CHSAANow

Category: Recruiting

  • Rampart’s Nicea Eliely chooses to play basketball at Nebraska

    Nicea Eliely (13) listens to instructions from Rampart coach Ashley Miller. (Courtesy of Robin Cook)
    Nicea Eliely (13) listens to instructions from Rampart coach Ashley Miller. (Courtesy of Robin Cook)

    Nebraska’s girls basketball team just got a lot better. Sunday, the Rockies basketball club tweeted that Nicea Eliely of Rampart High School verbalized her commitment to the Cornhuskers.

    Eliely figures to be to focal point of the Rams’ offense in for the 2015-16 season after the loss guard Cassidy Budge to graduation. With Budge under the weather in a crucial Class 5A league game against Pine Creek last year, Eliely stepped up to score 25 points as the Rams got the last-second victory over the Eagles.

    Eliely was named third-team all-state after last season.

    She is the latest recruit from the class of 2016 to announce her decision.

  • Caleb Espinoza becomes first Palmer lacrosse player to commit to Division I program

    Caleb Espinoza committed to Cleveland State on Wednesday, and in the process became the first-ever Palmer boys lacrosse player to pledge to a Division I college program.

    Espinoza, a senior goalie, announced his decision on Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/espo_caleb33/status/639162043061309440

    “He is a great kid,” said Palmer lacrosse coach Sequoia Brown, who added that he was the program’s first Division I commit.

    Espinoza was a second-team all-state pick in Class 5A last season after going 8-6 with a 6.2 goals-against average. He had a save percentage of .700, and notched one shutout.

    Espinoza has been starting since he was a freshman, and now has a career record of 25-17.

    Cleveland State is a new program which is set to begin play in the 2016-17 season.

    Espinoza is the 13th known in-state boys lacrosse player to commit from the 2016 class to date.

  • Regis Jesuit football’s Ace Escobedo commits to Penn

    Ace Escobedo, a senior defensive tackle at Regis Jesuit, committed to the University of Pennsylvania’s football program on Saturday afternoon.

    Escobedo, who stands 6-foot-3 and is 270 pounds, announced his decision over Twitter:

    https://twitter.com/ace_escobedo/status/635181076126654464

    Last season, Escobedo had five sacks and two hurries. He also had 20 total tackles, including four for a loss.

    The senior picked Pennsylvania, which competes in the Ivy League of Division I’s Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), over seven other offers, according to Rivals. Included were offers from three other Ivies — Columbia, Dartmouth and Yale — and offers from Air Force, Northern Colorado, Montana and South Dakota.

    Penn is playing under first-year coach Ray Priore this season, who is replacing the legendary Al Bagnoli. Bagnoli retired following the 2014 season with a career record of 234-99, but came out of retirement three months later when, to the surprise of many, he took over as the head coach at Columbia.

    Penn has the most outright Ivy League titles of any schools with 13, and won a league record 20-straight games from 2001-04.

    At Penn, Escobedo will join former Regis Jesuit teammate Jack Maly, a 2015 graduate who plays on the offensive line. Also on the Quakers’ roster is 2015 Broomfield graduate Cooper Gardner, a defensive lineman, and Fairview alum Jack Madden, who will be a senior this season.

    Escobedo is the eighth in-state football player to make his college choice from the Class of 2016 to this point.

    Escobedo’s junior season highlights are below, via Hudl.

  • Brianne Stiers of Highlands Ranch commits to UMKC for basketball

    Highlands Ranch athletic director Bruce Wright announced on Twitter Friday morning that forward Brianne Stiers has committed to the University of Missouri-Kansas City to play basketball.

    Stiers played in 25 of 26 games for the Falcons last year. On top of being a force in the post for the Falcons, she was clutch for the team at the free throw line, hitting 72 percent of her shots from the charity stripe. She also helped the Falcons reach the Class 5A Great 8 last season.

    Stiers played in 25 of 26 games for the Falcons last year. On top of being a force in the post for Highlands Ranch, she was clutch for the team at the free throw line, hitting 72 percent of her shots from the charity stripe. She also helped the Falcons reach the Class 5A Great 8 last season.

    She is the latest basketball player from the recruiting Class of 2016 to declare her commitment. Stiers joins her teammate, Blaire Braxton, in committing to a Division I school.

  • Pueblo Central’s Kobi Betts commits to Air Force basketball

    Pueblo Central boys basketball senior Kobi Betts committed to the Air Force Academy on Wednesday.

    Betts, a guard and small forward, announced his decision on Twitter:

    https://twitter.com/kb_04_kb/status/634088785630769152

    Betts averaged 19.8 points per game last season as the Wildcats advanced to the Class 4A Sweet 16, losing to eventual champion Air Academy. That figure was fourth-best in 4A last season, and improved upon his 10.1 average as a sophomore.

    Betts, who is 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, is a four-sport athlete. Last school year, he played boys tennis, football, baseball and basketball.

