May 18, 2012
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - San Diego State head crew coach Jennifer Lewis has announced the signing of 13 student-athletes who will row for the Aztec program beginning with the 2012-13 season. The group has varying amounts of rowing experience, but all are stellar athletes expected to contribute when they arrive on campus in the fall.
Rower Devon Cason comes to SDSU from Huntington Beach, Calif., after attending Huntington Beach High School where she played water polo and was a member of the swimming team. She won the Most Improved award for the 2010 water polo team and also competed for the Los Alamitos Water Polo Club 18. Cason has one year of rowing experience with Long Beach Junior Crew where her boast finished first in the President's Day Regatta this past February.
Amara Cusella was a member of the Los Gatos Rowing Club the past three years. She attends Presentation High School in San Jose, Calif., where she was named Most Outstanding player for the PHS freshman volleyball team.
Elizabeth Edmonds has also rowed for the Los Gatos Rowing Club (four years) where she was named Most Inspirational Athlete at the club. She has competed in both the Lightweight 8 and Varsity 8 divisions at LGRC. Edmonds is a native of Saratoga, Calif., where she attends Prospect High School.
Patricia Gabbard is a local product from Bonita, Calif., and attends the Academy of Our Lady of Peace in San Diego where she has run cross country and played basketball. She has competed for the San Diego Rowing Club the past three years and has won gold at the Long Beach Cal Cup in 2011 as well as the Newport Rowing Festival and Head of the Marina regattas. Gabbard was named Best Team Member in her first year at SDRC and was also voted team captain twice.
Michaela Gentosi joins the Aztecs from Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach, Calif. At CDHS she was a member of both the cross country and swimming teams as a prep athlete. She has rowed for Newport Aquatic Center the past two years and participated in the UCSD rowing camp.
Rower Jessica Haggard is a two-year member of the North Bay Rowing Club in Petaluma, Calif. She attends Petaluma High school where she played volleyball. Haggard also has 10 years of experience as a dancer.
Molly Jacobs attends Huntington Beach (Calif.) High School where she competed on the school's swimming team for four years alongside fellow signee Devon Cason. Jacobs has also been involved with a competitive swimming club the past 13 years and specializes in the breaststroke.
Kendall Lyng is a coxswain from Fullerton, Calif., where she attends Sunny Hills High School. She has been a competitive swimmer the past 13 years and a winner of her team's Most improved award. Lyng is a four-year letterwinner for her Sunny Hills HS squad as well.
Mackenzie Morgan has rowed the past two years with the Sammamish (Wash.) Rowing Association where she has placed in every race in which she has competed. Also a volleyball athlete since sixth grade, she attends Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, Wash.
Coxswain Gina Navarro hails from Laguna Niguel, Calif., and will graduate from Santa Margarita Catholic High School where she has competed for the swimming and cross country teams. She has rowed with the Newport Aquatic program for two years.
Stephanie Norviel, also a coxswain, has been a member of the Los Gatos High School rowing team the past three seasons. She has competed in the USRowing Southwest Regional Championship regatta as well as the San Diego Crew Classic. She is a student at St. Francis High School in Cupertino, Calif.
Rower Miranda Orsinelli-Rivers is a local product who attends Steele Canyon High School in San Diego where she has competed in basketball, soccer, track and cross country. She has two years of experience as a member of the San Diego Rowing Club.
Stephanie Schulman is a coxswain from Honolulu, Hawaii, where she attends Kamehameha Kapalama High School. As a student there she has competed in basketball, paddling and surfing. She was the recipient of the annual Coaches Award in paddling and her surf team was undefeated for three years and won the state title in 2012
"We have committed a strong group of athletes for the 2012-2013 campaign" commented Aztec Head Coach Jennifer Lewis. "I know they will make an immediate impact in our program next year. We look for dedication, strong work ethic, academic success, and passion while recruiting and all of these athletes display those qualities. We are excited and looking forward to coaching this group of women over the next four years."