‘Super Seven’ commit together

An all-everything lineup of a “Super Seven” of the most outstanding athletes ever to attend Petaluma High School gathered in the school library last week to sign letters of intent to continue their sports careers and education at some of the top athletic and academic colleges in the nation.|

An all-everything lineup of a “Super Seven” of the most outstanding athletes ever to attend Petaluma High School gathered in the school library last week to sign letters of intent to continue their sports careers and education at some of the top athletic and academic colleges in the nation.

The female athletes, who participate in everything from softball to rowing, committed to colleges ranging from the University of California, Berkeley to Lehigh University on National Signing Day, the first day high school seniors were allowed to officially commit to colleges of their choice.

The seven - all friends and most friends since elementary school - included Samantha Lamos (rowing), Allison Scranton (track and field), Joelle Krist (softball), Brie Gerhardt (softball), Riley Scott (swimming), Kara Jones (gymnastics) and Maddie Mehciz (volleyball). Each, during their careers at Petaluma, have established athletic and academic credentials that will ultimately qualify them for the school’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Lamos gave up a promising soccer career to pursue rowing with the North Bay Rowing Club, and has never once regretted that decision. Although she has been rowing for only about two years, she was invited to the U.S. Rowing’s High Performance Camp this last summer, an invitation extended to only 30 girls across the nation. The High Performance Camp could possibly lead to a spot on the U.S. Junior National team.

Her talent and dedication did not go unnoticed. She was contacted by many colleges and it finally came down to a choice between UCLA, Yale and the University of California, Berkeley. Home won. “Being close to home was definitely a big part of my decision,” she said.

Scranton not only had to choose between a multitude of college offers, but between two sports. She was an All-Empire choice and Sonoma County League Most Valuable Player in basketball and a state meet performer in track, where she is one of the best in the North Coast Section in both the discus and the shot put.

She chose track and Utah State University.

“I decided that track offered me so much more opportunity,” she explained. She noted that a big part of her decision was based on her impression of Utah State track coach Gregg Gensel. “I just loved the coach,” she said. “I want him to be my coach.”

Krist, one of the best all-around softball players ever at Petaluma High School, had no decision to make. She verbally committed to the University of Arizona last year as a junior and had been eagerly waiting to make it official ever since. The earliest she was allowed to sign was 7 a.m. on signing day. She signed at 7:01 a.m.

Krist was also excited to be part of the joint announcement made in the Petaluma High School library. “This is really cool,” she said. “We all grew up together and we ended playing different sports.”

Gerhardt and Krist were the only two who played the same sport, joining to help Petaluma win three straight Sonoma County League championships, with the possibility of a fourth this spring. Gerhardt played both shortstop and catcher for the T-Girls, but will be a catcher for Lehigh University.

She said she was impressed with the Pennsylvania school after visiting in August, but didn’t completely make up her mind until about three weeks ago. “I liked that they play Division 1 and have a very good softball program,” she said. Lehigh has won three straight league championships.

Scott is the best Petaluma High School swimmer ever and a national-quality competitor. She is a High School All-American, Empire Girl Swimmer of the Year and has competed internationally as part of a USA junior national team.

Her signing made official what she had announced in July ­-­ that the University of Southern California would be her new swimming home. Her earlier commitment didn’t stop her from being “very excited” about signing day and joining her classmates in the ceremony.

Jones has known longer than any of the signees where her college destination would be, having verbally committed to accept an offer from the University of California Davis as a 15-year-old sophomore.

She has been a level 10 gymnast (the highest level) since the eighth grade, and has qualified for the nationals for the last three years. Her scholarship is the result of hard work and dedication, including traveling 70 miles five days a week to train with Edge Gymnastic in Dublin.

While many of the athletes had made their decisions well in advance of the formal signings, Meheiz waited until the final weekend before signing day to decide to continue her volleyball career and studies at Western Oregon.

An outstanding athlete, Mehciz also plays basketball. But it is her exceptional all-court volleyball play that earned her a chance to continue her athletic career in college. She led Petaluma to a 23-11 record and into the second round of the North Coast Section playoffs.

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