San Marcos celebrated early National Signing Day with an early-morning ceremony at the school’s Greek Theater for 16 college-bound student-athletes on Wednesday.
Several of the athletes previously made verbal commitments, but there were a few who made their college choices public that morning. Among those were girls water polo standouts Paige Hauschild and Brittnay Prentice, and cross country/track star Erica Schroeder.
Hauschild, who has played with the U.S. Senior National Team, signed her National Letter of Intent with USC.
Prentice is headed to Big 10 country, signing with the University of Michigan.
Schroeder, a two-time State Meet qualifier in track and the 800 meter champion as a sophomore, will compete in the Pac 12 at the University of Washington.
“There were a lot of things that played into my decision making, but it really came down to (Washington) was the right fit academically and athletically,” said Schroeder, who also considered Arizona and Cal. “You can put a lot of things into the equation, trying to make pros and cons and stuff, but after going on a visit I knew this was the right fit for me.”
Prentice said she felt really comfortable on her visit to Ann Arbor, Mich. “I just felt the best there. When I went on my recruiting trip, it felt like home. I really wanted to be part of the team. It’s really a special team.”
Michigan finished fourth at last year’s NCAA Championships.
As for going out of state, Prentice said, “I’m ready for an adventure.”
Hauschild said she made her decision to sign with USC last week. “It was between Stanford, UCLA and USC.”
She becomes the third Hauschild sibling to play Division 1 water polo. Brothers Shane and Ben play at UCSB and San Jose State, respectively.
Paige said USC was the right fit for her. The Trojans went 26-0 last year and beat Stanford for the NCAA National Championship. “It’s an amazing school academically and athletically, so I thought it was really the best place for me.”
She thanked her parents, Dwayne and Jenni, for remaining neutral during the decision process.
“They were just letting me do what I want,” she said. “And they’re super happy now and super excited and on board, so I’m happy.”
The remaining San Marcos student-athletes to sign National Letters of Intent include:
Soccer players Danielle Anderson (Cal Poly), Raynee Odell (Point Loma), Chloe Hamer (Pitzer College) and Natalie Widmer (UC San Diego);
Boys water polo players Spencer Wood (UCSB), Jesse Morrison (UCSB) and Miles Cole (Princeton);
Softball player Hailee Rios (Fresno State); baseball player Ryan Guardino (San Jose State); cross country/track athlete Natalie McClure (Wichita State); beach volleyball players Cassidy Drury-Pullen (Cal) and Isabel Bassi (Arizona State) and swimmer Amanda Hayes (UC Davis).