San Marcos Has Seven Student-Athletes Sign Letters of Intent to Play in College
The San Marcos spring signing class was made up of, from left to right, Luke Burns (San Jose St. Water Polo), Ava Carter (Boston College Track & Field), Luke Crawford (Wheaton Football), Jeffrey Forster (Trinity Golf), Emma Foster (Manhattanville Softball), Ryan McLain (Wheaton Golf), Mason Rice (Princeton Volleyball) and Logan Stevenson (Lewis & Clark Baseball). (Diego Sandoval / Noozhawk Photo)
San Marcos celebrated its seven senior student-athletes who signed their letters of intent to compete in college on Friday inside the Thunderhut.
The seven spring signees add to the five student-athletes who made their commitment in the fall.
Ava Carter – Boston College Track & Field
Carter will head across the country following her graduation as she will be running track & field for Boston College.
“Everything about Boston College (made her want to go to the East Coast): the campus, the facilities, all the teammates and coaches were especially special,” Carter said.
She has been the leader of a strong San Marcos sprinter group for all four years of her high school career. She will continue to sprint for the Eagles while also studying biology.
“Boston is the perfect place for all of that,” Carter said of her event and major. “It’s the perfect place for college, I’m so excited.”
Emma Foster – Manhattanville Softball
Foster will also be taking her talents to the East Coast beginning in the fall, as she will play softball at Manhattanville College in New York.
“Manhattanville had a really good opportunity for me academically and I just really liked how they were doing in softball too,” Foster said. “Opening up my options and going back east is something I was really excited about.”
She was a four-year varsity player for the Royals and just finished up a strong senior regular season where she hit .385 with 16 RBI and 21 runs scored in 21 games.
“Being able to have a great four years in the softball program has been something that I looked forward to and I had a great time with all my teammates,” Foster said. “I’m really fortunate to play at the next level, my parents have done a lot for me.
“Manhattanville giving me the opportunity to play in college is something that I cherish and is super special to me.”
Jeffrey Forster – Trinity Golf
Forster will be continuing his academic and athletic career at Trinity for the next four years.
“It’s exciting, a lot of hard work has led up to it,” Forster said. “I’m just excited to continue my golf career.”
He has been a key part of the San Marcos golf squad that has enjoyed plenty of success as of late, including most recently a Channel League championship with an overall record of 15-0.
“It’s been really fun, everyone pushes each other and we have great coaches,” Forster said of the San Marcos program. “It’s just an easy place to get better and have a lot of fun playing golf.”
Ryan McLain – Wheaton Golf
McLain will make it two Royals golfers competing at the next level, as he signed with Wheaton College.
“Wheaton has a great sense of community and the people there and the academics are just stellar,” McLain said. “It’s really intriguing to be there to not only pursue my athletics but just have a great foundation for my academic career.”
He has also played a solid role in the San Marcos golf program’s ascension and dominance as of late.
“Wheaton is thought of as the sister college to Westmont so there’s a lot of tie-ins there,” McLain said. “I know a lot of people who have a lot of tie-ins to Wheaton so they really introduced it and I just kind of fell in love with it.”
Logan Stevenson – Lewis & Clark Baseball
Stevenson will take his baseball talents to the Pacific NorthWest to pitch for the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers.
“I like the nature of [Lewis & Clark] and also it’s right by Portland, a big city,” Stevenson said. “I worked really hard to get here and it’s always been my dream to play college baseball.”
The righthander will be joining fellow San Marcos baseball alums Caden Hodina and Joaquin Sandoval in the orange and black next season.
“I have two former teammates who are there and they really like it,” Stevenson said. “I really like the coach as well and the campus.”
Luke Burns – San Jose State Water Polo
Burns will be headed up north and will compete in the pool with San Jose State water polo beginning next year.
“It’s great, I’ve been playing water polo for the greater part of my life and it’s finally great to see it pay off,” Burns said.
He played a major role in propelling the Royals to a CIF-SS Div. 2 title in the fall, and will look to carry over that success into his time with the Spartans.
“I like the chemistry they have there, I already met all of my teammates and I found my roommate,” Burns said. “They have a great business program too, which I am attending. It should be really great.”
Luke Crawford – Wheaton Football
Crawford followed up his big senior season in the fall with the Royals by signing with Wheaton College, joining McLain.
“I’ve always played football since a young age and to be able to put on the pads with some college athletes is different, I’m thankful,” Crawford said.
The wideout was a member of the All-Channel League First Team for his senior season and will hope to make an immediate impact with the Thunder.
“The coaches were all super positive, and at the time I had a broken foot and was on a scooter and they offered me after that,” Crawford said. “They saw something in me that made me believe in myself even more.”
Mason Rice – Princeton Volleyball
Rounding out the San Marcos signees is Rice, who will be heading to the Ivy League to continue his academic and volleyball career.
“Ever since I was a sophomore, I kind of set Princeton at the top of my list,” Rice said. “I’ve been talking to them for a long time, and I just got it to work in the last couple of months.”
Rice has been a force for the Royals in recent years, and most recently helped the team to a Channel League championship and an overall regular season record of 33-2.
“I’m super stoked and super blessed to be able to go to such a prestigious school while being able to play Division I volleyball, it doesn’t really get better than that,” Rice said.