Seven Santa Barbara High student-athletes are playing NCAA athletics next season: (L to R) Lexi Rottman, Russell Enholm, Cassandra Amador, Dalton Schroeder, Madison Hale, Siena Goggia, Mattea Kilstofte. (Presidio Sports Photo)
Seven student-athletes from Santa Barbara High have committed to play at the NCAA level next year.
Lexi Rottman is to play volleyball at UCSB, Russell Enholm is headed to University of San Diego for football, Cassandra Amador will be at Grand Canyon University for sand volleyball, baseball player Dalton Schroeder is going the Ivy League route at Brown, while Siena Goggia will continue with water polo at Concordia. Tennis teammates Mattea Kilstofte and Madison Hale are committed to Dayton University and UC San Diego respectively.
Rottman, Enholm and Amador made their decisions this spring. Kilstofte, Hale, Schroeder and Goggia had announced their choices in the fall and winter. The final spring signing periods for the 2015-16 year began earlier in April.
Enholm, a defensive back, led the Dons his senior season with four interceptions and 15 pass breakups, made 42 tackles and blocked a punt.
“(USD) is a great school academically so that’s definitely a big part of it,” Enholm said. “I’m stoked to get to keep playing because I was just starting to get the hang of it and I thought it might have ended, but now I get to keep playing and that’s huge because I love playing.”
Rottman was recruited by UCSB head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch.
“Lexi brings depth to our setting position and strengthens the back court,” Lantagne Welch said in a statement released by the Gauchos. “She always works as hard as possible on the court, and does whatever is asked of her. Having been around volleyball her entire life, she is a great defender and really reads the game well. We love the fact that Lexi is a local product, representing the Santa Barbara community as well.”
Amador is another volleyball standout who specializes in sand. She’s currently the team captain of the Dons team that won its division in the Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League this season. She said she also considered Cal Poly and SBCC and that she plans to study elementary education. Ultimately she chose Grand Canyon for the challenge of playing at a high level.
“I decided on Grand Canyon because they’re D1 sand volleyball and they play against Loyola Marymount and all the top schools that I want to play against,” Amador said.
Schroeder mans center field for the Dons and is called upon to pitch as well. He has great defensive range, has a plus arm in the outfield and, at 6’3″ and 180 pounds, is athletic enough to lay down a bunt if asked.
Goggia was the starting goal keeper for the Dons water polo team for two years after converting from a field player. Goggia, who also played volleyball, blossomed into a star player who helped the Dons reach the CIF Division 1 semifinals last year.
Kilstofte and Hale won a CIF title together as freshman. As seniors, the two friends teamed together for an incredible run in doubles. The partners won the Channel League doubles title, reached the championship match of the CIF Individual Tournament in Seal Beach, and triumphed in the girls 18s this month at the Ojai Invitational. Both add strong resumes in singles to their records.
View a full list of local high school athletes from the Class of 2015 making the jump to college next year, HERE.
