State), and linebackers Mason Kubichek (Chapman), Kaulin Post (Chapman) and Brady Sarkisian (Texas).

“It’s really cool having a program that produces not just good football players, but just good men, in general,” Rasor said of his school’s gridiron program.

Joanne Baker, left, hugs Sarah Decker during Corona del Mar High School signing day on Monday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Jack Loucks, who served as a receiver for CdM, will also be competing at the next level, but in basketball. The senior guard signed on the dotted line to join Fairleigh Dickinson, one of the best stories in March Madness history.

Fairleigh Dickinson became the second No. 16 seed to overthrow a No. 1 seed in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament when it beat Purdue this past season, joining the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, which accomplished the feat in beating Virginia in 2018.

“It was like a week after [the upset], when I was out on my visit,” Loucks said of the timing of his commitment. “It’s in New Jersey, so it’s really far. It’s a really different place. I was just really excited when I was out there. Obviously, I was excited to get recruited by them before their upset, but after that made me more intrigued when I was there. But that didn’t play too big of a factor whether or not I was going to go there.”

Gavin Gossen, left, and Colin Hebble take a selfie during Corona del Mar High School signing day on Monday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

The crosstown rivalry — the Battle of the Bay — meant a lot to Loucks, who grew up on the other side of the Back Bay.

“Beating Newport Harbor my junior year at Newport Harbor was probably my favorite moment in basketball, just because it’s the rivals [in] in Newport,” Loucks said. “I grew up with all those kids on the other team, and I went to Ensign for seventh grade. I grew up on the other side of the bay, so when I switched over, it was a little bit of extra rivalry because I knew all of them a little bit better.”

Other highlights around the area for spring signing day events included Huntington Beach, which had its baseball program set a school record for seniors signed in a single sport with 13 this year.

George Bruening leaves a smiley face on his signature page during Corona del Mar High School signing day on Monday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Fountain Valley also saw Vivian Hennessey, who is headed to the University of Colorado, become the school’s first cheerleader to sign a national letter of intent to compete in the sport.

“Since competitive cheer became an officially sanctioned sport six years ago, it makes Vivian Hennessey the very first cheer athlete at [Fountain Valley] to sign with a college for the sport of cheer,” Fountain Valley cheer coach Tara Bearden said in a statement. “We are all so very proud of her hard work and passion for the sport. Seeing a cheerleader up there getting the respect they deserve made it such an amazing day and proud moment for everyone involved.”

Family members take pictures of student-athletes during the Corona del Mar signing day on Monday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Below is a list of local athletes who have signed or committed to play a sport in college:

CORONA DEL MAR

Aubrie Anderson, Brown University women’s water polo

Milan Bever, University of San Diego women’s swimming

Chloe Bohuslavizki, UNLV women’s diving

Lily Britt, Harvard women’s water polo

George Bruening, UC Santa Barbara men’s volleyball

Amelia Clark, Harvard rowing

Emily Cloherty, UC San Diego women’s water polo

Sarah Decker, Brown University women’s water polo

Frankie Garcia, San Diego State women’s lacrosse

Gavin Gossen, Stevenson University men’s lacrosse

Colin Hebble, University of Delaware men’s lacrosse

Ashley Highland, Yale sailing

Cooper Hoch, San Jose State football

Hannah Hykes, University of Michigan women’s rowing

Mason Kubichek, Chapman University football

Jack Loucks, Fairleigh Dickinson University men’s basketball

Makena Macedo, San Diego State women’s water polo

Katherine Odeen, Clemson University women’s rowing

Kaulin Post, Chapman University football

David Rasor, UC Davis football

Brady Sarkisian, University of Texas football

Maggie Schalow, University of Virginia women’s swimming

Jillian Schlom, University of Michigan women’s water polo

Ruby Srinivasan, Harvard women’s rowing

Jordyn Warner, Texas Christian University women’s diving

Scott Westrick, Providence College men’s lacrosse

EDISON

Kendall Adams, University of Colorado cheerleading

Sofia Chock, Colorado Mesa University women’s lacrosse

Ben Crinella, University of Hawaii, Hilo men’s golf

Natalie Cuadras, Missouri University of Science and Technology softball

Grant Edmonds, Missouri University of Science and Technology men’s volleyball

Emerson Evans, New York University men’s volleyball

Nathan Gates, Washington State University football

Cailien Gorsuch, Aurora University women’s lacrosse

Scott Hess, Westmont College men’s soccer

Carter Hogue, Arizona Christian University football

Luke Jones, Chapman University football

Madison Kruis, Colorado Mesa University women’s lacrosse

Sophia Menchine, UC San Diego women’s track and field

Emily Robey, George Fox University women’s soccer

Noah Stockman, Vassar College baseball

Brandon Winokur, UCLA baseball

Sierra Zumwalt, University of Kentucky stunt cheerleading

FOUNTAIN VALLEY

Veronica Campbell, Concordia University women’s track and field

Tim Grack, UC Irvine baseball

JJ Gray, Oberlin College men’s basketball

Vivian Hennessey, University of Colorado cheerleading

Aubri Le, Cal State San Marcos women’s track and field

TJ McDonnell, Oregon State men’s wrestling

Nylah Mirshafiei, Cal State Monterey Bay women’s soccer

Alan Ton, West Point Academy men’s tennis

Jonathan Yu, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo men’s track and field

