San Juan Hills graduates Kaia Wolfe and Jayden Hill to continue athletics careers
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. — Following graduation in June, student-athletes in the community have ended a significant chapter in their academic and athletic lives and are preparing to move on to the next stage of their careers. While most students are ready to leave high school behind and start afresh in college, some will continue to do what they have done their entire lives: sports.
With a great amount of hard work and dedication, two graduates of San Juan Hills High School (SJHHS) from Rancho Mission Viejo have committed to playing sports at the collegiate level this fall. Kaia Wolfe, who graduated as a Valedictorian with a 4.7 GPA and was awarded Female Athlete of the Year, will be attending UC Davis on a full-ride scholarship for tennis. Jayden Hill, who also graduated as a Valedictorian and as Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, will further her track & field career at UC Berkeley.
Wolfe started playing tennis at the age of eight and quickly fell in love with the individual competition aspect of the sport. She has competed in local tournaments as well as high-level national tournaments. In 2020, Wolfe was ranked #22 nationally and #1 in Southern California in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles simultaneously. In 2021, she led her teammates to win the CIF State Championship Division II, the first CIF title for Girl’s Tennis and 4th overall title for San Juan Hills High School. She is an All-American and holds several league championship titles as well.
“It was extremely challenging trying to balance rigorous school work with an intense training schedule and traveling. Top junior players are usually homeschooled because it requires so much time and commitment to compete at this level, but I really wanted to enjoy my high school experience,” shares Wolfe. “I wanted to be able to have fun and attend all of the football games and dances with my friends when I could.”
Hill is a multi-sport athlete as she has been running track on and off since 5th or 6th grade while simultaneously pursuing soccer. In 2022, Hill was named 1st Team All-South Coast League and was voted Team MVP-Defense for the Girls Varsity Soccer team at SJHHS. This year Hill also set school records for Track for the 100m, 200m, and 400m events.
“My recruitment process was interesting because I moved from Oregon to California during the pandemic. I actually went through the recruitment process for soccer, and hadn’t run in a full track season since my freshman year. After getting to compete this year, in April I decided that I wanted to continue track in college,” says Hill. “The process definitely felt stressful at times, but it was also really exciting in the end.”
Being a student-athlete calls for an extreme amount of passion and commitment to working at being the best athlete one can be while maintaining academic rigor, extracurriculars, and a social life. We are proud to recognize the success of these athletes, and we wish them the best of luck in the fall!
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
