Dec. 15, 2010
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State water polo head coach Carin Crawford signed nine student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the recent signing period. All nine will arrive on campus in time to compete during the 2012 campaign.
"We are excited to welcome one of the most talented recruiting classes in recent memory to join our Aztec water polo program next Fall," Crawford said. "These athletes will be the foundation of our program in the years to come and will help to keep us among the elite programs in the nation."
Kelli Boling inks with SDSU with playing experience at Foothill High School and at the club level with SoCal Water Polo. In her three varsity seasons at Foothill, Boling has helped the team to consecutive Sea View League titles and three playoff appearances, including two semifinals berths. She is a two-time all-Sea View League honoree and earned all-CIF second-team accolades as a junior. In club competition, Boling guided her team to a first-place finish at the 18-and-under club championships and second- and third-place efforts at the U18 Junior Olympics.
"Kelli is talented left-handed attacker who has top-level club and high school experience on her resume," Crawford said. "Kelli is a proven scoring threat on the perimeter and she also has a very strong transition game. With her SoCal club, coached by Andrew Rowe, Kelli has championship game experience, having earned the silver medal in the most prestigious tournament in the United States for U18 athletes, the USA Junior Olympics. This is invaluable experience that Kelli will bring to bear as a college athlete for SDSU."
Carina Carballo will arrive on campus following her graduation from Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Carballo will bring international experience to Montezuma Mesa as she has competed in the 2005 and 2008 Junior Pan Am Water Polo Championship in Mexico City, Mexico, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, respectively. In 2007, she was a member of the gold-medal winning team at the XXV Central American and Caribbean Championships (CCCAN) in El Salvador and was a participant on the third-place squad at the XXVI CCCAN in Venezuela in June 2009. Then two months later in August, Carballo was selected to compete for Mexico at the FINA World Junior Women's Water Polo Championships in Russia.
"Carina is a proven leader for her Santa Margarita High School team and has had excellent coaching there," Crawford said. "She has also gained high-level club experience with SoCal in her time in the United States. She brings all the physical tools plus international experience and will be a perimeter shooting threat. She played in the UANA Junior Pan Am Championships this summer in Florida for the Mexican National team, so she is among the elite in the world for her age group."
Anique Hermann is a local product who signed with SDSU out of Torrey Pines High School. The San Diego native is a two-time Avocado League player of the year and a two-time all-CIF first-team selection, while being named Torrey Pines' most valuable player each of the last three seasons. The right-handed driver/attacker is a three-year member of the Pacific South West Zones team and a 2008-09 member of the Youth National Training Team.
"Anique Hermann possesses speed, quickness and excellent pool vision," Crawford said. "She is an explosive attacker who never stops moving. She will immediately contribute to our aggressive attacking style of play, especially in transition."
Hailing from Clovis, Calif., Alyssa Stevens signs with Crawford and the Aztecs as a right-handed utility player. Stevens is currently attending Clovis High School where she has played on the varsity team ever since she stepped foot on campus. Stevens just recently helped her Clovis team to the 2010 CIF championship. Entering her senior season, she was a three-time all-Valley first-team pick and two-time all-conference first-team selection. As a junior, Stevens was named the team's MVP before being named outstanding offensive player en route to being selected to the Fresno Bee all-star team. Stevens will also bring ODP Central Zone Training experience with her to SDSU.
"Alyssa continues our tradition of recruiting top athletes from the Fresno area," Crawford said. "She possesses an accurate outside shot and is a defensive specialist. Alyssa has a very high water polo IQ and she understands the game exceptionally well at this stage of her career."
Bailey Wickliffe, another standout from the Central Valley, inks with San Diego State out of El Diamante High School. As a senior, Wickliffe tallied an astounding 148 goals while adding 65 assists, 113 steals and drawing 73 ejections for a team that finished with a record of 25-5 and won the league title. At the end of her final season, Wickliffe was named league and team MVP and first-team all-Valley. In four campaigns at the varsity level, Wickliffe has accumulated 275 goals, 181 steals, 142 assists and drawn 99 ejections.
