Idaho took advantage of the early signing period, with four new Vandals committing Thursday and Friday for the 2017-18 season.
Valeria Patino joins the Idaho women’s golf team. A Florida native, Patino was raised in Panama before moving to Katy, Texas. She finished in the top five at the Texas State Girls Championship for Seven Lakes High School. She has a handicap of +1.5 and a career low round of 66.
Her dad, Juan Carlos Patino, is a professional golfer.
Before moving to Texas to live with her aunt, Patino won every tournament she entered in Panama.
“Valeria has made steady improvement in her technical game under the direction of her father,” Idaho head coach Lisa Johnson said in a news release. “She is strongly committed to the process of improving. Her tournament successes at all levels reflect this dedication. She has solid fundamentals and a desire to compete — both of which caught my attention on the recruiting trail.”
The Idaho track and field team signed two new recruits, Anna Fomin and Faith Dilmore.
Fomin is one of the top sprinters in the Pacific Northwest, with a personal best of 55.5 seconds in the 400m.
Fomin of Veradale, Washington, placed fourth in the 400m at the 2016 state championships for Central Valley High School.
She placed third in 2015. Fomin took fourth in the 200m in-state competition as a sophomore. Her personal best is 25 seconds in the 200m, 12.5 in the 100m and 2:19 in the 800m.
Fomin will study biology with an emphasis on sports medicine.
Tim Cawley, director of track and field and cross-country said Fomin is a dynamic athlete.
“She is also talented in the classroom and with her quiet confidence, she is going to fit in well with the Vandal family,” he said in a news release.
Faith Dilmore is the only Idaho-native recruit thus far. She placed second in 2015, third in 2014 and fourth in 2016 in the 800m event of the Idaho State Track and Field Championships.
“It is a pleasure to have an in-state talent like Faith decide to be a part of the Vandal family,” Cawley said. “She fits in well with the team and with the mission here at Idaho. I am really excited to see her excel over the next four years.”
Dilmore has a personal best of 2:15.8 in the 800m and 5:05.5 in the 1600m.
She participated in relays at Rocky Mountain High School and plans on running cross-country for Idaho. Dilmore plans on majoring in business.
Jared Rodriguez of Glendale, Arizona, will join the Idaho men’s basketball team for the 2017-18 season.
The 6-foot 8-inch forward plays for Mountain Ridge High School and the Arizona Power in the AAU circuit.
Rodriquez averaged 14.2 points per game, as well as 7.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks during his junior season. He led Mountain Ridge to a 19-7 record and shot 42 percent from the field and 38 percent from the paint.
“We are extremely happy that we stole this young man from Arizona,” Idaho head coach Don Verlin said in a news release. “Jared is a very skilled big man. He can hit the 3, rebound above the rim, score on the block and play multiple positions.”
Tess Fox can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @tesstakesphotos