Kate Sealy

While Kate Sealy’s (12) senior year may be drawing to a close, her soccer career won’t be. In Fall 2021, Sealy committed to play Division I soccer at the University of San Diego, with a major in business. 

Sealy began playing recreationally at 4 years old, then joined club soccer at 6 years old at the San Diego Futbol Academy. She stayed there until the start of middle school, when she then switched to the San Diego Soccer Club; she just finished her last season with the team. At the high school level, she has been a member of the girls varsity team since her freshman year.

Between defending for her team as a center back, to traveling to Sweden and Italy with her club team the summer before freshman year for a tournament, soccer has awarded her diverse relationships and opportunities.

“I think my favorite part of [soccer] is getting to take the field with my teammates and getting to compete with other teams,” Sealy said. “That’s just super fun.”

Sealy began the college recruitment process in her junior year by reaching out to schools and getting her name out to college coaches.

“I wasn’t totally sure going into the process that college soccer was what I wanted to do,” Sealy said. “I was just going to reach out to a couple of schools to just put some feelers out and see.”

She worked with her club team’s college coordinator to create a list of target schools that she thought would be a good fit. She sent emails to schools she was interested in, namely colleges within California, and interested coaches began showing up to her games. She then went to an identification camp for the University of California, San Diego at the beginning of her junior year, and received an offer from them soon after. USD ended up reaching out to Sealy later, after her club coordinator spoke to a visiting USD coach during a club scrimmage.

“I ended up going to a USD ID camp and things went really well, and they kind of put me at the top of the agenda and continued to come out and see me play,” Sealy said.

Soon thereafter, USD sent her an offer matching UCSD’s. 

“Because the cost was the same, I could decide based off of what I wanted in a school,” Sealy said.

According to Sealy, USD’s superior business program, smaller class sizes, and better housing, ultimately drove her to choose USD. In late November 2021, she committed. 

As far as competing at the next level goes, Sealy is enthusiastic for the new opportunity.

“I think I’m excited to see how I do at the next level, to meet my new teammates, and play with girls from all across the country and play against some of the best competition,” Sealy said.

Ally Lau

When Ally Lau (12) walked onto the Illinois State University campus, she instantly felt at home. 

“[I could feel a sense] of community when I met the coaches and the team,” Lau said. “I felt comfortable, and the environment was [an important factor in] my decision].”

Lau visited Illinois State last October where she had the opportunity to spend the day immersing herself in the Redbird culture. During her visit, she was able to watch one of the gymnastics team’s practices, have lunch with the team, and tour the campus with the coaches. Lau said she was able to see the strong bond and community within the team and wanted to become a part of it.

Lau started taking gymnastics classes when she was 2 years old and started competitive gymnastics when she was 7.

As injuries are a commonality in gymnastics, Lau suffered through multiple throughout her gymnastics career. One of her most difficult injuries, which affected her recruitment process, was a rib injury in the middle of her 2023 season that cost her about six weeks. 

“It was challenging to stay active and keep my skills up to par without exacerbating the injury,” Lau said. “So coming back from that [and doing] full routines was definitely an obstacle.”

Lau was able to recover toward the end of April and compete in her last two meets at regionals and nationals.

Looking back at her gymnastics career so far, Lau said that her highlight was during this season, competing with her club, SCEGA, at the Developmental Program National Championships, which is a national competition for Level 10 athletes; the team traveled to Oklahoma City to compete in May, and her team placed first.

“It was such a cool experience to compete among the very best [and was one of my favorite memories I can always look back on],” Lau said.  

After this last win at the end of Lau’s final season with SCEGA, she is ready to be a part of the Redbird gymnastics program and join their family. She said that looking into the future, she is most looking forward to her first competitive season with the team in 2024. 

When Lau was debating which colleges to contact, one of the main factors was if they offered the major she hoped to pursue: allied health professions. When she researched more about Illinois State, she was able to find a program that fit what she wanted to pursue.

Another factor was finding a college outside of California. She said she was very eager to be in a new environment.

