On November 13, several athletes from University High School (UHS) committed to their prospective colleges.
The two tennis players, Drew Dawson (Sr.) and Eric Tseng (Sr.), signed the National Letter of Intent (NLI), a formal agreement between a prospective student athlete and a college stating that the athlete will attend the institution for one full school year and that the college will provide the student financial aid for one year. Dawson committed to the University of Notre Dame and Tseng committed to the University of California, San Diego.
Three swimmers have committed to colleges. Michael Schiffer (Sr.) committed to the University of Notre Dame to continue swimming. Corey Okubo (Sr.), one of UHS’ best swimmers, has committed verbally to Princeton University. Okubo was named the OC Register’s boys swimmer of the year last year, broke the Orange County record in the 200 Individual Medley, and is ranked nationally as the 8th best recruit in the class of 2014.
Okubo said, “I was looking for a school where I would be able to pursue both my education and swimming at a very high level, but at the same time feel incorporated into the team. I want to be able to make an impact on the swimming program and Princeton was where I felt I would be able to do that best.”
Annie Tran (Sr.) also committed to an Ivy League, the University of Pennsylvania. She said, “I loved the coach and the team when I visited. The girls were awesome and Coach Mike promotes a great balance between academics and swimming. Penn also has a lot to offer in terms of academics, especially with the Wharton School of Business. I look forward to challenging myself at Penn, both in academics and swimming. And I also look forward to having quite a bit of fun!”
There will be two more official National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NLI signing periods and athletes will continue committing to colleges throughout the year.
By ELYSIA OUYANG
Staff Writer