SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Jackie Koerwitz has committed to the University of Miami and will sign with the school to play soccer for the Hurricane program.

"I loved everything about it from the league they play in, the sports, the academics and area," said Koerwitz. "It was far away but was close to the beach and has great weather. They have great new facilities. If I could design my own college, it would look like Miami."

Koerwitz will play for Miami Head Coach Sarah Barnes, who is in her first season with the Hurricanes after coaching at George Washington, Texas and Connecticut. The program has played in five NCAA Tournaments in school history, while playing in the competitive Atlantic Coast Conference.

"We have work to do (in the conference)," said Koerwitz. "They have turned it around and we have had more wins this season. But we still have progress to make. I am going to play a competitive game every game."

Koerwitz was first recruited by the program in the eighth grade but did not formally commit until the end of her sophomore season.

"I was recruited by them in the eighth grade," said Koerwitz. "It was super exciting to have such a big school recruiting me. It was my first one but I still had so much time."

She was recruited by 15-20 schools in which she had mutual interest but eventually came back to the one that showed the first interest. After an unofficial visit as a sophomore she was sold.

While the coaching staff is different than the first that recruited her, she liked what she saw on her official visit this fall.

"I have met them all face to face and I love the energy that they bring," said Koerwitz, who plans to study biology and physiology with a goal of going to med school. "I like their in-game adjustments (she saw two games on her visit)."

Koerwtiz plans to play for the St. Francis soccer program this winter, putting on the red and gold of the Troubadours for the first time since her freshman season.

"I am super excited about playing for St. Francis," said Koerwitz.

Koerwitz has been a standout since her freshman year at St. Francis, playing her second sport – basketball. She helped the Troubadours win the Delta League and CIF Northern California titles and play for the state championship in 2015-16. She scored 4.4 points per game over 34 contests, tallying a season-high 15 points against St. Mary's in the Section championship game.

"My favorite memory was freshman year and playing with all the girls that we super good," said Koerwitz. "Having Coach Pitton as my coach taught me so much from (working with) an intense coach, balancing school and sports and scheduling with the two sports. He taught me what it meant to be a player for a coach."

As a sophomore, she averaged 10.1 points per contest and posted 11 games of double digits. Late in the season she suffered a knee injury that would derail her basketball career and slow her down on the pitch for the next year and half.

"Honestly, the experience I took from the injury and recruiting process is that in life there are going to be obstacles," said Koerwitz. "My life has been laid out in front of me but this injury was unpredictable. It happened three times and I had to get surgery. I did everything I could to prevent it and it still happened."

But she still looks back on her time with the basketball program fondly, a team where she formed some of her best friendships in her class.

"I miss it because it was a big part of life from kindergarten until my junior year," said Koerwitz. "It was (something I played) a lot of my life. It was always my fun sport and something I could do if I had too much soccer."

But after being cleared to practice again with her San Juan soccer club recently, she is ready to play soccer. She last played nine games with the SF varsity team as a freshman after the extended basketball postseason run.

"Now that I have not played soccer in so long, it is all I want to do now," said Koerwitz. "I am super excited to be healthy and ready to do all I can to prepare for college."

Koerwitz will participate in the St. Francis Signing Day Celebration on Nov. 14.