PHOTOS: Woodbridge athletes sign college letters of intent at campus ceremony

Woodbridge students and family members are welcomed to the ceremony Tuesday in the gymnasium by Athletic Director Rick Gibson. (Photos: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

Woodbridge High School athletes who signed letters of intent were honored Tuesday in the school gymnasium. Athletic director Rick Gibson congratulated the athletes, their parents and the coaches during the event.

Family members and friends cheered as the athletes were introduced.

All the athletes signed letters of intent, Gibson said. Each coach talked about the contributions of each athlete.

To see the slide show, click on the first photo:

SOCCER

Four members of Coach Jackie Farber’s Woodbridge’s soccer team, which won the league title this past season, were honored.

Maci Land, Loyola Marymount University: Land was a four-year varsity player, first team All-PCL, two time captain and defensive MVP.

“Maci is one of the hardest working players I have ever coached. Sets the bar and raises the level of play in every training and game for everyone on our team,” Farber said.

Sabine Ramos, Cal Poly Pomona: Ramos was a four-year varsity player who was first team all-league, a senior captain and offensive MVP. 

“Sabine is an extremely talented and dynamic midfield who is technically gifted at her feet and so fun to watch her absolutely tear up the field when she goes one vs. one,” Farber said.

Bella Venegas, Chico State University: Venegas was a three-year varsity player, first team all-PCL and senior captain.

“Bella’s intensity on the ball and work rate on the field is contagious and raises the level of play for everyone around her. She’s also a natural leader,” Farber said.

Milan Heisdorf, UC Irvine: Heisdorf played one year on varsity and was first team all-league as defender.

“Milan is an extremely talented multi-sport athlete who only played one year for us (senior year) but consistently started on our back line and made an immediate impact. We couldn’t have done it without her this year,” Farber said.

SWIMMING

Zara Masud, Georgia Tech: “Zara is one of our fearless leaders who specializes in the butterfly and freestyle events. and has been a captain of our team since her sophomore year,” said swim coach James Hickson.

“Obviously Zara is a tremendous swimmer, but it’s her leadership that sets her apart on this team. Every time she shows up to practice, she’s the hardest worker there and seeing her work hard inspires everyone surrounding her to work harder too.” 

She was six-time Pacific Coast League individual event champion, six-time PCL relay event champion, 2023 PCL MVP, five-time CIF A finalist, three-time CIF-State A finalist and team record holder in the 100 butterfly.

Jacob Wang, UC San Diego: “Jacob is another one of our team captains who specializes in the sprint freestyle events,” Hickson said. “His high school accomplishments are impressive.”

Wang has been a four-time PCL event champion, PCL record holder in the 50/100 freestyle, 2022 PCL MVP, four-time CIF-SS A finalist, two-time CIF-state finalist and team record holder in the 50 freestyle.

“Jacob is a top-tier athlete and his progression through high school has been incredible to watch,” Hickson said. “It’s hard to overstate his impact. When I first started coaching the boys, we looked up at our team record board and all of the boys records were from the 1980’s and 1990’s by Derya (Buyukuncu) who competed in five different Olympic games. Last year at PCL, Jacob finally did what nobody could do for the last 30 years and broke the first of Derya’s records in the 50 freestyle.”

Dean Ko, Claremont McKenna College: “He specializes in the butterfly, backstroke and IM events and his swim journey with us is filled with notable achievements,” Hickson said.

“Dean the Machine is an incredible athlete but even more so. he’s an incredible leader on this team. Whenever Dean practices, he embodies the practice perfect mentality. He works on every aspect of his races during every lap of practice which motivates everyone around him to do the same. 

Ko has been a six-time PCL A finalist, a three-time CIF-SS finalist, a two-time CIF state competitor, a CIF-State relay finalist and was part of the 200 medley relay team record breaking team that earned an All American Automatic standard.

BASEBALL

Anthony DeMarco, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo: DeMarco, a catcher, is a member of the Warriors baseball team, which captured the league title last year.

“We could not be more proud of his accomplishment,” said Woodbridge Coach Ryan Brucker. “This opportunity is something Anthony has earned through his hard work and dedication to the game of baseball. Cal Poly is getting a young man who exhibits outstanding leadership qualities, and puts forth his best effort at all times, under all circumstances.

“Over the three seasons that he has been a varsity player at Woodbridge he has always put the needs of the team over his own. Anthony is a selfless leader who will do whatever it takes to win. He is as competitive a young man as we have had come through our program.  I believe SLO is a great fit for Anthony and he is going to have a big impact there on and off the baseball field.”  

WRESTLING

Makoa McCreadie, Arizona Christian University: McCreadie was a California National Team Member, finished sixth in the nationals in 2023, captured a league title and is a two-time CIF and Masters qualifier, according to wrestling coach Mike Heim. McCreadie has also won tournament titles at San Clemente Rotary, Asics SoCal Challenge, Lancers Invitational and the Andrew Pena Invitational.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com