Fifteen Tesoro Student-Athletes Sign Letters of Intent

When its college-bound senior athletes were gathered in Tesoro High's library Wednesday afternoon for National Signing Day ceremonies, the scene was quite staggering. An impressive group of 15 standout student-athletes put their signatures on collegiate letters of intent.

Athletes from across the sports spectrum capped off years of tenacious work on the field and in the classroom by formally committing to various universities. Tesoro’s baseball, softball, football, lacrosse, and soccer programs were represented well.

The girls soccer program, in particular, features a strong senior class. Six members of the squad signed their letters of intent and will disperse throughout the country this autumn.

Danielle Hansen, who signed on with  Cal State San Marcos, enjoyed sharing the memorable accomplishment with her longtime teammates.

“All of our girls are really close and we’ve worked hard for so many years,” Hansen said. “For everything to finally pay off and get us into school is amazing.”

Athletic Director Gil Ramirez asserted the girls’ success is nothing out of the ordinary at Tesoro.

“We’ve always had a strong girls soccer program that produces college talent,” Ramirez said. “It shows again with this year’s class. These girls have put in the work here and outside of school with their club teams.”

The Titans’ boys soccer program is led by the twin duo of Michael and Bryan Breslin, who’ve helped put Tesoro in position to win this year’s South Coast League title. Both brothers signed to attend UC Irvine, a school that scooped up five Tesoro athletes from the class of 2011.

Kris Paulino and Connor Spencer will join the Breslins in Irvine. Paulino and Spencer are among four members of the baseball team who partook in Wednesday's ceremonies.

Softball star Cassandra Rouland will patrol the outfield for Stanford next season. Looking around the room, Rouland remembered the effort that her classmates put forth to bring their aspirations to fruition.

"It feels good to know that we have such a great class of seniors who worked together toward the same goal," Rouland said. "We all put in the work and now we're reaping the benefits, so this is awesome."

Perhaps the most high-profile of Tesoro’s college recruits is Sean O’Grady, who will play defensive end at Arizona State. The newest Sun Devil said his significant signature was a long time coming.

“I’m stoked. I’ve wanted to play D-1 football my whole life,” O’Grady said. “I’ve really looked forward to this moment in my life and it’s just weird that it’s actually here.”

O’Grady joins fellow Titans graduates Evan Finkenberg and Sil Ajawara on Arizona State’s football roster. His signing continues the rapidly developing pipeline between Tesoro and Tempe.

Looking around the room, Ramirez recalled the first time he laid his eyes on this senior class. The confident students now set to embark on their next chapter have undergone a significant maturation process, according to the athletic director.

“When this group walked in as freshman, they were wide-eyed and wondering where they would fit in,” Ramirez said. “Since then, they’ve become leaders on the field, developed in the classroom and have really shown strong character. We’re very proud of what they’ve accomplished today.”

Here’s a full list of Tesoro athletes who signed letters of intent Wednesday afternoon:

Baseball

Tanner Donnels - Loyola Marymount

Kris Paulino- UC Irvine

Braden Peters- San Diego State

Connor Spencer- UC Irvine

Girls Soccer

Danielle Hansen- CS San Marcos

Samantha Nerney- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Jamie Turchi- Boston University

Torey Markowitz- UCLA

Victoria Russo- UC Irvine

Cailey Starck- Ball State

Boys Soccer

Bryan Breslin- UC Irvine

Michael Breslin- UC Irvine

Football

Sean O’Grady- Arizona State

Softball

Cassandra Rouland- Stanford

Lacrosse

Ryan Page- Grand Canyon University

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