Rancho Santa Margarita Girl to Join Penn State Hockey

One the first day of fall signing period, girls prep hockey players Micayla Catanzariti—who is from Rancho Santa Margarita—Katie Zinn and Celine Whitlinger signed NCAA national letters of intent to attend Pennsylvania State University.

Brian Horgan, Upper School director for the Gates Mills OH private school, asked at Wednesday's signing if the girls planned their actions together, to which they responded "no." All three transferred to Gilmour Academy this school year.

"It's kind of neat that you'll all be ending up there," Horgan said.

Penn State will start its Division I women's hockey program next year, so the three girls will be part of the school's first team.

Catanzariti plays right wing. She earned USA National Championship medals in 2009 and 2010 and participated in USA Hockey Select Player Development Camps in 2010 and 2011.

"Micayla is a complete player in every sense of the word and is constant motion on the ice," said Penn State head coach Josh Brandwene. "She hustles, back checks, plays great team defense, produces offensively and has endless enthusiasm."

She was a four-year member of the Anaheim Lady Ducks organization and helpled lead the team to third-place finishes in the 2000 and 2010 UA Hockey National Championships.

Zinn, a forward, is from Coquitlam, British Columbia. Playing in Canada last season, she led her team in goals and was third in assists.

Whitlinger, from Huntington Beach, CA, was chosen as best goaltender at the USA Hockey Pacific Division development camp.

The Gilmour Academy team is the only girls prep hockey team in Ohio and is one of 10 teams in the North American Prep Hockey Association. The Lancers finished the 2009-2010 season with a 37-17-7 record.