By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
With his golf bag in hand and his family by his side, Dominic Taverrite called his arrival at Napa Valley College on Friday "just a really surreal experience."
It was move-in day for Taverrite and many of the school's student-athletes, who arrived throughout the day and checked into River Trail Village, a brand-new, beautiful on-campus housing complex that opened in August.
Taverrite said he has spent his whole life dreaming of playing college golf. At Napa Valley, he will get that opportunity, playing in a program led by head coach Bob Freschi.
"There were times where I didn't think it was possible, to be honest," said Taverrite, a freshman, who is from Murrieta, CA (Riverside County). "But with the help of my coaches and trainers, since I was 9 or 10 years old, I put in the work for years, day in and day out, through the ups and downs that this game offers. I was able to have a pretty successful high school career surrounded by great teammates, great coaches, great mentoring.
"Excited for this challenge, excited to be a leader, just ready to go out and play my game."
On hand to welcome Taverrite to NVC and River Trail Village, which offers unfurnished units (Building 1), furnished apartments (Building 2), and a residence hall (Building 3), was Freschi, whose Storm team had an outstanding 2024 spring season. Napa Valley won seven tournaments and captured the Big 8 Conference's 2023-24 North Division championship. The Storm finished fourth at the California Community College Athletic Association-Northern California Regional Championships at Yolo Fliers Club, in Woodland. They ended the season by placing fourth at the CCCAA State Championships, held at Sandpiper Golf Club in Goleta (Santa Barbara County).
"Like Dominic said earlier, it feels surreal, and it does. Just to be on campus, a beautiful place. Real excited for the golfers to get their college career going here," said Freschi, who is also the head coach of the NVC women's team, which plays a fall schedule.
"It's great to see these dorms that are here. It's special. Everything will be right here for them. It's about the students and their success. You set them up to be successful and to be in a thrive mode, a thriving situation to better themselves and also our team."
Move-in day was filled with excitement and enthusiasm as student-athletes, joined by parents and family, reported for their check-in and began settling into River Trail Village.
Floor plans include studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom.
"I think it's just a sense of ownership and freedom, being able to have that responsibility of going to your own room, taking care of your stuff, going between class and golf, and just managing everything like an adult. I think that's the challenge I'm ready for, that I've been preparing for," said Taverrite, a 2024 graduate of Murrieta Valley High School.
"I'm not going to waste a minute out here, whether it's homework, studying for a test, going to the (driving) range, going to the (golf) course, going to an event, going to (weight) lift. Everything will be very time-managed.
"I've worked very hard for this opportunity. I'm excited to make the most of it."
It was a very long day for Taverrite, who left his home on Friday at 4 a.m. for the 480-mile drive to Napa. He has his golf bag in his room on campus.
"It's just very exciting to realize that this is starting now. There's no more waiting. Obviously, academics comes first and then golf. I'm just really looking forward to this opportunity," said Taverrite, who plays out of Bear Creek Golf Club in Murrieta.
"I've always enjoyed being around athletes, being around people who want to get better at their sport, go to the gym, stay healthy. That's just a good experience for me to be around. I'm looking forward to
qualifying, helping teammates, learning from teammates who have been here for a year or two, just picking their brain, learning courses, putting my game on courses I've never played before in my life. I'm going to go out and play the game the way I know, how I've been playing my whole life. Just pick up my teammates always. That's how I was in high school, and it's not going to change now."
Sharing that same joy and excitement, upon arriving in Napa, was Michael Taverrite, Dominic's father.
"It brings me a lot of peace to knowing he's going to be under the direction of (Coach Freschi), who I've had enough time with to recognize he's just a man of character. Because for me, it's about who my son is going to be associating with," said Michael Taverrite. "Driving out of my hometown this morning, I even told my wife that I almost felt a sense of pressure releasing from me that we were closing one chapter of his life and really helping him get up here to the next magnificent one. I couldn't be happier."