"Also a Central Valley standout, Bailey is an aggressive center with size and athletic ability who I anticipate will develop into one of the premier centers in the nation," Crawford said. "She embraces the physical demands of the position and is a strong shooting center."
Additionally, Crawford received the commitments from a pair of athletes from the state of Florida in Juliana Matos and Taelor Moreno. The duo represents the first two Crawford signees in her 13 seasons on Montezuma Mesa to hail from the Sunshine State.
"We are excited to welcome two Florida Riptides athletes into the Aztec Family," Crawford said. "Riptides head coach Carroll Vaughn has produced some top college athletes and has arguably produced some of the best water polo talent on the east coast."
Matos will make the trip west after finishing her prep career at Miami Palmetto Senior High School in Miami, Fla. Matos, a three-year varsity athlete, is a three-time team MVP and two-year team captain a Miami Palmetto Senior High. The 6-2 right-handed two-meter defender was also a 2010 ODP all-region selection and earned the Miami Herald All-Dade Sports Award each of the last two seasons. At the club level, Matos has competed in the Junior Olympics, South Florida International Tournament and Sunshine State Games in each of the last five years and played at the Speedo Cup in 2005-06. Matos will also bring Southeast ODP Zone Team (2006-10) and ODP National Training Camp (2010) experience to SDSU.
"At 6'2" Juliana's size is her strongest attribute as a center defender," Crawford said. "We expect she will develop into a force at two-meter defense with the length to and positioning ability to deny the ball at center and limit quality shot attempts."
Moreno will join Matos on Montezuma Mesa in Fall 2011 and will bring high-level experience out to the west coast. Moreno has experience playing for the Cadet National Team (2004, 2005) and in the Junior Olympics (2003, 2007), where she earned All-America honors. At Gulliver Prep in Miami, Moreno led her squad to the state championship in 2007 and 2008, and garnered first-team all-state accolades, while landing on the first-team all-Dade list in 2008 and 2009.
"Taelor Moreno is an experienced utility player with a keen understanding of the game and an accurate outside shot," Crawford said. "She has great fundamentals and a strong competitive drive. As one of the top prospects from the state of Florida, we expect Taelor to make an impact for us early on in her career as an Aztec."
Maddie Schwartz will head south to San Diego State in the Fall after playing at powerhouse Corona del Mar High School. As a junior last season, Schwartz, who posted 12 goals, seven assists and 14 steals, was a starter on a team that advanced to the CIF Division I semifinals after winning the Pacific Coast League championship. This past summer, the team captain and returning starter played on a squad that won the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions title, finished runner-up at the California High School State Championship Tournament, and placed third at the Loyola Marymount and Villa Park tourneys.
"Maddie comes from one of the best high school programs in the nation, Corona Del Mar, where she has been a two-year starter and co-captain," Crawford said. "She has experience at the highest level of the sport for her age in the nation and has experience in big games. She will add depth for us as a utility player who specializes in the center position."
Nika Sedghi decided to stay within county lines and ink with San Diego State following her graduation from La Costa Canyon High School in the Spring. Sedghi has played both the utility and two-meter defense positions and was voted the team's defensive MVP as a sophomore and the squad's MVP as a junior. Sedghi has also participated in the USA Water Polo's Olympic Development Program, Olympic Development Zones and the 2010 Junior Olympics.
"Nika is coached by Aztec legend and USA Water Polo Hall of Famer, Gubba Sheehy, so she has been conditioned, from the start of her career, to work hard and never give up," Crawford said. "Nika's forte is defending center, where she can utilize her size and speed.
"This is an exceptionally talented and deep recruiting class," Crawford concluded. "These are quality student-athletes who I am excited to have the opportunity to coach throughout their collegiate water polo careers. They will help us continue our tradition of success at San Diego State."