University of San Francisco Athletics

Athlete All-American

Denise Noleroth

Honors:
Women's Basketball (1992-1994)

            A four-year varsity starter at Moreau Catholic High School, Denise Noleroth helped lead the Mariners to the Division II state championship in 1992 after finishing runner-up the previous year. In one memorable game during her senior season, Denise and teammates Kim Manifesto, who is in the 2012 Castro Valley Hall of Fame, and Jennifer Kennedy, all reached 1,000 career points on the same night.

            Noleroth was named First Team All-Northern California and All-East Bay her senior season, All-East Bay Second Team as a junior and was a First Team All-Mission Valley Athletic League selection for three years. The only year she missed was her sophomore season when she was injured.

            Finishing her Moreau career with 1,100 points, Noleroth was selected to the San Francisco Examiner All-Metro team and the Alameda Newspaper Group’s First Team as a senior. The summer after high school graduation she joined a group of All-Stars on a basketball-playing tour to Hong Kong and mainland China.

            Noleroth accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of San Francisco and played two years for the Dons, but a bad back – an injury that first flared up in high school – shortened her college career. She transferred to UC Davis and played one year for the Aggies but the injury forced her to forego her senior season. She graduated from UC Davis with a Degree in Exercise Science in 1997. Denise pointed out that her injury – an internal disc disruption – sparked an interest in Sports Medicine. She worked professionally in that field for 10 years after graduating from Davis. Although Noleroth enjoyed her Sports Medicine career, it didn’t lend itself to raising a family so she switched to a career in teaching. She’s been a teacher for 13 years and loves it.

            Noleroth currently teaches Physical Education and Leadership at Wells Middle School in Dublin. Her previous teaching positions include Ralston Middle School in Belmont, where she coached basketball and volleyball, and Woodland High School where she was the girls varsity basketball Coach for three years (cdn.com).

The Dons also got bigger when Co-Head Coaches Bill Nepfel and Mary Hile-Nepfel announced the signings to national letters of intent of three promising front court players: Dawn Baker of Chaffey Junior College of Ontario, CA, 5-11, Denise Noleroth of Moreau High School in Hayward, and 6-2 Janice Sample from Moore High School in Moore, Oklahoma. Baker was a First-Team All-State performer for Chaffey JC after averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds. She was named the "Most Valuable Player" of the Foothill Conference while leading Chaffey to a 27-7 record. "Dawn is an excellent low-post player who fills a definite need on our team," Bill Nepfel said. "She has very good fundamentals and has been well-coached. We expect that Dawn should make an immediate impact on the team."

Noleroth had a successful senior year at Moreau High School which she helped lead to the Division II state championship and a 32-2 record. Noleroth averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 steals and 3.2 assists per game. She was named to the All-Bay Area team by the San Francisco Examiner. "Denise is a very smart player that really understands the game," Mary Hile-Nepfel stated. "She is an excellent passer and good perimeter shooter who will compete for playing time at the small forward position (TheFoghorn)."

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Upcoming Event: Men's Golf at El Macero Classic - Day Three on Apr. 12, 2026

Upcoming Event: Baseball versus San Diego on Apr. 12, 2026 at 1:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Baseball at Sacramento State on Apr. 14, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Track and Field versus Bryan Clay Invitational on Apr. 16, 2026

Upcoming Event: Baseball at Portland on Apr. 17, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Beach Volleyball at Saint Mary's on Apr. 18, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

Upcoming Event: Baseball at Portland on Apr. 18, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Baseball at Portland on Apr. 19, 2026 at 1:00 p.m.

Athlete All-American

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