San Marcos completed its 2026 athletic signing class by honoring 11 student-athletes who will continue their sports at the next level in a ceremony on Wednesday inside the Thunderhut.
The spring class is headlined by a trio of track & field standouts and a pair of some of the first-ever signees for Westmont stunt cheer. The 11 student-athletes brought the Royals’ total signees for this year to 23 after 12 were honored in the fall.
Koji Hefner – Claremont McKenna Men’s Basketball
Hefner will be continuing his academic and basketball career down south, where he will play at the Division III level for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
“I’m super excited,” Hefner said. “Claremont’s been a dream school ever since I stepped on the campus, and once I met the coaches and the guys, it felt like the perfect fit.”
Hefner has been one of the top players for the Royals in recent years, capping off his high school career with a Channel League Most Valuable Player Award.
“I feel like it’s just all my hard work is paying off in the classroom and on the court. All of the time, all of the hours are finally coming together. It feels really great,” Hefner said.
Logan Patterson Deakyne – Cal Poly Humboldt Track & Field
Patterson Deakyne will make the leap to Northern California for his college years, where he will go to school and compete for the Division II Cal Poly Humboldt Track & Field program.
“[Signing] means a lot. Just working constantly day and night, and this moment has been what my goal was from the start. So now being here, I’m really grateful,” Patterson Deakyne said. “I really like the team environment (at Humboldt), the surrounding area, and I’m really just excited to continue my academic and athletic career there.”
The standout athlete has shined for several sports on campus as a Royal, but he truly shined on the track during his upperclassmen years after joining the sport as a sophomore.
“I started doing [track & field] because I found out I was good at it and at the same time, I found the team and the group of people that were surrounding me were really enjoyable to be around,” Patterson Deakyne said.
Samara Shalhoub – Point Loma Nazarene Track & Field/Cross Country
Shalhoub will take her long-distance running talents down to San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene, a Division II program.
“When I saw the track that was right on the ocean, I was sold,” Shalhoub said on the decision to go to Point Loma. “It was just so beautiful. I could just see myself running so many meets and so many miles there, so I’m really excited.”
Shalhoub has been a driving force in the San Marcos girls track & field team’s success over the past few years, making an impact individually and on relay races.
“[Signing] means a lot, especially because I didn’t know that I was going to run a college,” Shalhoub said. “That wasn’t necessarily something that I thought I was going to do, but after this year, just running with my teammates and my coaches and just having the best time, I knew something that I wanted to continue doing.”
Sofi Hernandez – Westmont Track & Field/Cross Country
Hernandez will be staying close to home for her college years, as she solidified her commitment to run track & field and cross country at Division II Westmont College.
“I’m so happy to go to Westmont,” Hernandez said. “I love God and playing sports, so it’s just the perfect combination for me. I’m going to pursue kinesiology and hope to become a nurse.”
Hernandez has also been a key member of the Royals’ program throughout her time in high school, consistently finding herself near the top of leaderboards.
“I mean, it’s a dream come true,” Hernandez said of running in college. “I’m so excited for my future. I didn’t know this opportunity would come, but my coaches really pushed me to commit to a school and race, and I wouldn’t be there unless it was for them, so I’m really happy
Charlotte Hastings – Seattle Pacific University Women’s Volleyball
Hastings will head up to the Pacific Northwest this fall, where she will further her academic career and play indoor volleyball at Seattle Pacific, a Division II program.
“I wanted a smaller school with a big city, which obviously Seattle provides,” Hastings said. “The coaches are great. I really like the coach (Jason Rhine), and I really liked the team, I just felt super welcomed.”
Hastings developed into a force on the outside for the Royals, including a stellar senior campaign that was rewarded with Channel League Most Valuable Player honors.
“It feels great (to sign), it’s so relieving,” Hastings said. “This process is really long. It was like two years, and it was very back and forth, and a lot of ups and downs… So it’s just very relieving.”
