Tommy Waller
Staff Writer
On a cold February day, hearts of Costa students and parents were filled with pride as nine Mustang athletes signed to play at the collegiate level.
The nine Costa athletes came from winter sports ranging from girls soccer to boys water polo to girls golf. They signed the National Collegiate Athletic Association Document on February 1st during lunch at the Mustang Mall, making their commitments to their respective universities official. According to Vice Principal Jon Shaw, it was a special day for Mira Costa.
“I am tremendously proud that we have so many scholar athletes,” Shaw said. “Today is bittersweet for me because I’m sad that they are leaving, but happy for them to start a new chapter in their athletic careers.”
Senior defender Emelie Flaig committed to Cal Poly Pomona for soccer. She has played soccer since she was six years old, and has been on the Costa varsity team for all four years at Costa. She chose Cal Poly Pomona because of its vibrant atmosphere.
“I was drawn into the way the team seemed to bond,” Flaig said. “Everyone seemed happy and had fun in practices and games, which is extremely important to me. I also loved the campus and the academics at Cal Poly Pomona.”
Senior midfielder Whitney Davis was another girls soccer commitment, as she chose to play collegiately at UC Berkeley. Davis has been playing soccer since she was seven years old, and she committed to UC Berkeley because of its great academics and its competitive soccer team.
“I knew that UC Berkeley was my dream school and it’s where I want to be,” Davis said. “I will miss being able to play with my friends like I did at Costa, and playing in such a great environment with people of all grades and skills on the field.”
Link: Whitney Davis’s player profile
Senior Lexi Nielsen committed to Sonoma State University for golf. Nielsen started playing the sport seriously the summer before freshman year, at first only to have a sport in high school. She chose Sonoma State due to its size and the fact that she wanted to stay in California.
“I really like that the school is bigger than Mira Costa but small enough that the class room sizes do not include hundreds of kids,” Nielsen said. “I also chose its golf team because the coach was really nice and my future teammates were really friendly throughout my visit.”
Link: Lexi Nielsen’s player profile
Senior Jamie Hoffman signed to Babson University for softball. Hoffman originally saw herself going to a larger school, but an overnight stay at Babson University helped her see the advantages of going to a small school.
“What really sealed the deal for me was when I asked a student at Babson five words to describe the school and they said: home, safe, connections, community, and amazing,” Hoffman said. “Since I have made my decision, I couldn’t be happier.”
Five other Costa athletes were honored on Signing day, including Emmie Farber and Delaney Whittet for girls soccer, Natalie Natole for track and field, and Laura Sheckter for girls basketball. The only male athlete honored during the day was Christian Thornton, who committed to Claremont Mckenna for water polo.
“Claremont Mckenna is my dream school,” Thornton said. “I’m really happy that it’s finally over and I honestly could not have pictured myself going anywhere else.”
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