Megan Grant (UCLA Softball)
Why did you choose UCLA?
To be honest, I had to decide this when I was a lot younger and I wasn’t all that smart, so I really just said that I wanted to go to UCLA because I wanted to go to the beach.
What is your favorite Aragon memory?
We won the Central Coast Section this season and we were just showing the trophy to all of our fans and students in the section and everyone was cheering.
How did you get recruited?
My travel ball coach told me to go to a UCLA softball camp and I went. After that, they called me back for another camp and then they called me back again for an unofficial visit and then offered me [a spot on the team].
How did you know you wanted to play in college?
At the time I barely even knew what college was, but I said yes because I was good at softball and I wanted to play.
What is your favorite memory from softball?
All my favorite softball memories [are] just the progression from our team in the national tournament we played in and how we went from not being ranked to winning the whole championship.
Do you have any goals for college athletics?
[One] of my goals [is] to … just try and show up and make other people better, like my teammates [and] staff. [I also want] to win a college national championship.
Mina Mittler (Bowdoin Volleyball)
Why did you choose Bowdoin?
Bowdoin College had everything I was looking for: small, on the East coast, a great science program and overall a welcoming atmosphere.
What is your favorite Aragon memory?
The best thing about Aragon that I’ll keep with me forever is the relationships I’ve made. These friendships [created] my favorite memories, in which I’ve laughed so hard it hurt.
How did you get recruited?
I didn’t start until February of my junior year, which is really late. I sent out a bunch of emails to schools I could see myself succeeding in and waited for a response. When the Bowdoin coach responded, we set up a call and the rest is history.
How did you know you wanted to play in college?
I didn’t really know I wanted to play in college until I realized how much I would miss not playing volleyball. The sport has been such a big part of my life [and] I realized it would be a hole I couldn’t fill with anything else. There’s a sense of community that comes with belonging on a team that I felt would be really beneficial going into an unknown place across the country.
What is your favorite memory from volleyball?
Winning games and playing intense tie breakers is really exciting, and I’ve been fortunate to go to junior nationals a couple times which … I’ll never forget. However, the best memories I have are with my club teams off the court, at team dinners or playing hotel hide and seek.
Do you have any goals for college athletics?
Last season, Bowdoin won [their conference], so I’m hoping we can accomplish that again. Overall, I hope to become a better person and player and help the team in any way I can.
Ruby Vogel (Occidental Water Polo)
Why did you choose Occidental?
I really love that Occidental prioritizes keeping a balance between academics and athletics. The practices are built around the girls’ school schedules, so they can regulate their time more efficiently and not get overwhelmed. I like that Oxy is a small D3 school, so there’s less pressure in the pool and the team is a super tight-knit family. I also loved [their] environmental science courses.
What is your favorite memory from Aragon?
I had such a fun time [at Prom] and danced all night long. It was so cool to be able to gather together after two years of online school.
How did you get recruited?
I emailed several coaches in the winter of my junior year expressing my interest. Occidental was one of two colleges that responded back to me within a week. From there, I began sending monthly emails to update the coaches on my stats and school life. I made sure to keep my grades up and chatted with the Oxy counselor and a professor that taught my major to learn more about the school and learning environment. I also talked to [Aragon Athletic Director Steve] Sell to learn more about the recruiting process. He was a huge help.
How did you know you wanted to play in college?
I realized around my sophomore year that water polo was a central part of my life, and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. Playing with my team and celebrating each others’ accomplishments is super rewarding. I also love the competitiveness; it gives me drive that fuels me both in the pool and in … life.
What is your favorite memory from water polo?
My favorite memory was my first goal I ever scored. I was eight years old playing on an all-boys water polo team. The whole team rallied during the fourth quarter of a game to help me score. That moment boosted my confidence and kickstarted my love for the game.
Do you have any goals for college athletics?
I want to continue finding my perfect balance in athletics and academics. I also just want to have fun and improve on my skills, and I’d like to build more muscle to get faster and stronger in the pool.
Meher Banik (Caltech Soccer)
Why did you choose Caltech?
I wanted to do something STEM-oriented, but I didn’t know … what exactly, so Caltech was the perfect fit because they don’t make me declare until after freshman year and they have an intense focus on STEM skills.
What is your favorite Aragon memory?
