SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior water polo player Bella Vierra has committed and will sign with Wagner College.

"I am extremely excited," said Vierra. "It did not take a lot once I got there and met the team. I felt and knew this was where I was going for the next four years. It was exciting."

Vierra will join a Wagner team coached by former Wagner All-American Ciaran Wolohan, who taken over the program this season. He helped lead the Seahawks to their unprecedented sixth straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) title and sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid last season. In 2019, Wagner set a program-record 30 victories (30-10 overall, 14-1 MAAC), and achieved a No. 19 ranking in the final Collegiate Water Polo (CWPA) Poll.

"The coaches were so engaging and welcoming," said Vierra. "I felt extremely comfortable. When I met the rest of the team, the energy around the team and positivity felt like a group of sisters. It is what I am used to here at St. Francis. I really loved that and it is a smaller, close-knit community."

Vierra, who plans to study Sports Administration, has been a four-year member of the water polo program, playing three seasons of varsity. She played the game for the first time as a freshman under then JV coach Emily Whalen.

"I am extremely proud of myself," said Vierra. "Definitely freshman year Bella did not think this would be a factor in my college decision. I played two years with Heather Moody and two years with Emily Whalen. They have been such an influence on my life and shaped me into the young women I am today. I love that and I found a home in water polo. I am thankful I got to experience the coaches I did because they are biggest impact on my decision."

Vierra has scored a career-best 10 goals this season with eight assists for the Troubadours. She has helped the team to a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth and a spot in the semifinals this week.

"I'm really excited about Bella going to Wagner!," said Head Coach Emily Whalen "It's been awesome being able to teach her how to play water polo and then just four years later helping her with the recruiting process. That's the great thing about water polo, it's such a small community that in just four years you can actually change all of your opportunities for college."

Vierra is ready for the challenge of going to school across the country at the staten Island, N.Y., campus.

"I literally could not go farther away from home," said Vierra. "There are some nights I do not think I can do that but the rest of me knows I loved it so much. It is not me at all. It is a whole new adventure. I am excited to dive in head first and see what New York has to offer."

Vierra will join her classmates at the St. Francis NCAA Signing Day Celebration on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in the CLC.