Carly Grant – Whitworth Women’s Lacrosse
Grant will also be making her way up to Washington to compete at the collegiate level, as she will play Division III lacrosse at Whitworth.
“I’m just really excited to be there,” Grant said of Whitworth. “I’m really excited about the team. It was really nice, a really good coach. Really good team environment, and it’s located in Spokane, so a nice big city.”
Grant anchored a San Marcos defense that has dominated the Channel League in recent years, shining as the team’s main goalkeeper after picking up the sport just two years ago.
“It’s crazy to me because not even two years ago, I wasn’t even playing lacrosse,” Grant said. “My life has turned around in the past 2 years, and I’m just so grateful to be able to go to college and be right on the team and continue playing a sport that I absolutely fell in love with for the past year.”
Jack Kramer – Chapman Water Polo
Kramer put pen to paper to solidify his commitment to go to school and play Division III water polo at Chapman beginning in the fall.
“I’m really excited. I didn’t think I was going to play, but the opportunity came, and it’s gonna be fun. I’m hoping to make an impact,” Kramer said.
Kramer will look to make a splash as a Panther after being a centerpiece of San Marcos’ water polo success during his high school career.
“It’s a great location, really good business opportunities and just everything I’m looking for,” Kramer said of Chapman. “It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s going to be fun.”
Jeannie Johnson – The Master’s Women’s Beach Volleyball
Johnson is set to head south to Santa Clarita for her collegiate career, where she will play beach volleyball at the NAIA level.
“I’m so excited. My coach is an Olympian, Annett Davis. I cannot be more excited and I’m really looking forward to being trained by her,” Johnson said. “I love that The Master’s is for Christ and scripture. I’m super excited to be surrounded in fellowship and glorifying the Lord.”
Johnson completed an impressive senior class for the San Marcos beach volleyball program, as seven different players from the team will play volleyball at the next level.
“[Playing this year] was super special,” Johnson said. “I love that we play at such a high level. To be able to go to practice and know that you’re going to compete against some of the top players in the country is amazing.”
Monique Jimenez – Westmont Stunt Cheer
Jimenez will be joining the newly-founded Stunt Cheer team at Westmont College in the fall.
“It’s very exciting, especially since we get to move on from high school and it’s the first stunt team ever at Westmont,” Jimenez said. “We’re excited to make history.”
Jimenez and the Warriors will begin competition in February 2027 as the lone college from San Diego to San Luis Obispo with a stunt cheer team.
“I really liked the academics there,” Jimenez said. “My major is going to be nursing, and they’re really big on nursing, so I get to collaborate with Cottage and hopefully be a pediatric nurse by the end of college.”
Gianna Hernandez – Westmont Stunt Cheer
Hernandez will also remain local and pioneer in a new sport for the Westmont Stunt Cheer program.
“I’m feeling so excited, super blessed,” Hernandez said. “I’m just so excited to be going on this journey of being the first SB Unified School District cheerleader on the stunt team is just really such a blessing. I’m so grateful to everyone who has always supported me.”
Hernandez is excited to step foot on campus at Westmont and also to begin her college journey with Jimenez, whom she described as her best friend.
“I love that [Westmont] puts its focus in God,” Hernandez said. “That’s a very big part of me, so I’m very excited that I also get to share that in common with other students there.”
Brynn Behrens – Tulane Sailing
Behrens is the lone member of the spring signing class heading out of California, as she will be competing for the sailing team at Tulane in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“I’m very excited and very excited for the New Orleans culture,” Behrens said. “They have an amazing program there. The sailing program and how they are with athlete-students and the support they have was what I thought I needed.”
Behrens has committed plenty of time to make this dream a reality, including helping her San Marcos team qualify for the upcoming national championship in Virginia in May.
“With sailing and traveling to the East Coast in the summers, it’s a lot of dedication and a lot of time away from home,” Behrens said.