Eighteen La Habra Highlander athletes honored during college signing event

La Habra athletes were honored during a ceremony Wednesday. (PHOTO: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).

Eighteen La Habra High School student athletes who signed with 16 different colleges and will compete in eight different sports at the collegiate level beginning next fall were honored Wednesday.

During the one hour ceremony Wednesday, a standing room only crowd in the La Habra gymnasium, filled with parents, grandparents, students, faculty, coaches and staff, cheered as Athletic Director Paul Caffrey introduced each athlete and shared their sports and academic accomplishments throughout their La Habra sports careers. 

“This is a special group of students/athletes,” said Caffrey. “They have worked so hard and La Habra High School is proud of their accomplishments, dedication and sacrifices they’ve made over the course of their high school careers. Each of these student athletes has dedicated countless hours of training and their grit, excellent work ethic, and leadership skills will carry them into the next chapter of their collegiate lives.” 

The athletes:

Ayden Cisneros, boys water polo, Biola University

Lucas Molina, boys water polo, Biola University

Samantha Cervantes, softball, University of Jamestown

Evelyn Dickerson, softball, Pace University

Alyssa Hernandez, softball, Sienna University

Madison Payne, softball, Holy Cross University

Georgia Rickenbacker, softball, Darmouth University

Maraya Salas, softball, Colorado State University Pueblo

Milee Valencia, softball, University of Redlands

Acen Jimenez, boys basketball, Dartmouth University

Reagan Moreno-Rojas, girls soccer, Culver Stockton College

Natalie Retama, girls soccer, Life Pacific University

Jazlene Saldana, girls soccer, University of Mount Saint Vincent

Angelina Santana, girls soccer, Cal Poly Pomona

Cohen Payne, boys wrestling, Hope International University

Sydney Verdugo, girls golf, Washburn University

Bobby Brooks, baseball, Sacramento State University

Riku Saisho, girls water polo, Mercyhurst University