Volleyball: Rio Hondo honors seven moving on to next level

Honored at a signing ceremony were (front, left-right) Victoria Martinez, Michelle Chavez, Madison Mader, Sara Harding, Natalie Magallon, Bree Newton, and Michelle Hawkins.
Honored at a signing ceremony were (front, left-right) Victoria Martinez, Michelle Chavez, Madison Mader, Sara Harding, Natalie Magallon, Bree Newton, and Michelle Hawkins.
Posted: May 17, 2018

Rio Hondo College head coach Teddi Esko is proud to announce that seven members of her volleyball program are transferring to four-year institutions after successful careers with the Roadrunners.

Moving on are:
Sara Harding, Ottawa University, Arizona (Beach Volleyball)
Natalie Magallon, SUNY Potsdam, NY (Indoor)
Bree Newton, Friends University, Kansas (Indoor)
Michelle Hawkins, Southwestern College, Kansas (Indoor)
Madison Mader, CSULA (Soccer)
Michell Chavez-Valdivia, UCLA (Academic)
Victoria Martinez, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, (Academic)

Harding, Magallon, Newton, Hawkins and Mader all signed their National Letters of Intent on Thursday while Chavez-Valdivia and Martinez will be transferring to pursue their academic goals. They were all joined by Rio Hondo coaches, staff, and teammates, as well as family and friends at a signing ceremony on campus at the aquatic center.

These Rio Hondo student-athletes will be headed all across the country. Two-sport standout Madison Mader will be staying nearby though. Despite earning all-conference honors and earning a spot in the Southern California Regional Beach Volleyball Pairs Championships, Mader is headed down the 10 freeway to play soccer at Cal State LA. Mader was named the South Coast Conference North Division Offensive Player of the Year in the fall for women's soccer and just recently picked up Rio Hondo College Female Athlete of the Year honors.

Bree Newton played four seasons for Rio Hondo, competing indoor and on the sand for two seasons each. She was a first-team All-SCC North Division indoor volleyball selection and will be headed to Friends University in Kansas.

Second-team All-SCC pick Natalie Magallon is headed to New York to compete at SUNY Potsdam, while two-year vet on the sand Sara Harding is taking her talents to Ottawa University in Arizona. Michelle Hawkins competed both indoors and out, and is also off to Kansas, but to Southwestern College.

Also moving on are Victoria Martinez and Michell Chavez-Valdivia. The pair has decided to concentrate on academics, Martinez is off to the University of Hawai'i while Chavez-Valdivia will stay local to attend UCLA.