Dec. 14, 2015
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State rowing head coach Bill Zack has announced the signing of eight student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The incoming rowers will compete with the team at the start of the 2016-17 campaign.
"We are very excited to add these eight talented and dedicated rowing student-athletes to the team next fall," said Zack. "High school rowers from all over are taking notice of the high quality academics at SDSU, the rapid rise of the rowing team in The American Athletic Conference and the opportunity to study and row in America's Finest City with fantastic weather and all that Mission Bay has to offer. These women chose San Diego State because they are impressed by the great team chemistry and culture that has developed over the last two and a half years and are pumped up to join what has become a really good rowing team. We know this positive trend in recruiting will continue and we will look to add a few more recruits during the spring signing period."
Bianca van Dyk will arrive at SDSU from Wellington Girls' College in New Zealand after recently competing and taking seventh place in the 2015 Maadi Cup, New Zealand's Secondary School Rowing Championships. Van Dyk was also a member of the 2015 Rowing New Zealand Junior Trials Squad, composed of the top 15 rowers in the country under the age of 19. In addition to rowing, the New Zealand native has played goal shoot and goal attack positions in netball, claiming fifth place at the 2015 Netball New Zealand National Championships.
Alana Grollo hails from Kew, Victoria, Australia and will join the Aztec rowing team following multiple first-place awards at the 2015 Australian Open Schools Rowing Championship, New South Wales State Rowing Championship and the Victorian Head of the Schoolgirls Regatta. Grollo is a recent graduate of Ruyton Girls' School.
Phoebe Dammersmith comes to The Mesa from Kew, Victoria, Australia after developing as a rower with the Mercantile Rowing Club. Having previously competed in open water and indoor swimming, Dammersmith took fourth in the girls 5K at the 2014 Australian Open Water Swimming Championships. A year before in 2013, she earned second (10K) and third (5K) at the same event. Dammersmith is also a graduate of Ruyton Girls' School.
Rachel Gemperle has served as a coxswain while rowing for the Pocock Rowing Center. Gemperle was a member of the women's second varsity eight when the team claimed second place at the 2015 US Rowing Northwest Youth Championships. She also achieved second place at the in the women's youth eight at the 2015 Head of the Oklahoma. Gemperle is a student at Seattle Preparatory School.
Sophia Holbrook transitioned from swimming to rowing her junior year of high school and later went on to earn second place in the women's novice four at the 2015 US Rowing Southwest Youth Championships rowing for Oakland Strokes. Holbrook attends Amador Valley High School.
Chloe Hodge joins the Scarlet and Black after she started coxing her junior year of high school, also with Oakland Strokes. Hodge attends Alameda High School.
Mycala Smith travels a short distance south from Los Angeles, Calif. to the campus of San Diego State. After transitioning to rowing her junior year, she competed with the California Yacht Club which led to her earning sixth place at the 2015 US Rowing Southwest Youth Championship as part of the women's novice quad with coxswain. Smith also played eight years of club soccer at the gold division and five years of club volleyball at the elite division in addition to competing in track and field and sand volleyball.
Maia Graham will row for the Aztecs in the fall and bring prior experience in kayaking and rowing with Ikaika Hawaii as well as outrigger canoe paddling with the Lanikai Canoe Club. Graham is a multi-medalist at Oahu and state championships in outrigger canoe competition and is now training in long distance outrigger canoe racing, which includes a 32-mile race. While at Iolani School in Honolulu, she was a part of the volleyball team and threw discus during track and field season.
The Aztecs will kick off their spring slate on Feb. 27 when they face Loyola Marymount on Mission Bay in San Diego.