Cailey Beaudoin
Adrian College-Track and Field

After Cailey Beaudoin (12) moved to Westview from Michigan as a junior, she was hesitant to continue her track and field career. Adjusting to the move was challenging, and Beaudoin found it difficult to involve herself on campus. It was only after former track and field coach Jamal Felton talked to Beaudoin that she decided to join the team.

“Moving the 2,000 miles from Michigan to here was really hard on me,” Beaudoin said. “[After talking to Jamal] I realized how much I would be missing out if I didn’t [join the team].”

During her junior season, Beaudoin jumped 5’4”, beating her previous personal record by two inches, and qualified for states where she tied for 16th place.

Now, Beaudoin is committed to Adrian College for track and field, and is excited to continue both her academic and sports career back in Michigan.

While she committed to Adrian College before deciding to continue track and field, Beaudoin said that after meeting the coach and some of the team, she knew she wanted to continue.

“I met most of the team on my last visit to the school and they were awesome so I’m excited to spend more time with them,” Beaudoin said.

Despite not having a senior season, Beaudoin is continuing to stay prepared for her college season.

“I am looking forward to getting to know the team more and seeing how much I can improve,” Beaudoin said. “My all-time goal is to jump 5’8”, and I’m just really looking forward to seeing what I can do next year.”

Alexxis Brown
United States Air Force Academy-Track and Field

It’s common in high school to play sports as a way to make friends and meet new people while also staying in shape, but Alexxis Brown (12) played sports with one particular objective in mind: to make it to the Olympics.

In pursuit of this goal, Brown committed to the United States Air Force Academy, where she will compete in the heptathlon and decathlon.  She said that the Academy also has set programs like the World Class Athlete Program, which allows student-athletes to be enrolled in the Air Force’s Olympic program, if they meet their event qualifications.  This method allows Brown to train for the Olympics while at the same time fulfilling her service to the country.

“I decided on Air Force Academy for many reasons,” she said. “But, mainly for the crazy experiences that I will get to go through and the opportunities the Academy presents for my future.”

Her chosen events take incredible amounts of dedication, training, and pure athleticism, which make them difficult to compete in at the college level, especially without the benefit of a full senior track season.

For the heptathlon, she has to train for the 100-meter hurdles, 200 meters, 800 meters, high jump, long jump, javelin, and shotput. The decathlon adds discus, pole vault, the 100-meter, and exchanges the 200- and 800-meter for the 400- and 1500-meter.

Brown has found ways to practice without a  track by constructing her own contraptions like a pole vault plant box that she uses from the comfort of her yard.

“I have built different equipment to help me work with my specific events,” she said.  “I have been doing drills that will build the muscle and power for them.”

Despite the circumstances changing, Brown’s goals have stayed steady and fixed.

“My mindset at this point is to just keep training as best as possible when and where I can with more focus on training for boot camp in June after I graduate,” she said.  “[I also want] to be both mentally and physically prepared for my life to change.”

Sierra Doss
Stevens Institute of Technology-Lacrosse

After three years of playing on the lacrosse team, Sierra Doss’ (12) last season was cut short. Despite the incomplete season, she formed strong bonds with her teammates.

“I was looking forward to what was supposed to be the best season yet and even though it was cut short, our team really bonded well and the coaches pulled through to give us the best couple months possible,” Doss said.

The team participated in various bonding events such as going out to dinner together and  spending time at each other’s houses after practices before the season ended

Doss’ time spent with coaches and her team members throughout high school have inspired her to improve her game.

“Along with my passion for lacrosse, the teams I’ve been on in the past and amazing coaching have kept me motivated,” Doss said. “Also, getting closer to the goal of getting recruited and playing in college were huge factors.”

Along with her teammates and coaches, Doss’ dad was a huge supporter in every part of her many years of playing lacrosse, with the school and offseason.

“My dad always pushed me in sports and helped me get so many opportunities throughout my club career and high school,” she said.

Doss will continue to play lacrosse at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. She was presented with many offers to play in college, but what made Stevens stand out was its close proximity to New York City.

“It’s just one subway ride away from all the opportunities the city has to offer,” Doss said. “I also chose Stevens because it’s a very small technology-based school and I believe that the learning environment will benefit me the most.”