[In] freshman year, we got really far in [the Central Coast Section tournament]. It was a super exciting environment and I loved spending time with older players.
How did you get recruited?
I got recruited through an ID [identification] camp that was hosted at Caltech. I had been talking with the coach since my sophomore year … so she knew me and had seen me play before, but I wasn’t an official recruit until summer or fall of 2021.
How did you know you wanted to play in college?
I always knew I wanted to play in college, especially considering how much time I spent on soccer, but it wasn’t until the spring of my junior year where I realized, “Oh my god, I’m going to camps and being seen by coaches and I’m getting offers.”
What is your favorite memory from soccer?
[At] tournaments where my club team stays at a hotel together, we’re playing soccer and doing all these fun things on the side. Playing soccer helped me find my best friends and taught me a lot about myself and working with others.
Do you have any goals for college athletics?
The Caltech women’s soccer team is a super young program … so I just am excited to be part of the early stages and do whatever I can to help my team out. I just get to play for myself and my teammates, which almost makes me feel like a kid again.
Hana Strause (Yale Gymnastics)
Why did you choose Yale?
I visited all the colleges that I was talking to and I felt like Yale was the best fit for my personality. I liked that they had both strong academics and athletics and I really liked the coaches and girls on the team.
How did you get recruited?
I wanted to go to a school with strong academics and athletics, so I reached out to the coaches of colleges I was interested in. It was more challenging due to COVID-19 since they couldn’t come watch practices, but I sent them my gym videos and occasionally talked to them on the phone.
How did you know you wanted to play in college?
Doing college gymnastics has always been my goal since I was little.
What is your favorite memory from gymnastics?
[I loved] representing [the U.S.] at the Maccabiah Games, the Jewish Olympics, in Israel in 2017.
Do you have any goals for college athletics?
[My goals include] being a reliable contributor to the team and hopefully competing all-around eventually.
Wilson Duan (Caltech Soccer)
Why did you choose Caltech?
They have very good academics and academics was the first thing I was looking for. Since they have a really small undergraduate population, I feel you can create really tight bonds and there’s a strong sense of community there, which I felt was the right fit for me.
How did you get recruited?
[The] summer before senior year, I filled out questionnaires of interest … for many colleges. The coach for Caltech reached out to me and said he liked what he saw and the questionnaire I sent, which included videos of me playing, some clips and general academic information. He said that since he felt that my academics also fit Caltech, he was willing to write me a letter of support.
How did you know you wanted to play in college?
I’ve been playing pretty much all my life competitively and I don’t want to just let go; I want to keep playing [in] college and the fact that I have the opportunity to is amazing.
What is your favorite memory from soccer?
Probably winning [the Central Coast Section Championship]. It was quite the journey with that team; [we] formed a lot of strong bonds [and] had lots of ups and downs. [We were] the first soccer team ever in Aragon history to reach finals. There were full stands of people lined up on the edges. It was crazy to have so many people there and to win it was a great memory.
Do you have any goals for college athletics?
To be honest, just have fun with it. I’m still going to try and improve [and] train a lot because this sport means a lot to me.
Zara Fearns (UCSD Fencing)
Why did you choose the University of California, San Diego?
It has great programs for [psychology] and I loved the campus. Out of the schools I was choosing between, UCSD had the best balance between a strong fencing team and good academics.
What is your favorite Aragon memory?
My favorite Aragon memory was definitely having the chance to go to Prom and spend that night with some of my best friends.
How did you get recruited?
I started talking to coaches at the beginning of my junior year, and I met with them in Zoom calls. Some of the coaches … see me fence [at tournaments]. Around late May [and] early June, a few schools made offers and I ended up committing to UCSD.
How did you know you wanted to play in college?
I always knew that I wanted to fence in college because I love this sport so much and I genuinely can’t imagine my life without it. I wanted to experience being part of a team and representing [UCSD] in tournaments.
What is your favorite memory from fencing?
My favorite memories come from fencing those last few extra bouts at [the] end of every practice. Even when my teammates and I are completely exhausted, we never regret doing another direct elimination and ending the day with a tired body. Knowing you’ve worked as hard as possible is the best feeling ever.
Do you have any goals for college athletics?
My biggest goal is just to improve my fencing and keep working hard, but I would also love to qualify for and compete at [National Collegiate Athletic Association] nationals.
Carmen Hinton (CSU Fullerton Soccer)
Why did you choose Fullerton?
I chose Fullerton because of the family environment. When I went down there, the coaches were really sweet and … you could tell that the team was a family more than a team and the girls were really inviting.
What is your favorite Aragon memory?
I feel like I have a lot of good memories with my friends, the soccer team and … basketball my freshman year. It was a good way to get into the Aragon community, especially getting to know the different upperclassmen and sophomores.
How did you get recruited?
I focused a lot of my junior year on … getting visibility. After [the coaches] saw me play at Surf Cup, they got in contact [and] I reached out to them … and came for a visit. My whole process was super fast because when I went for my visit, they offered me a full-ride scholarship.
How did you know you wanted to play in college?
I wanted to play in college since I was playing [for the] American Youth Soccer Association since [I was] eight years old. I didn’t understand that completely and what it meant and the time and effort that I’d have to put in to get there, but it was a dream that I had.
What is your favorite memory from soccer?
My favorite memory is winning against Woodside. We put so much into that game, because they were the top of the league and we were kind of at the bottom. For us to come in as underdogs and then win was amazing. It was just a lot of feelings and emotions, and it felt really good to win.
Do you have any goals for college athletics?
Right now, I’m just trying to get physically fit and mentally ready to be there. I just want to put my all into it while I have the time. Especially with physical things like athletics, your time period when you’re in your prime is around this time, so you have to put a lot of work into it.
Gabbi Oaks (Emory Volleyball)
Why did you choose Emory?
I loved the coaching staff and the girls on the volleyball team. I felt like it would be the best balance of academics and athletics while being surrounded by a great community.
What is your favorite Aragon memory?
My favorite Aragon memory was winning [the] Central Coast Section [Championship] my freshman year. It was the first time in history that Aragon volleyball won a CCS championship and it was so special to be a part of that team.
How did you get recruited?
The recruitment process … started at the beginning of my freshman year with sending out a mass email to schools I was interested in. Based on the coaches’ interest level, I would start having conversations with coaches. I would always be sending out highlight films, inviting coaches to come watch me play and having a bunch of conversations with the coaches and some of the girls on the team to learn more about the school. Eventually after three years, my list of colleges got smaller and smaller and Emory was always at the top of that list. When the Emory coach extended me the offer, I immediately took it and I could not be more excited.
How did you know you wanted to play in college?
I knew I always wanted to play in college because I couldn’t imagine myself stopping … volleyball. I loved it too much and I loved being a part of a team.
What is your favorite memory from volleyball?
I have made some of my best friends from school, beach and club volleyball, so I would say that is probably my favorite part.
Do you have any goals for college athletics?
My only goal for college athletics is to be the best teammate I can be and to continue to work hard. I want to enjoy every moment as these are my last few years of playing.
Beth Parangan (George Fox Basketball)
Why did you choose George Fox University?
I saw many aspects of the community that I desired, … a small community and one that is more Christ-centered. Even though I’m sure I can meet Christians pretty much at any university, a faith-based community was one I’ve grown to like.
What is your favorite Aragon memory?
The night before our [Central Coast Section Championship] game, I was crazy nervous. Even though the whole day was filled with anxiety and unsure thoughts, it’s become my favorite memory because that’s when I decided that I’m not going to let fear ruin a great opportunity God has handed me.
How did you get recruited?
My [coaches] … called the head coach at George Fox … [who then] reached out to me and said, “Hey, I talked with two of your coaches and I don’t even need to see any film. Let’s talk some more, and I think you could be a great addition to this team.”
How did you know you wanted to play in college?
I knew I wanted to play in college when I saw how many lives I was able to be a part of. I never really understood the deeper meaning of the game until I became a leader. I learned how to be responsible, communicate with others [and] teach younger players. Being there for others and serving just how Jesus would made me hopeful for the people God will bring into my life in college.
Do you have any goals for college athletics?
My goal for college athletics is to shine Jesus. I’ve gotten too close to the edge where I lost sight of what really mattered. I do want to play [and] maintain a good GPA, but if I’m not honoring God, then I shouldn’t be playing at all. That’s the view I want to keep in mind while continuing my basketball career.
