After watching their boys play sports together for Santa Barbara High School, the Rottman and Goodman families will get the opportunity to see them play on the same team in college.
On the first day of the early signing period for high school seniors on Wednesday, brothers Cason and Luke Goodman signed to continue their soccer and academic careers at UC Davis during a ceremony for five Dons at Peabody Stadium.
Alex Rottman signed a letter of intent to join his older brother, Will, on the men’s volleyball team at Stanford.
Also making their college choices official were Allison Bartholomew for water polo at UC San Diego and Emma Zuffelato for beach volleyball at Cal Poly.
“Honestly, it’s a dream come true,” Luke Goodman said about playing in college with his brother. “Ever since I was a little kid watching UCSB games, it’s been like my main priority to get to the next level. And, at that age, it’s like you think you’re going to go together.
“And as you get older, you realize it might not happen. To see it actually happen, is just awesome.”
Luke, a center back for the Dons, noted that former Dos Pueblos stars Hayden Carlson and Scott Buie play for the Aggies and they helped in their decision.
“We trained with them all the time when they were in Santa Barbara. And that was a major pull as well as staying in California, being able to play in the Big West and at UCSB, especially.
“And, of course, Davis is a good academic school, and I’m excited to continue there.”
Cason, a forward and the top goal scorer in the area last season, said he had a lot of good conversations with the some players on the team, including some seniors, and liked the vibe.
“I liked the soccer team and the coach was really cool. And Luke’s going there,” he said.
Rottman said he has learned a lot about Stanford in the past couple of years, thanks to his brother, Will, who is entering his junior year.
“I’ve only heard good things, so I’m super excited,” he said.
It’s also exciting that Stanford decided in May to reverse a 2020 decision to cut men’s volleyball and several other varsity sports.
“I was blessed to hear that the program got reinstated,” he said, “and it created a great opportunity for me.”
Rottman is going to Stanford with a 4.55 GPA.
For Zuffelato, signing to play beach volleyball at Cal Poly for 2008 Olympics gold medalist Todd Rogers is another huge moment in her incredible senior year.
“He’s the main reason why I wanted to play for Cal Poly,” said Zuffelato, who helped the Dons’ indoor volleyball team win its first CIF-SS title since 2008, and will play on the first Santa Barbara girls beach volleyball in CIF competition this spring.
“Everything is just falling into place. It’s just perfect,” she said.
Bartholomew found UC San Diego to be the right fit for her.
“I love the location. It’s like a bigger Santa Barbara,” she said. “The school is fantastic, and it has a lot of medical pathways that I’m super interested in. I’m super excited to go down there.”
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.