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Seniors sign up for college sports
Bodnar to tee off for Sac State; Shohfi playing soccer at HNU

by Dolores Fox Ciardelli

The Sacramento State women's golf team inked its first member of the 2011-12 recruiting class with the signing of Amador Valley senior Natalie Bodnar, it was announced by Director of Golf David Sutherland.

"Natalie is a great kid who obviously had a terrific spring and summer of golf where she won some significant events" Sutherland said. "She has the ability to shoot very low and has done so in some big events.

"She is also very good academically and has too many other positives to mention."

Bodnar recently was the medalist at the East Bay Athletic League championship with a 1-under par round of 70. Bodnar helped the Dons win the EBAL and North Coast Section team title for the second consecutive season. Earlier in November, Amador Valley finished second at the Northern California Championships and will next play for the state title.

Bodnar is also very active on the Junior Golf Association of Northern California tour. In the spring and summer of 2011, she recorded seven top 10 finishes, including a victory at the East Bay Junior Golf Championship where she had a career low round of 68.

At the American Junior Golf Association's Preseason Junior at Oak Valley, Bodnar was the medalist after shooting rounds of 75-73-148. That total placed her four strokes ahead of the closest competitor.

She also tied for second at the Shoreline Junior Classic and the Castlewood Junior.

Meanwhile, on the soccer fields, Jared Shohfi of Foothill High has dreamed of playing the sport in college since he started playing at the age of 5 -- at least that's how he remembers it. Shohfi played Division III soccer for Pleasanton's Ballistic United Soccer Club for six years, and then played the last two years for Dublin United Soccer League Division I team, under Coach Tom Rhoads. He also played varsity soccer at Foothill.

Shohfi discussed his college soccer prospects with DUSL Technical Director Nick Lusson, who is also head coach of men's and women's soccer at Holy Names University in Oakland. After visiting its campus, Shohfi fell in love with the quaint private campus and the scenic views and applied for and was accepted to Holy Names. He also was invited to play for HNU's soccer team, which competes under the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

"Holy Names University is very proud to add Jared to our 2012 Men's Soccer recruiting class," said Coach Lusson. "As the Technical Director at the Dublin United Soccer League, I've gotten to know Jared as one of our older club players and have always been impressed with his athleticism, work ethic and overall character as a young man.

"He's the kind of player that we believe we can develop over the coming years into an excellent player at the NCAA D2 level. For us, the promise and qualities he brings in as a young man are every bit as important as what he can accomplish on the field."

His dream was made official Saturday when he signed with Holy Names at the Dublin Sports Grounds soccer field. He plans to earn his degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing.