Eight Chargers confirm NCAA futures

Dos Pueblos’ Class of 2010 will be well represented in the collegiate ranks next season, as eight student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent on Monday at a signing ceremony held in Sovine Gym.

From left to right: Karina Evans, Sami Hill, Carly Wopat, Conner Cleary, Michelle Dockendorf, Sammie Brown, Sally Yingst, Sam Wopat

Of the eight, five come from the volleyball team, which will be playing in the CIF Div. I-A semifinals on Tuesday at Laguna Beach. Twin sisters Carly and Sam Wopat will be playing at Stanford next year, Sammie Brown is headed for the Big 10 as a member of Notre Dame’s Fightin Irish, Karina Evans will make the move to the East Coast, finding a good fit at Delaware, and Sally Yingst is staying closer to home, opting to play at UC San Diego.

From the aquatics program, girls water polo goalie Sami Hill joins the nation’s premier women’s program, UCLA, which has won five-straight NCAA titles. Boys poloist Conner Cleary has found a home with the Stanford men’s water polo team, currently ranked No. 3 in the country. Michelle Dockendorf, a four-year varsity swimmer, will take to the lanes as a freshman at Fresno State, where she will join former DP teammate Rayanne Nguyen.

“It’s a tribute to our school,” said Dos Pueblos Athletic Director Dan Feldhaus, complimenting each athlete for the great examples they’ve made as students and people on top of their obvious athletic talents.

During the ceremony, at which each athlete simultaneously signed their letters of intent in front of friends and family, each coach spoke a few words about their student-athletes.

“I was not surprised in the least when I heard that UCLA, and, of course, a ton of other schools were chomping at the bit to sign her,” said DP water polo coach Danelle Little of Hill, a three-year All-CIF selection as well as two-time Channel League MVP. “You could talk for an hour or two about her accomplishments in water polo.”

“(Conner Cleary) is the epitome of a student-athlete,” praised boys head coach Chris Parrish. “He works his tail off in the pool and he works his butt off in the classroom.

The Wopat sisters, two of the most-sought after recruits in the country, are joining Cleary in Palo Alto. Both were All-CIF first-teamers as juniors and both are members of the National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation and DP Engineering Academy.

Notre Dame-bound Sammie Brown is also a member of the National Honor Society and a California Scholarship Federation member, plus garnered first-team All-Channel League honors as a junior.

Sally Yingst, an All-Tournament selection at this year’s TOC, will be remembered by head coach Todd Garrett as not only a great volleyball player, but also as a great artist. Yingst was recognized for her artistic talents, receiving a scholarship from the Contempory Arts Forum.

“I have a million fond memories of her playing volleyball but my favorite ones consist of all the days over the last four years that she would come to my classroom and drop off a piece of art and say, ‘Can I leave this here?’,” Garrett said.

Karina Evans started playing volleyball just three years ago and received a scholarship to Delaware after only one year on the varsity squad. The Blue Hens are currently tied for first place in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 19-7 overall record. Evans is clearly a talented athlete in anything she tries, having also lettered at Dos Pueblos in soccer and track.

“This is a great senior class, and I know there are people behind them that will step up, but these seniors will be missed,” said Feldhaus, who expected more signings during the spring signing period. “We’re excited to see what they’ll do from here on out.”