“[Moving so far] is really exciting [for me], but I mean, it’s also scary because of [the distance],” Lau said. “But I’m mostly excited to see where it goes from here.”

AJ Klubeck

As AJ Klubeck (12) walked by student dorm buildings, the baseball field, and classrooms on San Diego State University (SDSU)’s campus last July, he imagined walking down those same halls and playing matches on that same field as a student-athlete. Less than two months later, he decided to commit to the school for the sport he loves more than any other.

Klubeck began playing baseball when he was 5. Though he also played football, basketball and soccer, he realized by age 11 that baseball was the sport he liked the most.

While playing for Westview, Klubeck has developed his versatility in skills for different positions and improved in the positions he was specifically scouted for: 3rd baseman and outfielder. Being a left-handed hitter has been an advantage for Klubeck in the scouting process. Klubeck also said he excels in all the five main tools used in the sport: fielding, hitting for power, hitting for average, arm strength, and accuracy. But not all of those skills have come immediately for Klubeck, especially power.

“I was undersized as a kid,” Klubeck said. “When I was a freshman, I think I was maybe 5’ 10” and 120 pounds. Hitting the weight room was huge for me. I put on weight, and eventually, the power started to come.”

Klubeck said he started capturing college scouts’ attention while playing for travel teams Trosky Redbirds and Alpha Socal in the summer before his junior year.

“Being able to play with guys like [SDSU commit] Jason Wright [’22] during last year, and then a bunch of guys from other schools during the summer helped put me on the map,” Klubeck said. “Being able to play with players from Rancho Bernardo, Torrey Pines, Cathedral, etc. on one team helped me develop friendships and my [resolve] as a baseball player.”

Klubeck said he was scouted by 10 to 15 Division 1 schools including UCSB, Washington State, and the University of Washington during his junior year. Since SDSU was one of the first teams to reach out to him and showed their interest in him more openly than other schools, Klubeck decided the close-to-home school was the right match.

“SDSU called and talked to me on a daily basis more than other schools,” Klubeck said. “They planned out their ideas for me as an Aztec in the future.”

At SDSU, Klubeck is planning to study kinesiology and sports fitness, a subject which first became an interest when he took Sports Medicine 1-2 in his sophomore year.

“I’ve always wanted to know more about how the body works,” Klubeck said. “I see a chiropractor [for baseball], and seeing how they treat patients interests me.”

Now that his final high-school season has ended, Klubeck will move onto SDSU’s campus on July 5. There, he will begin training for the Aztecs and prepare for his three years of undergraduate study by taking one class in the summer. The early graduation route will allow Klubeck to be available for the MLB draft by his junior year.

“SDSU has been known for getting athletes drafted,” Klubeck said. “I’m excited to be a part of their program, and I’m planning on taking this sport as far as I can. It’s my dream to play professional baseball, so I’m hoping for the best. But whether I get drafted or not, I always want to be connected to baseball in my career.”

Lexy Litchev

Lexy Litchev (12) began her basketball career in seventh grade when she wanted to explore a new sport where her height would give her an advantage. Now she’s 6’1 and committed to playing for the girls basketball team at UC Santa Cruz next year. Because she started training much later than most college athletes, she said she put in more effort than her teammates. 

“It definitely made me work harder, just because I had to compensate for the lack of skill and lost time,” Litchev said. “I also hold myself to high expectations and am extremely competitive, so I always want to succeed at whatever I do.”

Litchev achieved her goals of improving quickly when she made the varsity girls basketball team in her sophomore year. That same year, she broke the school’s record for most rebounds per game. For the next two years, she continued to succeed in the Palomar Leagues. 

“My junior year, I was second team in Palomar League girls basketball,” Litchev said. “This year I was first team Palomar League girls basketball.”

Litchev also earned first-team All-CIF San Diego Section this year. She played exceptionally well in a game last summer in Oregon, which she said she believes kick-started the recruiting process.

“After that game, I think I got a lot of interest from coaches,” Litchev said. “The coaches came to many of my other games.”

