HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i women's golf head coach Lori Castillo announced the signing of Nichole Cruz of Rancho Murieta, Calif., for the 2012-13 season.
 
Cruz is currently a senior at Christian Brothers High School, where she recently led the team to the San-Joaquinn Section Masters golf championship after sharing medalist honors with a 72. The team also competed in the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California championships, where they finished third and Cruz tied for 14^th.
 
Just this week, she and the Falcons competed in the CIF State Championships, where she tied for eighth place with a 76.
 
“We're really excited Nichole will join our team next year,” Castillo said. “We feel she will be great team member and make an immediate impact on our program.”
 
During her freshman and sophomore seasons, Cruz attended St. Francis High School, where she was a member of consecutive Masters and NorCal championship teams.
 
Last year, she earned Delta River League all-star honors and was a finalist as Sacramento's Athlete of the Year. Cruz captured the California State Fair Junior Championships in both 2009 and 2010. She also qualified for the Big I National Championships.
 
Over the summer, Cruz was one of five individuals from The First Tee of Greater Sacramento selected to participate in The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, Calif. Through The First Tee program, she was also one of 50 participants selected to attend the 2011 Future Leaders Forum at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.
Cruz is the only signee for the Rainbow Wahine during the fall signing period.