Maegan Jensen
Northern Arizona University-Dive

Maegen Jensen (12) made the decision to join the dive team her freshman year after an injury cut her gymnastics career short. Her abilities as a gymnast transferred over to her new sport, and she learned and improved quickly, breaking seven school records and placing three times at CIFs. This year, she is committed to Northern Arizona University (NAU), whose women swim and dive team won its seventh Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championships this year.

After meeting NAU’s head diving coach Nikki Kelsey-Huffman at a dive meet last year, Jensen began to consider committing to NAU. Kelsey-Huffman’s consistent support and the dive team’s overall feeling of family, Jensen said, was what drove her to officially commit to NAU in October.

“I felt like the team was so inclusive,” she said. “That played a huge part in my decision.”

Despite Jensen’s relatively little experience in the sport compared to the other divers, Kelsey-Huffman said she believes that Jensen will be a great addition to the Lumberjacks.

“Maegen has so much potential and we hope to help coach her to accomplish her and our team goals,” she said. “She could become a WAC conference finalist in her first year and then with more experience and confidence could even go to the next level of NCAA competitions.”

Jensen said she hopes that her skill in diving will continue to grow, and that she can work her way up to be the best on the team.

“Knowing that there are people who are better than me makes me want to strive for more,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to being on the team.”

Leo Mosby
University of California, Santa Barbara-Baseball

Ever since he started playing Little League baseball at age 4, Leo Mosby (12) knew he wanted to continue playing in college. He dedicated years to improving his game, and he knew it paid off when colleges started to show interest.

As an infielder with a high school career batting average of .286, D1 CIF Champion in 2019, and his selection as a first-team All-Palomar League player in his sophomore year, Mosby was looking for a good balance between academics, location, and of course, baseball. He got in contact with the UCSB baseball recruitment coordinator, and after visiting UCSB twice, committed February of  2018.

“I fell in love with the academic prestige, baseball program, and beautiful scenery,” he said. “I knew it was the place for me.”

In college, he said he hopes to improve his baseball skills further and increase his strength. With a dislocated shoulder in his junior year early in the season, Mosby had to go through nearly the season without being able to play. But with the support of his friends, family, and teammates, he was able to make it back in time for the playoffs.

“During the time when I was going through physical therapy I continued to remind myself that I would be able to recover and come back to play with the team,” he said. “The main thing that helped me overcome this injury was being strict with how I followed the recovery routine and having the mentality that I would return and dominate with the boys again.”

UCSB Baseball head coach Andrew Checketts recalled seeing Mosby play between his sophomore and junior year.

“His overall athleticism stood out,” Checketts said. “He has the arm strength and a bat speed that is very attractive for a skill position player.”

On UCSB recruit day, Nov. 19 of last year, he was able to meet the team. After having breakfast with them, touring the facilities, and watching them play a game, Mosby is eager to get to know his future teammates and coaches even better.

“I was most impressed with the brotherhood and bond that all the guys had together,” he said. “I am very much looking forward to the next couple of years.”

Mikaela Summers
Lindenwood University-Lacrosse

Mikaela Summers (12) planted her foot on the 8-meter line and raised her stick above her head. She locked eyes with the referee and waited for the piercing sound of the whistle. In an instant, Summers charged forward as the clock counted down from 4 seconds and shot the ball as the buzzer went off and scored the winning goal against CCA with a score of 15-14.

Summers is the youngest of four lacrosse-playing siblings and had the advantage of watching the game starting at a young age.

“My dad played lacrosse his whole life and coached all three of my brothers to be playing at the collegiate level,” Summers said. “He has always supported me in my lacrosse career, after the good games and the bad.”

In addition to her dad supporting her, Summers’ teammate, Brooke Vafi (11), has been by her side, on and off the field, for eight years.

“Although she is a grade below me, she would always be a massive threat on the field,” Summers said. “We both taught each other things, on the field and off. She was there for a pat on the back when I messed up during a play, and overall helped me keep my head up during hard times.”

After 11 years of practice and improvement, Summers committed to Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri for lacrosse in August of 2019. She said she felt as though this school was the best fit for what she wanted to get out of her college experience.

“I had finally found the right school for me, the right balance of athletics and academics, and the right balance of people,” Summers said. “That day, I was able to tell my family I had accomplished my goal of playing lacrosse in college. I set my mind to it, and I worked very hard to get there.”