    Betts’ teammate, Mike Ranson — the state’s leading scorer in 2014-15 — committed to Northern Colorado in June.

    Colorado now has six Division I boys basketball commitments from the Class of 2016.

  • Heritage girls golf’s Delaney Benson verbally commits to Creighton

    Heritage senior Delaney Benson. (Courtesy of Heritage HS)
    Heritage senior Delaney Benson. (Courtesy of Heritage HS)

    Heritage senior Delaney Benson has verbally committed to Creighton’s women’s golf program, according to her parents.

    Benson finished 16th at last spring’s Class 5A state tournament, helping Heritage finish fifth as a team. She was fourth at the 5A Central Region last spring, as well.

    In addition, Benson qualified for the state tournament as a sophomore and a freshman.

    Creighton’s women’s golf team finished in sixth place at the Big East Championships last April.

    Benson is the latest member of the Class of 2016 to make a college commitment.

  • Rock Canyon’s Carlie McCrillis commits to Winthrop for lacrosse

    ThunderRidge's Carlie McCrillis. (Ray Chen/MaxPreps)
    ThunderRidge’s Carlie McCrillis. (Ray Chen/MaxPreps)

    Carlie McCrillis, a sophomore at Rock Canyon, committed to Winthrop to play lacrosse at Winthrop last month, according to her mom, Laurie.

    McCrillis, a defensive midfielder, plays for the co-op team girls lacrosse team at ThunderRidge. During her freshman season, she recorded 17 ground balls, won five draws, and also scored a goal.

    McCrillis plays club lacrosse for Team 180.

    Winthrop, a Division I program in South Carolina, made the NCAA tournament last season after going 17-4. According to the program, it was the most successful season a Big South Conference member has ever had in women’s lacrosse.

    ThunderRidge went 13-4 last season, and advanced to the quarterfinals.

    Meghan Gordon, McCrillis’ friend, teammate and fellow member of the Class of 2018, has committed to Navy.

  • Blaire Braxton of Highlands Ranch commits to Seattle for basketball

    Highlands Ranch Legend girls basketball
    Highlands Ranch senior Blaire Braxton. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

    Blaire Braxton, a senior at Highlands Ranch, committed to Seattle University to play basketball this week.

    Braxton, who stands 6-foot-1 and plays forward and center, announced her decision over Twitter:

    https://twitter.com/BlaireBrax/status/631636762423504898/photo/1

    Braxton averaged 9.3 points as the Falcons reached the Class 5A Great 8 last season.

    Seattle is coached by the well-respected Joan Bonvicini, who is closing in on 700 career wins. The Redhawks won the regular season WAC title in 2013-14.

    Braxton is the latest girls basketball player from the Class of 2016 to announce her college choice.

  • Grandview girls soccer’s Natalie Beckman commits to Denver

    Grandview Mountain Vista girls soccer
    Grandview’s Natalie Beckman. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

    Grandview’s girls soccer team, the defending Class 5A champion, is shaping up to be scary next spring.

    Already, the Wolves’ roster has three seniors committed to Division I college programs, and two juniors. On Tuesday, a sophomore made for a total of six D-I commits — so far.

    Natalie Beckman, a midfielder, announced on Twitter that she had committed to the University of Denver.

    https://twitter.com/nat_beckman12/status/631615179092983809/photo/1

    Beckman had one goal and eight assists for Grandview as a freshman last season. She joins Grandview teammate Taylor Parker, a junior, in pledging to the Pioneers.

    Other commits for the Wolves include seniors Mandi Duggan (Kansas), Bailey Cook (San Diego State) and Maddy Germann (Murray State), and junior Nicole Lyubenko (Alabama).

    Grandview went 18-1-1 en route to the 5A title last season. That team graduated two players who went on to play Division I soccer — meaning the roster featured at least eight current or former Division I players.

    Beckman is the second known player from the Class of 2018 to make her college choice known. Chaparral’s Ally Schlegel has committed to Penn State.

  • Mountain Vista’s Meghan Gordon commits to Navy for lacrosse

    Meghan Gordon ThunderRidge girls lacrosse
    (Matt Daniels/MaxPreps)

    Meghan Gordon, set to begin her sophomore year at Mountain Vista, committed to the U.S. Naval Academy to play lacrosse on Monday, according to her mom, Susannah.

    Gordon, a midfielder, had 20 goals and seven assists as a freshman last season for the co-op team at ThunderRidge, which advanced to the quarterfinals in the spring. She’s also a member of the co-op field hockey team at Mountain Vista.

    After her freshman season, Gordon part of the West Team at the Under Armour Underclass Lacrosse Tournament in June, and also played on Team Colorado at this summer’s Brine National Lacrosse Classic.

    Gordon plays club lacrosse for Team 180.

    Navy women’s lacrosse finished 15-5 last season, including 6-2 in the Patriot League.

    Gordon is the first known local girls lacrosse player from the Class of 2018 to make a college commitment.