UCD roundup: Aggie golfers move up to 16th place in Hawaii

Matt Seramin played an eight-hole stretch at 4-under par on Thursday, sparking his 2-under 70 that helped the UC Davis men’s golf team move up into a tie for 16th place after the second round of the Amer Ari Invitational on the Big Island.

The Aggies posted a 3-over 291 in Round 2, a seven-shot improvement from the first day to move up two places.

Seramin’s round put him a tie for 65th place at 3-over 147, equaling teammate Tyler Raber, a Davis High graduate who had a 74 on Thursday. Matt Hansen has UCD’s best score so far and is in a tie for 45th at 1-over after shooting a 74 in the second round. Rounding out the Aggie golfers are Jonny Baxter, who is tied for 89th after firing a 73, and Ben Corfee, from El Macero, who finished with a 77 and is in 112th place.

Seramin’s score was seven shots better than his 77 on Wednesday. He got to his 70 after blitzing the back nine at the Kings’ Course at Waikoloa Village. He started on the course’s ninth hole and was 1-over after three holes. But birdies on the 12th and 14th holes, and a masterful eagle on the par-5 18th pushed him three shots into the red.

The tournament was set to finish Friday.

UCD field hockey

Seven prospective student-athletes signed national letters of intent on Wednesday to play for the Aggie field hockey squad, teaming with former DHS standout Ali Campos — who joined the program this winter — to form UCD’s 2013 recruiting class.

Campos will be playing for her sister — Aggie head coach Vianney Campos. The younger Campos was a standout for the Blue Devils in 2010, scoring 38 goals to miss the school record by one, before moving to San Diego. Playing for Scripps Ranch, she earned all-division and all-county first-team honors as a senior in 2012, helping her team win the CIF-San Diego Section Division I championship and finish with a perfect 27-0 record.

On Wednesday, Eden Borsack of Encinitas, Lauren Copeland of Fallbrook, Courtney Hessler of Sunnyvale, Katriona Jackson of Moorpark, Kristin Rodgers of San Diego, Agustina Singh of San Jose and Kayla Wigney of Huntington Beach gave the UCD program an all-California recruiting class.

“I am thrilled to sign these incredible field hockey players, students and young women to our university,” Vianney Campos said. “These players have been following our program over the last four years and have developed a very strong and committed passion to Aggie field hockey that will help them and us get to the next level.

“We have signed some of California’s best talent and I am very excited to see this class make a quick impact in our program.”

Borsack wrapped up her three-year career as a forward and midfielder at La Costa Canyon High last fall, garnering first-team All-Avocado West League honors as a senior captain and winning her team’s MVP.

Copeland has garnered All-San Diego County and All-San Diego Section D-I honors in each of her two seasons at Fallbrook High, including first-team nods as a senior midfielder last fall.

Hessler, a two-year forward at Archbishop Mitty, received All-San Jose Mercury News honorable mention and second-team All-Blossom Valley Mount Hamilton acclaim as a senior. Her Mitty teammate Singh scored 36 goals with eight assists en route to Central Coast Section and San Jose Mercury News Player of the Year awards as the pair combined to lead their team to a 39-4-2 record the past two seasons.

Jackson played only soccer at La Reina College Prep, which does not sponsor varsity field hockey. She earned Defensive MVP honors as a junior on the soccer field, and has spent six successful years in club field hockey.

Rodgers, a three-sport standout at Serra High, earned a spot on the All-San Diego Section second team as a junior, then improved to first-team status last fall after scoring 25 goals as a senior.

Wigney is a three-time All-Sunset League honoree at Huntington Beach High, snaring second-team distinction as a sophomore, an Offensive MVP nod as a junior and overall league MVP award as a senior.

UCD women’s soccer

The Aggie program signed five prospective student-athletes to a national letters of intent on Wednesday, then added a sixth recuit to the 2013 class on Thursday.

“The classes we are recruiting are getting better and better each year,” said UCD’s Maryclaire Robinson, the Big West Conference’s 2011 Coach of the Year. “This year’s class addresses our needs, were recruited by design and will help us with our depth. We will become a faster, more athletic team.”

The newest Aggies include defenders Nicole Bouvia, Hailey Jenkins and Nicole Smolinski, as well as midfielders/forwards Taylor Locke, Audrey Romano and Emma Tinloy.

Bouvia led Central Valley Christian High (Visalia) with 27 goals in 2012 to help  the Cavaliers capture the Central Sequoia League title and finish the season as Division IV runners-up.

Jenkins is a captain and has scored seven points so far this winter for a Hart High (Santa Clarita) squad that is ranked No. 69 in the state by MaxPreps.

“(Jenkins) is an unassuming, yet confident and capable defender who is extremely effective,” Robinson said. “A savvy decision-maker who excels in keeping the back line compact and organized, she possesses an outstanding work ethic and leads by example.”

Smolinski helped Aliso Niguel High (Aliso Viejo) capture the CIF-SS and CIF Regional D-I championships in 2012 and TopDrawerSoccer.com ranked her 14th in California and 116th nationally as a club player.

Locke, a varsity letter-winner throughout her four years at Presentation High (San Jose), led her team in scoring and helped it earn berths in the WCAL finals and CCS semifinals in 2012.

Romano played her last two prep seasons at Cardinal Newman High (Santa Rosa), scoring 35 goals and 20 assists throughout her two-year tenure. She earned All-North Bay League First Team and Scholar Athlete recognition both seasons.

Tinloy, who is entering her senior season at El Cerrito as a three-year letter-winner, received first team all-league recognition as a freshman, sophomore and junior.

“(Tinloy) is possibly the most technically gifted player in the group,” Robinson said.