HUNTINGTON BEACH

Jordan Bailey, University of Tennessee, Martin women’s soccer

Natalie Bains, Agnes Scott College softball

Layne Barnes, Lane College softball

William Bennett, Air Force Academy baseball

Zach Bettino, USC men’s water polo

Grace Brehm, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women’s swimming

Dean Carpentier, USC baseball

Abby Dowd, Vanguard University stunt cheerleading

Aidan Espinoza, UCLA baseball

Emma Francisco, Cal State Polytechnic University, Humboldt softball

Ashley Fujimori, Soka University women’s soccer

Kristopher Greenhaw, Concordia University, Wisconsin men’s tennis

Chloe Griffith, Tennessee Tech women’s golf

Bradley Grindlinger, Charleston Southern University baseball

Wyatt Groeneveld, Concordia University men’s lacrosse

Jillian Hemming, Wagner College women’s water polo

Alicia Hinds, Cal Baptist University women’s soccer

Delaney Julianna, Sarah Lawrence College women’s soccer

Sophia Knight, Boise State University softball

Nalani Knowles, Oregon State dance

Carson Lane, UNLV baseball

Ethan Laghaei, Cal Lutheran University baseball

Trystan Lucero, United States Merchant Marine Academy baseball

Jacey Martinez, Santa Clara University women’s soccer

Bradley Navarro, University of Michigan baseball

Gavin Pacheco, University of San Francisco baseball

Hannah Petteys, Utah Tech women’s soccer

Liam Phinizy, Loyola University, Chicago men’s volleyball

Madeleine Scarth, University of Michigan women’s water polo

Wyatt Thomas, Biola University baseball

Brian Trujillo, Utah University baseball

Colby Turner, San Diego State baseball

Ralph Velazquez, Arizona State University baseball

Gideon Vethan, Westmont College men’s tennis

Isabelle Walsh, Cal State San Marcos women’s soccer

LAGUNA BEACH

Brady Bumgardner, Redlands University men’s water polo

Shea Blanchard, Hawaii-Pacific University baseball

Joey Capobianco, University of San Francisco baseball

Chase Cuevas, Irvine Valley College men’s soccer

Kaydence Daeley, Mt. San Antonio College cheerleading

Macy Draper, Whitman College women’s soccer

Charlotte Riches, Princeton women’s water polo

Jackson Rodriguez, Santa Barbara Community College football

MARINA

Presley Anderson, University of the Cumberlands women’s wrestling

Emmi Burdine, Sweet Briar College field hockey

Jordyn Chrisco, Life University women’s wrestling

Lily Ensley, Concordia University women’s water polo

Samantha Esparza, Idaho State University women’s soccer

Ethan Faulkner, Penn State Brandywine men’s soccer

Mia Grasse, Milligan University softball

Alexa Hartenberg, Drury University women’s rugby

Haden Hernandez, Missouri Valley College men’s wrestling

Mika Ikemori, UC Davis women’s tennis

Hailey Jamison, Alma University cheerleading

Adrian Jimenez, Missouri Valley College men’s wrestling

Gabriella Lopez, UC San Diego women’s track and field

Destiny Marquez, University of the Cumberlands women’s wrestling

Makayla Mathis, Eastern Kentucky University softball

Collin Kiskelly, Long Beach State baseball

Khang Nguyen, Cal men’s track and field

Heather Nugent, Trinity College softball

Saiheron Preciado-Meza, University of the Cumberlands women’s wrestling

Dominique VadeBoncoeur, Concordia University women’s volleyball

NEWPORT HARBOR

Chiara Amoroso, Long Beach State women’s water polo

Jason Hernandez, Illinois College men’s soccer

Anabel Kotzakov, Boise State University women’s volleyball

Shay Wood, Stanford sailing

OCEAN VIEW

Owen Eisen, Lewis and Clark College baseball

Jasmine Hernandez, Hofstra University stunt cheerleading

Cayden Hohman, University of Dallas baseball

Kaitlyn Knobbe, Pacific University softball

Max Ligman, Lees-McRae College men’s cycling

Mulivai Levu, Long Beach State baseball

Evyn Lewis, Lewis and Clark College baseball

Landon Runyan, UC San Diego baseball

PACIFICA CHRISTIAN

Mitch Bahnsen, Westmont College men’s cross-country and track and field

Ian Cross, Grace College men’s cross-country and track and field

Tanner Deal, Grinnell College men’s basketball

Natalie Ferdi, LeTourneau University women’s soccer

Andi Martinez, Chapman University women’s basketball

Peyton Soliday, Vanguard University women’s soccer

Parker Strauss, Northwestern University men’s basketball

Charles Thurston, Menlo College men’s golf

SAGE HILL

Ryan Chang, Chapman University men’s swim

Grant Gallagher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology men’s tennis

Carson Green, Pomona-Pitzer College football

Ty Mazakas, UC Davis football

Dustin Miller, Emory University men’s golf

Kaulin Post, left, David Rasor, Brady Sarkisian and Mason Kubichek pose for a photo during the Corona del Mar signing day.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)