SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Ryleigh Bone will sign to play lacrosse at Fresno State on the Spring signing date on April 15. The signing will fulfill her dream of playing in college while continuing a family legacy at the school.

 “I never really thought I would go there,” said Bone. “The coach contacted me after a tournament. She was very welcoming and had some of her current players with her. One of them came over and talked to me. They had great things to say about Fresno. I scheduled a visit two days later and my dad and I went down there. It felt like home. I could see myself going there and they have a big football program. It was a fun time.”

Bone made the recruiting trip with her dad, who is a graduate of the school. It was a positive bonus to a great opportunity.

“It felt like a good fit for me,” said Bone.

Bone has 19 goals on the season, the third-best total on the team, while leading the team with 44 draws won and 22 takeaways.

She will play for Jessica Giglio, who is in her fourth season leading the Bulldog program. Fresno State made strides under Giglio in 2014, including a key 16-12 home victory over St. Mary’s in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) play to finish above them in the final conference standings. The Bulldogs also opened the season by defeating Monmouth N.J. on the East Coast.

Bone is excited about extending her career in college.

“It means a lot to me,” said Bone. “I have worked really hard and have been playing since sixth grade. Being able to have this opportunity to play Division I is huge. I am super excited to play with the top schools like Stanford, USC and Oregon. It is awesome.”

Bone, who is from Granite Bay, was selected to represent Northern California at the 2014 US Lacrosse National Tournament in Bel Air, Md., last May. She was among the 40 players chosen to play on one of the two Northern California teams and they represented 23 different high school programs. She credits the experience will building her confidence for her senior season.

“My favorite moment was the trip I went on with the Nor Cal team,” said Bone. “Playing with all those girls was a great experience. They were super talented and being able to play against other teams that were high in skill was great. It was a really cool trip and fun experience.”

Bone will participate in the Spring Signing Day celebration at St. Francis on April 15.