Dominic Taverrite has spent the summer practicing and playing, working hard on his game, as he prepares to join the NVC team. The Storm has a fall program that is led by assistant coach David Knox, a PGA Class A golf professional and the Director of Instruction at Napa Golf Course at Kennedy Park. There are qualifying rounds during the fall for the players.
"He just loves the game. Typically, he spends about 10 hours a day at the golf course, when he's not in school. He played until dark. That's been his summer routine since he graduated – go to the gym, either hit balls and play or have a lesson with his putting coach or his swing coach. We wouldn't see him until 9 o'clock," said Michael Taverrite.
Assisting student athletes upon arrival and with their check-in was Ashley Knapp, NVC's Director of Housing and Operations. NVC is planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new River Trail Village on Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. NVC's first day of classes for the fall semester is Aug. 26.
It's a busy time for the NVC Athletic Department, as men's and women's soccer, volleyball and women's golf are all playing during the fall.
NVC golf teams play in the Big 8 Conference. All other teams play in the Bay Valley Conference.
After working for many months with student athletes and getting them registered for River Trail Village, Knapp said it's exciting to meet them, putting names to faces.
"Everyone has just been really great to work with. And so that makes it even more exciting to welcome them. I'm so excited for them," said Knapp. "We've been doing all these things and getting everything in place, and now it's actually happening. It's really exciting.
"I'm excited to see kind of that school pride really build, especially because we have so many student athletes living with us."
River Trail Village, which is beautifully landscaped, is in very close proximity, with a very short walk, to classrooms and NVC's Athletic Department, including the school's gym, soccer field and Storm Field.
"They'll be able to roll out of bed and be in class in 5, maybe 10 minutes, instead of commuting," said Knapp. "It's amazing to be able to have this opportunity."
River Trail Village is also close to South Napa Market Place and the Napa downtown area.
Knapp said she is so very grateful for all the support that she has gotten from NVC Athletics, including Jerry Dunlap, NVC's Dean of Kinesiology, Health, Dance, Administration of Justice, Social Sciences, and the Storm's Athletic Director, along with Lauren Farmer, Administrative Assistant/Eligibility Clerk, and coaches.
"They have really helped get their players organized so they're ready to move in, making sure they know about housing and how it all works and their options and everything. So super big shout out to the athletics team," said Knapp.
Adelina Navarro, a freshman from Stockton, will play on the NVC volleyball team as a libero/defensive specialist, and is also a resident assistant in the residence hall.
She said with so many student athletes at River Trail Village, it creates a bond, a family atmosphere.
"You have a safe place and you have somebody there for you. There's always someone there to support you in any way possible," said Navarro.
"I just love it. I feel like it's going to make a huge impact on campus."
Navarro, a 2024 graduate of Lincoln High-Stockton, committed to NVC for volleyball and playing for head coach Scott Bishop.
"I was just really excited to play again, because I didn't see volleyball in my future at all," she said. "Coach Bishop offered me a spot. So, this is a big step. I'm just excited to have that part in my life back again.
"I feel like I made the best decision, coming to this junior college. This is a huge opportunity, living on your own, being on your own."
The residence hall features study halls.
Christian Hernandez, a sophomore second baseman on the baseball team, no longer has to be commuting from Sonoma to Napa. Staying right on campus fulfills a dream of his.
"Growing up as a little kid, it was always a dream of mine of going to college, staying in the dorms, meeting new people. Being able to do it right here at (Napa Valley College) is very special," said Herandez, a Sonoma Valley High School graduate.
"We've got most of the team staying in the dorm, so I'm excited for the chemistry, excited for the year."
Hanna Ruggels, a 2024 graduate of Pioneer High School-Woodland, said she is "very fortunate" to be able to have the opportunity to stay at River Trail Village. She is a freshman on the women's golf team.
"I know a lot of people don't get this opportunity. I'm just very lucky to have this happen," said Ruggels.
More information about River Trail Village is available at RiverTrailVillageatNVC.com or by calling (707) 294-1210.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.