DOWNEY - Six athletes from Warren participated in National Signing Day by putting their signatures on their letters of intent to attend universities and compete at the next level on Wednesday.Jesse Callier (football), Augafa Vaaulu (football), Chelsea Cabrajac (volleyball), Monique Diaz (cross country), and Daniel Kosakowski (tennis) all signed their letters while Dani Moreno (cross country) is still entertaining offers from other colleges. As of Wednesday, Moreno had been offered scholarships from six different schools including Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, Sacramento State University, UC-Santa Barbara, Arizona and UC-Berkley. Moreno is expected to make her decision by today but said Wednesday that although it's a good problem to have, she still doesn't know what school she's leaning toward. "It's definitely hard," she said. "I'm weighing the pros and cons. At the end of this week I should have a decision." The decision for the biggest-named athlete of the group, Callier, was an easy one, saying that Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian made him feel right at home. "I love their program," Callier said. "They have a great staff and they plan on doing special things with the program." Callier's teammate Vaaulu will also be attending school on a football scholarship. He chose New Mexico State, and said he's ready to leave high school and move on to college. "I fit in with the defense," Vaaulu said about New Mexico State. "The coach said I have a chance of starting." For Kosakowski, a tennis prodigy that could have actually gone pro with his junior ranking being so high, the choice was an easy one because of his fanaticism for UCLA. "Since I was very little I have always been a fan of UCLA," he said. "I basically can do whatever I want. I have an opportunity to play pro tennis or choose a career to pursue. Pro tennis is too much of a gamble right now." For Diaz, who is attending San Francisco State, and Cabrajac, who is attending Cal State Long Beach, it was just a matter of the college itself, both saying that they simply liked the campus and surroundings. "I like the area," said Diaz. "I love San Francisco and the team was a good fit for me. And I like the coach." Cabrajac said she was happy she will remain near home and that the transition will be very easy. "I love the atmosphere and its' not too far from the beach," she said. "I love the people there. They don't take themselves too seriously." Only 2 percent of all high school athletes play at the collegiate level, Warren's athletic director Steve Hill said before player introductions. He added that less than 1 percent receive any financial aid to play at the next level.

********** Published: February 5, 2010 - Volume 8 - Issue 42