Hart High School boasted just a fraction of its college-bound athletic talent in Wednesday’s signing day event.
A dozen Hawks inked their national letters of intent to continue their athletic careers at the next level.
Of the dozen, nine of the Hawks were seniors from the star-studded girls’ soccer team.
The three other standout Hart seniors were golfer Kai Miyata, who committed to Cal State San Marcos, Caitlin Brown, who will continue her swim career at UC Santa Barbara, and girls’ basketball star Morgan Mack, who’s headed to Cal State Long Beach.
Miyata and Mack are both former Foothill League MVP’s with a chance at their second title in their respective upcoming seasons.
Mack has a chance to break a handful of school records in her highly anticipated senior season but solidified her collegiate path beforehand on Wednesday.
Brown is a standout in the medley and freestyle events and will look to return to the top of podiums at league, CIF and potentially the CIF and state finals in 2025.
For Hawks’ girls’ soccer, Julia Willis committed to Vanguard while Adrielle Salvador will get another four years playing under Hart coach Brett Croft at Biola.
Hart goalkeeper Sierra Cordola inked her NLI to UC Davis and will be assistant/keepers coach Craig Jaffe’s first goalie to play Division 1 soccer.
Brooklyn Fuller committed to Utah Valley, where she’s headed in a couple of months with an early graduation while teammate Kylie O’Donnell will remain classmates with Mack as she is also headed to Beach.
“Watching Kylie’s evolution over the last three years has truly been exceptional,” Jaffe said in a prepared statement from himself and Croft. “She’s a massive stalwart in the midfield. Kylie is as consistent as they come. Her ability to distribute the ball attempts is next to none, combined with a complete understanding of when to speed the game up and when to slow it down, make her essential in the midfield.”
Halle Greenfield will play at The Master’s University while defender Riley Edemann is headed to Minnesota-Crookston.
“Riley’s an anchor for our team on the Hart backline,” Jaffe added. “Her extremely consistent play and ability to stay calm and in control during the game’s most stressful moments make her a necessity for our success.”
Lastly for Hart soccer is a dynamic pair sticking together. Gianna Costello and Mia Rodriguez both inked their NLI’s to continue their athletic careers at UC Irvine.
“We were definitely in this together,” Rodriguez said. “I was one of the first people she told when she committed to UC Irvine. I’m stoked for her and super excited for our next four years together. Our chemistry is already super good so being able to play again together in college is just gonna be even greater for the two of us.”
For Rodriguez, playing Division 1 soccer has always been the dream. She was quick to thank her family, teammates and coaches for being able to make that dream official on Wednesday.
“It’s been a lot of help from my family and a lot of supporters,” Rodriguez said. “My coaches have been a huge part of this journey for me. They’ve helped me reach the goal of being a Division 1 soccer player. It’s always been my dream. Just a lot of hard work and continuing to love the sport is just really what’s driven me to get to this point.”
Jaffee and Croft, among many others, regard Costello as the top athlete on Hart’s campus this year. Costello was a vital piece of the inaugural flag football team, winning the first Foothill League championship, and has been a significant contributor to soccer for the past three seasons.
Costello led all non-seniors with nine goals last season.
Rodriguez has moved all around for Hart, playing at her natural midfielder spot as well as stints at forward and on the backline. The Hawk netted five goals and added two assists last season.
“I’ve been all over the place, but I’m just here for the team and ready to play any position he puts me in,” Rodriguez said.
Interestingly enough, all nine of the Hart soccer stars played for the local club Legends FC and some were part of the Legends SCV 07 FC team that won a national championship back in 2022 under coach Adam Waddell.
Rodriguez, like all 12 of her classmates, was proud to have left her mark on Hart, so signing their NLI’s altogether made the experience even more memorable.
“It’s super special that all of us get to be here together because we’ve all been on this journey together,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of us even used to play club, not all on the same exact team but we’ve all done this journey together, and it’s been super special. Getting to sign in front of everyone together, I think just shows our bond and how the team is super close.”
