Several UC High seniors will be continuing their athletic careers at the collegiate level. A select few might even go from prep to professional.
Senior Spencer Williams scored a soccer scholarship to UC Davis. In addition to playing for UC High, Williams also plays for Nott’s Forest Football Club. The scholarship will cover his freshman year and guarantees at least $3000 for the next three years. Williams could get additional money based on his performance. UC Davis offered him the scholarship last summer after seeing him at a tournament. They were impressed with the central midfielder’s quickness with and without the ball and his field vision. Williams chose UC Davis over San Diego State and UCSD. “I like the college atmosphere and how Davis is centered around the college.”
Fellow Senior Travis Nicklaw, center midfielder, also received a scholarship for soccer. He will stay local and play for San Diego State. Nicklaw chose the Aztecs over Cal State Bakersfield and USD. “They were more professional than the other schools.” Nicklaw compares himself to FC Barcelona midfielder Xavi with his ability to keep his teammates involved.
Senior Jordyn Merrill is headed to Cal State Dominguez Hills to play soccer. Her scholarship will cover her junior and senior years (uchscommander.com). Merrill was invited to a soccer clinic on campus and the coaches liked what they saw enough to offer her a scholarship.
Senior Nicci Bermudes is another UC senior to receive a scholarship for soccer. According to Bermudes, she has signed to play for Aurora University, which is located in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. She also plays for Nott’s Forest Football Club. Her scholarship will cover about 75 percent of her tuition. Bermudes, who plays forward, is a two-time selection for the First Team All-Western League.
Senior Meghan Bovee will be taking her softball talents north to Dakota Wesleyan University. Bovee also plays for the 18U Gold team of the San Diego Renegades. Her scholarship will cover about 80 percent of her tuition. Dakota Wesleyan offered the scholarship and invited Bovee, who plays outfielder, to their campus last year after seeing her at a tournament. They were impressed with Bovee’s run production, high batting average, and swing selection. “Meghan is an exceptional talent with speed and power,” said Dakota Wesleyan Head Coach Ed Kieff. “She comes to us from a very strong club in California, and we are very happy to have been able to sign her to play for us. I think the thing Meghan will bring with her that I am most excited about is that she is a 4.0 student in the classroom,” said Kieff.
Senior Emily Feerick committed to Cal State Stanislaus to play volleyball. She also plays for Coast Volleyball Club. Feerick, who plays hitter, chose Stanislaus over Eastern Washington and Sonoma State. “I really liked it out there and I loved the players and coaches,” she explained. Feerick’s scholarship is worth $2000. Last year she made the Second Team All-Western League and All-Academic Team.
Senior Marino Varano was selected as the female recipient of the California Scholar Athlete award. Her accomplishments on the court were just as impressive as those off the court. Varano was named MVP in volleyball and received the Coach’s Award in water polo. Varano also maintains a 4.4 GPA, which gives her a class ranking of 19. According to Varano, she can win additional money pending on advancing to a regional and/or national selection.
Scouts from the New York Yankees’ organization have attended several Centurion baseball games and have visited Senior Dalton Smith’s home. The 2012 MLB draft takes place on June 4-6. Be on the lookout for the possibility that Smith may be drafted. According to the Yankees’ scout, Smith is projected to go in rounds 10 to 15. As of May 7, he is batting .400 and has 19 RBIs on the season, good for eleventh in the county. Smith said he will sign with the Yankees if he is selected in the fifteenth round or higher. If not, he will attend college. As of May 16, UC Riverside and the University of Michigan are looking to offer him partial scholarships.
Senior Takuya Okada is in Germany looking to sign with a professional soccer team. Currently, he is trying out for FC Nuremburg of Bundesliga, the premier soccer league of Germany. If Nuremburg likes Okada, who played for the U-17 United States National Team, they will offer him a contract, according to Okada.