Six St. Francis Seniors Make Commitments

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. ““ Six St. Francis High School seniors signed a National Letter-of-Intent or made a commitment to play collegiate sports next year at schools across the country Wednesday.

   They were recognized on campus after school and will be part of the school’s formal spring signing day recognition. Overall, 24 Troubadours have made commitments this year to continue their athletic careers next year at the collegiate level.

   Terra Carden (soccer, Pacific), Emily Egan (soccer, Georgia Southern), Lauren LaRocco (track and field, Portland), Kayla O’Brine (track and field, UC Santa Barbara), Madison Rawson (track and field, Ole Miss) and Amanda Schnabel (track and field, Bellermine (Ky.) University) made commitments Wednesday.

   Carden, who hails from Folsom, has played for St. Francis program for three seasons and will begin her senior season next week. She also plays for the San Juan Soccer Club and has been selected as a Professional Development Player (PDF). An attacking center midfielder, Carden has committed to play at Pacific University in Stockton, Calif.

   Egan, who was originally born in Savannah, Ga., signed to play at Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga. She has been a two-year starting goalie on the varsity team for Troubadours. She also plays for the San Juan Soccer Club. She helped St. Francis to a 14-2-7 record as a junior, winning the Delta River League title and placing third in the Sac-Joaquin Section. She also has competed for the track and field program.

   LaRocco, who was one of the most highly recruited student-athletes on campus in 2013-14, received interest from more than 200 schools before deciding to run at Portland. She was named the Delta River League Runner of the Year in cross country after winning the Delta River League individual title for the third consecutive season. She finished sixth overall at the CIF Cross Country state championships, helping the team to a top-10 finish for the third consecutive year. LaRocco won six races on the season and became the first runner in school history to break both the 18:00 and 17:00 marks for the 5K race.

   O’Brine, who is one of the top throwers in the state, will compete for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos next year. She has personal-bests of 145-6 in the hammer, 139-0 in the discus and 35-8.25 in the shot put. She has won three Delta River League individual titles, including the shot put title in 2011 and discus in both 2012 and 2013. She placed 12th in the state at the CIF State Championships in the discus and third in the hammer at the California State Hammer Championships in 2013.

   Rawson, who lives in Roseville, Calif., has been one of the leaders of the St. Francis cross country program each of the last three seasons, helping the program garner three consecutive top-10 state finishes. The Troubadours finished fourth in 2011, second in 2012 and ninth in 2013. She placed 51st individually as a sophomore, 38th as a junior and 21st in a time of 18:05 this season. As a senior, she was part of the lead pack all season. She finished among the top five in nine races, including a fifth-place finish at the prestigious Mt. Sac Invitational. She also finished 11th at the Stanford Invitational. She earned All-Delta River League honors for the third straight season, crossing second overall at the league meet.

   Schnabel will run for Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky. She earned Delta River League honors in 2013 and has helped the team win back-to-back league titles and the Sac-Joaquin Section title in 2013. She holds the school record in the 300-meter hurdles (44.57) and has a personal-best time of 15.00 in the 100m hurdles. She was also a member of the St. Francis 4×400-meter relay team that qualified for the state championships in 2013.

   Eighteen Troubadours signed or made commitments during the fall signing period, highlighted by seven players from the volleyball program and six athletes who compete for local rowing clubs making their commitments. Student-athletes from the golf, softball and swimming and diving programs also were involved with the celebration.

St. Francis High School February Signees

Terri Carden, Soccer, Pacific

Emily Egan, Soccer, Georgia Southern

Lauren LaRocco, Cross Country/Track and Field, Portland

Madison Rawson, Cross Country/Track and Field, Ole Miss

Kayla O’Brine, Track and Field, UC Santa Barbara

Amanda Schnabel, Track and Field, Bellarmine University