Of all the college offers Litchev received, she chose UC Santa Cruz for its calm campus, atmosphere, and beautiful scenery. 

“Eventually, I realized I want to stay in California,” she said. “[At UCSC], you’re in the forest, but 15 minutes away, you can be at the beach. It’s like the best of both worlds, which is why I really fell in love with the campus and just the potential of going there. I knew I’d be happy being in nature.” 

The school recruited her last summer, but Litchev hadn’t yet decided if it was the right fit for her. She was still unsure if she even wanted to play basketball in college. Visiting the school in March and meeting the players on the team made all the difference.

“I met the coaching staff and the players and saw the campus and training facilities,” Litchev said. “Everyone was extremely welcoming and super enthusiastic about me potentially going there, so I felt pretty comfortable with my decision when I made it a month or two later.”

Playing on the college team will continue Litchev’s six-year-long journey of training in the sport, which she said developed into a passion for her.

“I like getting better and improving and practicing and getting shots up,” she said. “You can always improve. I think basketball, like any competitive sport, involves ups and downs, victories and defeats. This resilience and perseverance is extremely valuable in facing challenges in my personal life and overcoming obstacles.”

Litchev said she is immensely grateful and would like to extend her heartfelt appreciation to Coach Bob, Coach Melissa, Rebels coaches and parents, Coach Aaron, Mr. McLaughlin, her Westview teammates, and every person who has supported her throughout her basketball journey.

Michael Braun

To Michael Braun (12), soccer is late games under stadium lights, bus and plane rides to away games, team huddles, racing down green turf to score a goal, crowding the bench before games, the jersey number 12, a jubilant senior night, and life-long relationships formed with equally passionate teammates and coaches.

After playing for more than a decade, his journey with the sport he loves, the sport he’s juggled with school and other extracurriculars, and the sport that he’s committed much of his childhood to, continues. Braun has committed to play soccer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he plans to major in engineering. 

After playing in recreational leagues for much of elementary school, Braun was recruited to an all star team in fifth grade. After a successful season, Braun signed up to play for San Diego Soccer Club (SDSC). After climbing the ranks of the club through middle school, Braun now plays for the Elite Clubs National Team. From playing in local, Southern California tournaments to traveling to Arizona or Washington for games, soccer has consumed much of Braun’s weekends and time off. At Westview, he won MVP on the JV team during his freshman year, before being pulled up to varsity, where he’s played for the past three years. He served as team captain this year.

From striker to goalie, Braun has played nearly every position, but this year, he settled into the left-back spot, a position that allows him the flexibility to play the way he wants.

“You have more freedom and creativity because you get involved in offensive attacks, but you also have your primary job in defense,” he said.

In addition to his position, Braun enjoys the high intensity and teamwork.

“Soccer requires such a high level of focus and physicality, and I and other players have gotten to the point that you’ve been playing for so long at this level that when you step on the field, you’re just in the zone,” Braun said. “You forget everything else and you’re playing soccer with your friends, and it’s really fun with your teammates.”

Braun began reaching out to college coaches at the end of his junior year to start the recruitment process.

 “I was putting it off because I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to play or not,” Braun said. “It’s a big time commitment, and you don’t get much free time.”

After stopping communication with coaches at other schools, Braun wasn’t sure if he would play in college. Then, after Braun got accepted to UCSC, the UCSC soccer coaches invited Braun to an Identification Camp to assess his skills. The ID camp gave Braun the opportunity to play in front of an audience of college coaches and further his recruitment process.

“I went to Santa Cruz for the ID camp, and it was really nice,” Braun said. “I had a good performance, and instantly, one of the current players was like, ‘you’re really good. I hope you make the team.’”

After the successful camp, Braun received a call from the coach offering him a position.

“It was up there in my top choices,” Braun said. “It’s really pretty and I like nature, and their soccer field overlooks the ocean.”

A few days later, Braun committed to UCSC to play Division III soccer.

“I’m super excited to keep doing what I love,” Braun said. “I’m super blessed and grateful to have an opportunity to make more amazing memories and grow as a person and player.”