Local athletes look forward to future with clarity following fall signing day - Los Angeles Times
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Local athletes look forward to future with clarity following fall signing day

Laguna Beach athletes participate in a signing day ceremony.
Laguna Beach athletes participate in a signing day ceremony to begin the fall signing period on campus on Wednesday.
(Courtesy of Laguna Beach Unified School District)
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At the top of a staircase overlooking the central quad at Laguna Beach High, eight athletes excited about their next adventure had vanished among a sea of admirers.

The occasion was not a new one, but it was their turn, as they took pen to paper to declare the intent to continue playing a sport for a college of their choosing. Dozens of local athletes did the same Wednesday to kick off the fall signing period.

Success in the pool was front and center for Laguna Beach, with half of the school’s signees joining collegiate water polo programs.

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“It was really the family aspect that they have there on the team,” Ava Knepper, a USC-bound attacker, said of her decision. “I just loved the energy there, and honestly, as soon as I set foot on the campus, I knew I loved it.”

Laguna Beach tight end Ryner Swanson, left, meets with friends after signing with the BYU football program on Wednesday.
(Courtesy of Laguna Beach Unified School District)

Laguna Beach also celebrated the accomplishments of Cade Anderton (Pepperdine) and Tyler Swensen (Santa Clara). The duo helped the Breakers reach the CIF Southern Section Division 1 final, in which they will face Huntington Beach on Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College Aquatic Center.

Christian Hammonds (UC San Diego), Jay Pyle (Air Force) and Ethan Spoon (UC Irvine) will all be featured in that game for the Oilers.

The Newport Harbor boys’ water polo team advanced to the Open Division final with a thrilling win over Studio City Harvard-Westlake. Peter Castillo (UCLA), Owen Tift (Pepperdine), Gavin Appeldorn (Princeton) and Quinn Bartlett (Navy) will be among those leading the Sailors into battle against JSerra in the championship game.

Huntington Beach will hold a signing-day ceremony for its college-bound athletes in the winter, but nearly two dozen wanted to write their name on the dotted line this week.

Dominant left-handed pitcher Zoe Prystajko headlined the group, along with six members of the girls’ volleyball team that made it to within one match of the Division 1 final this fall.

“It feels amazing,” said middle blocker Kylie Leopard, who committed to Cal Poly Pomona in the days leading up to signing day. “The past couple years have been really tough for me because not knowing kills me. Not knowing where I was going to go next and where my life was going to take me after this was really hard.

“As happy as I was to see all my friends committing, it’s also hard because it’s like, ‘Why can’t I get somewhere?’ I put so much work and so much effort into everything I’ve done. I’m just really happy that all my hard work paid off. … I really, really, really wanted to play at the next level.”

Highly regarded offensive tackle Justin Tauanuu flipped his commitment on Friday. Previously committed to Stanford, he switched to USC.

“1,000% committed to further my academic and football career at the University of Southern California,” Tauanuu posted Friday morning on the social media platform X. “FIGHT ON.”

Corona del Mar’s Niels Hoffmann, a blue-chip recruit on the tennis court, will be headed to USC, as will Sea Kings outside hitter Sterling Foley, who played for the Team USA U19 national team in boys’ volleyball.

The Fountain Valley wrestling program saw three of its state qualifiers sign in Anthony Lucio and Hercules Windrath (both Cal Poly) and Ryland Whitworth (West Point).

Below is a list of local athletes who have signed or committed with a college:

CORONA DEL MAR

Antonio Aramburu, San Francisco State men’s wrestling

Jack Cross, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo men’s tennis

Sterling Foley, USC men’s volleyball

Ryan Gant, Stanford men’s volleyball

Niels Hoffmann, USC men’s tennis

Charlie Olson, Gonzaga men’s golf

Ava Schoening, Brown University women’s water polo

EDISON

Hailey Clingan, UC Irvine women’s soccer

Chloe Lam, Santa Clara University women’s golf

Morgan Gillinger, Cal State Northridge beach volleyball

Elia Reyes, Lewis and Clark College lacrosse

Molly McCluskey, UC San Diego women’s volleyball

Summer Witherby, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo beach volleyball

Sammy Wood, Santa Clara University beach volleyball

FOUNTAIN VALLEY

Makenzie Butt, Boise State softball

Jessica Jang, Cal Baptist women’s water polo

Kayla Knoob, Cal State San Marcos women’s soccer

Anthony Lucio, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo men’s wrestling

Taylor Reynolds, Wagner softball

Ryland Whitworth, West Point men’s wrestling

Hercules Windrath, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo men’s wrestling

HUNTINGTON BEACH

Nathan Acevas, UC Santa Barbara baseball

Jaiden Anderson, USC women’s soccer

Sage Anderson, UC Santa Barbara softball

Ben Bray, Grand Canyon University men’s volleyball

Marley Garwick, Fresno State University women’s water polo

Lola Fernsten, UC Davis women’s volleyball

Meghan Freck, UC Davis women’s volleyball

Macy Fuller, Cal State San Marcos softball

Christian Hammonds, UC San Diego men’s water polo

Matt Hansen, BYU baseball

Lyndsay Harris, Alabama State women’s volleyball

Sydney Harris, Tennessee rowing

Haylee LaFontaine, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo women’s volleyball

Kylie Leopard, Cal Poly Pomona women’s volleyball

Ashley Long, University of Nebraska, Omaha softball

Liah Lummus, Loyola Marymount softball

Collin McNiven, Claremont McKenna baseball

Jake Pazanti, Long Beach State men’s volleyball

Zoe Prystajko, Stanford softball

Jay Pyle, Air Force men’s water polo

Dani Sparks, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo women’s volleyball

Ethan Spoon, UC Irvine men’s water polo

Justin Tauanuu, USC football

LAGUNA BEACH

Cade Anderton, Pepperdine University men’s water polo

Sam Burchi, Lewis and Clark University baseball

Emerson Hensley, Brown University women’s water polo

Ava Knepper, USC women’s water polo

Jessica MacCallum, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo women’s tennis

Kate Parker, Auburn University equestrian

Ryner Swanson, BYU football

Tyler Swensen, Santa Clara University men’s water polo

MARINA

Coral Piramo, Slippery Rock field hockey

NEWPORT HARBOR

Gavin Appeldorn, Princeton men’s water polo

Quinn Bartlett, Navy men’s water polo

Peter Castillo, UCLA men’s water polo

Ryan Chalupnik, UCLA women’s water polo

Taryn Graves, Tennessee rowing

Riggs Guy, UC Santa Barbara men’s volleyball

Kate Kubiak, Oregon women’s soccer

Angelena Peterson, Marist College women’s water polo

Chloe Rizof, Santa Clara University women’s water polo

Ally Thomas, University of Mississippi women’s soccer

Owen Tift, Pepperdine men’s water polo

Jack Von Der Ahe, USC men’s volleyball

OCEAN VIEW

Ashley Capelouto, Tennessee Tech softball

Sienna Erskine, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo softball

PACIFICA CHRISTIAN

Alex Stewart, Vanguard University men’s basketball

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