Six JSerra Student-Athletes Sign National Letters of Intent

Six student-athletes from JSerra High participated in the National Letter of Intent Signing Day on Wednesday morning, the first day that high school athletes in football, boys water polo, soccer, track and field, cross-country and field hockey can sign scholarship offers with NCAA Division I and II universities.

Those Lions signing one-year athletic scholarship offers were Juan Gutierrez and Dylan Seedman (boys soccer), Macrae Carden (boys water polo), Katherine Delaney (girls cross-country), Casey Mims (girls swimming) and Chloe Kempf (girls water polo)

Two other JSerra student-athletes who were expected to sign but decided to wait are Frankie Pestone and Lucas Dell’Orso, both soccer players.

Here’s a look at the six JSerra players who signed letters of intent:

Juan Gutierrez, soccer, UC Irvine

Last year’s CIF Southern Section Division I Offensive Player of the Year and the Lions' leading scorer last season with 51 points, Gutierrez said he talked with about 20 different colleges but chose UC Irvine because he wanted to stay close to home (he is the youngest of eight children) and play for a quality soccer program.

Gutierrez has not played since the Katella Tournament and will not play the rest of this season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. But he said he’s optimistic that he’ll be ready by the start of his freshman year. “I don’t want to miss out. I’ve been waiting too long for this,” he said. “This is just a bump in the road. This is slowing me down, but not stopping me.”

Dylan Seedman, soccer, Loyola Marymount

With Gutierrez out, Seedman has picked up the slack and has the Lions in contention for another Trinity League title. An All-CIF Southern Section performer, Seedman said he chose to play at LMU because of its coaching staff, an opportunity to play immediately and the location of the campus near the Pacific Ocean.

“Loyola Marymount counted me early and I really like the coaching staff,” Seedman said. “They said I’ll have a chance to play as a freshman. I just need to get through league and through [the playoffs]. I’m excited. It should be fun.”

Macrae Carden, water polo, USC

The 6-foot-3 Carden had a huge season for JSerra in 2010, scoring 140 goals, the fourth highest in Orange County, and was named second-team All-County and All-CIF Southern Section Division I. He also had his No. 3 cap retired after the season.

Carden said he considered scholarship offers from Pepperdine, UCLA and Long Beach State, where his father, Robin, played, but chose USC because of its academics and the strength of its water polo program. The Trojans have won two of the past three NCAA mens water polo championships.

“It’s someplace I always wanted to go,” said Carden, who is projected to play 2-meter offense or defense. “They have a great business school. They helped a lot.”

Katherine Delaney, distance runner, California

Delaney proved to be one of the county’s better all-around athletes by participating in cross country, swimming and track and field last year. But her strength is as a long-distance runner. She finished second in the sweepstakes race at the 2010 Orange County Championships, best among all seniors, helped lead the Lions to their first league title with a third-place finish in the finals, and placed third at the CIF Southern Section Division 4 finals to lead the Lions to their first Division 4 team title.

Delaney said she considered Georgetown, UCLA, Columbia, and Villanova, but felt that Cal was best suited for her because of its academics and running program.

“I had lots of choices, but Berkeley really stood out from the rest,” Delaney said. “It had a good ‘mom and pop’ feel to it.”

Casey Mims, swimming, California

Mims holds five individual school records in the 100 breastroke, 100 butterfly, 100 and 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley, as will as two relay records in the 200 and 400, but her specialty is the 100 and 200 breastroke. Mims made the U.S. Junior team over the summer and finished third at the Junior National Championships in the 200-meter breastroke. She plans to try out for the U.S. Olympic team this summer.

Mims had her choice of colleges but said Cal was her top choice from the beginning.

“I’m definitely looking forward to going to college, but I still need to be pretty focused on the [upcoming] season,” she said. “It should be fun this year.”

Chloe Kempf, water polo, Brown

Kempf was one of the top returning players this season. She moved from utility player to goalkeeper and anchored JSerra’s defense. She has made more than 100 saves and has averaged 4.9 saves per match. But it is her versatility in the pool that made Kempf a sought-after player by colleges this year.

Kempf said she was ready for a change in scenery so she chose Brown, an Ivy League school located in Providence, RI, which is about as far from South Orange County as one can get.

“I wanted to go a school that had four seasons,” said Kempf, the oldest of six children. “I’m sure my family is going to miss me because I’m the one who always drives them around, so I hope I don’t get too homesick. But I’m really looking forward to going. Besides, we can always Skype.”

Note:

Five other JSerra student-athletes in baseball signed letters of intent earlier this year. They include Trent Boras (USC), Austin Hedges (UCLA), Tyler Krause (UC Irvine), Billy Tanner (junior, UC Davis) and Clay Williamson (CS Fullerton)

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