SAN DIEGO – San Diego State head rowing coach Bill Zack has announced the signing of 15 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent.
"We are very excited to add these talented and enthusiastic student-athletes to next year's team," Coach Zack said. "San Diego State continues to attract top recruits because of our commitment to high quality academics, student-athlete development and excellence in athletics. Recruiting coordinator Dan Duxbury and assistant coach Alyssa Lamb are to be congratulated for their efforts in putting together this group of future Aztecs for Life."
Meet the New Aztecs
Ieva Adams – Columbus, Ohio
Ieva Adams, a native of Columbus, Ohio, attends Chagrin Falls HS in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. She has rowed for the Cleveland Foundry varsity squad for three years Her freshman year, she was recognized as the most improved athlete before being voted team captain her junior and senior years. Adams intends to major in psychology.
Sloan Auban – Orangevale, Calif.
Sloan Auban, a senior at Casa Roble Fundamental HS in Orangevale, Calif., started rowing her freshman year of high school for Sacramento State Aquatic Center's Capital Crew. She joins Hannah Broadland, Grace Reginato and Kamryn Whitworth as Capital Crew alums rowing for SDSU. After rowing for two years, she switched to coxswain and was named captain of the novice squad and earned the Most Inspirational Award. She coxed the Novice 8 to a first-place finish at the 2018 Head of the American and helped the junior varsity eight finish third in 2019. She also coxed the varsity eight at the prestigious Head of the Charles regatta. Auban also played for the varsity lacrosse team in high school and served as team captain. She intends to major in environmental science at SDSU.
Ava Bartosiewicz – Orinda, Calif.
A native of Orinda, Calif., Ava Bartosiewicz will join the Aztecs after graduating from Miramonte HS. She began rowing in the spring of 2019 for the Oakland Strokes. A scholar-athlete for three years, Bartosiewicz was a standout water polo player and helped her school claim the CIF Northern California championship in 2017 and take second in 2019. She will major in biology with plans to be a physician.
Emma Carpenter – Los Angeles, Calif.
Emma Carpenter of Greenbrae, Calif., joins the Aztecs with four years rowing experience for the Marin Rowing Association. In her spare time, she serves as an assistant coach for her local middle school's sculling program and she was a writer and reporter for her high school newspaper. Carpenter plans to major in criminal justice at SDSU.
Eleanor Davies – Norwalk, Conn.
Eleanor Davies, a senior at Weston HS, rows for the Maritime Rowing Club where she was voted team captain her junior and senior years. In 2019 her quad placed 14th in the nation at the USRowing Youth National Championships. She also won gold in the quad at the Head of the Housatonic and earned a silver in both the double and quad at the Head of the Fish. Davies is interested in taking the pre-physical therapy track at SDSU before going into a career as an athletic trainer.
Pascale Friend – San Clemente, Calif.
Attends the Connections Academy in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. where she played basketball and tennis. Began rowing for the Newport Aquatic Center in the spring of 2019. Comes from an athletic family – both her parents were DI athletes and her sister played DI basketball. Friend will major in psychology with plans of becoming a therapist after graduation.
Anabel Gidcumb – Fleming Island, Fla.
Anabel Gidcumb attended Fleming Island HS and rowed for the First Coast Rowing. She helped First Coast win a state championship in the varsity four event. At the USRowing Southeast Youth l Championships, her quad finished second and would go on to come in 11th at the youth national championships. At the 2019 Head of the Charles, her double earned a ninth-place finish. Gidcumb, who also played soccer in high school, intends to major in psychology at SDSU.
Sophia Kaufman – Los Gatos, Calif.
Sophia Kaufman attends Los Gatos HS and has been a member of the Los Gatos Rowing Club's varsity eight since her freshman year. She has competed at the Head of Charles the last three years and helped her club's first varsity eight qualify for the next year's competition every year. She is interested in majoring in business real estate with plans to become an architect or interior designer.
Nina Ng-Lara
A San Francisco, Calif. native, Nina Ng-Lara attends Saint Ignatius College Preparatory, where she earned three varsity letters as a coxswain. She helped guide the first varsity eight to a gold medal at the West Coast Scholastic Championships and then the junior varsity eight to a fifth-place finish nationally at the SRAA National Championships. She served as president of the Mock Trials club and expects to major in psychology and political science before going to law school to become a criminal defense attorney.
Olivia Petrine – Phoenix, Ariz.
Olivia Petrine attends Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix, Ariz., and has served as a coxswain for Rio Salado Rowing Club (Masters) and Tempe Junior Crew. Petrine has four years of coxing experience and guided her masters four to a second-place finish at the 2019 Southwest Regional Masters Championships. She was team captain as a sophomore, served as student body president, is a member of the National Honor Society, Presidents' Council, student ambassadors, the National Charity League and was her school's named Outstanding Junior of the Year. Petrine intends to major in biology at San Diego State with plans of working in dentistry.
Katie Phipps – Sacramento, Calif.
Katie Phipps will come to SDSU from Christian Brothers HS in Sacramento, Calif. Prior to transitioning to rowing in 2018, she competed in soccer, acrobatic gymnastics, lacrosse and track. She rowed for the Sacramento State Aquatic Center's Capital Crew, joining Hannah Broadland, Grace Reginato and Kamryn Whitworth as Capital Crew alums rowing for SDSU. She will enter her freshman year at SDSU as a business administration major and intends to work in international business.
Maddie Scherr – San Anselmo, Calif.
Another four-year rower for the Marin Rowing Association, Maddie Scherr (San Anselmo, Calif.) is a senior at Sir Francis Drake HS. She helped stroke her freshman boat to an undefeated season and then earned bronze at the US Rowing National Championships in the lightweight eight category as a sophomore. In 2019, she stroked the second varsity eight at the Southwest Youth Championships. Scherr plans to major in kinesiology with plans to be a physical therapist.
Claire Schlegel – Newport Beach, Calif.
Claire Schlegel attends Corona del Mar HS in Newport Beach, Calif., and rows for the Newport Aquatic Center, where she was voted team captain as a senior. As a freshman, she helped the freshman eight go undefeated until finishing as runner-up at the Southwest Youth Championships. Schlegel plans to major in business administration at San Diego State.
Amanda Small – Bellevue, Wash.
Amanda Small of Bellevue, Wash., will join the Aztecs after graduating from Bellevue HS. She has rowed for the Pocock Rowing Center's first varsity eight since her freshman year and was invited to the 2019 Junior National Team Olympic Development Program Camp. At the Husky Open in 2019, she helped the varsity four earn a silver medal. She is interested in majoring in business administration at SDSU.
Mikayla Tesdall – Santa Ana, Calif.
Mikayla Tesdall, a Fountain Valley, Calif. native, attends Foothill HS in Santa Ana, Calif. She began rowing her junior year for the Newport Aquatic Center. She competed in their novice four at the 2019 Southwest Youth Championships, winning NAC's Most Inspirational Award after the season. A scholar-athlete, Tesdall was named to the Principal's Honor Roll all four years. Tesdall will major in kinesiology and looks to forge a career as a physical therapist or a personal trainer.