As the weather warms and the semester draws to a close, certain seniors in the Pinewood community look to prepare for the next step in their athletic adventure. Five athletes will be competing at the collegiate level next semester in various sports all across the country.

Garrett Sablich will be taking his talents to Davidson College, a Division I school, where he will be Springboard and Platform Diving. Sablich admired how the diving team at Davidson had a strong sense of camaraderie

“After talking to them for ten minutes, they invited me to get dinner, and that interaction set me apart from any other [school] I visited,” Sablich said. 

Sablich also marveled at the modern natatorium and state-of-the-art program that he believes will be the key to his success at the collegiate level.

Though Pinewood does not offer a diving team, through playing soccer for three years and football during his junior year, Sablich mentioned that he gained valuable experiences at Pinewood such as how to manage his time. Despite not diving for Pinewood, Sablich competed with the Junior Olympic team at Stanford Diving Club outside of school . 

Sablich explained that his experience with this team gave him the opportunity to travel the country and meet other divers.
Sablich has set his sights high for his collegiate goals. 

“My goal is to win the A-10 conference meet and make it to the NCAA Division 1 tournament,” Sablich said.

Another student-athlete moving on to the collegiate level is Jason Rowe, who will be playing tennis at the University of Puget Sound, a Division III team. Rowe said he chose to take his talents to this particular college due to its rigorous academic facilities as well as the opportunity for him to be a regular starter on the team. Rowe admired the excitement of each practice and game during his time playing at Pinewood, and appreciated the opportunity tennis gave him to meet new people.

Girls basketball star Jade Ramirez will be playing basketball at Cal State San Marcos, a Division II team, this upcoming season. Ramirez decided to attend California State University San Marcos for a multitude of reasons.

“I wanted a school that wasn’t too big, that was a big leap from Pinewood, but also not too small [so that] I couldn’t meet new people. San Marcos was right in that middleground,” Ramirez said. 

Ramirez also appreciated the skilled team and coaching staff and the fact that San Marcos gave her opportunities to make friends at her new school. Looking back on her high school career, Ramirez fondly remembered her brightest moments playing basketball at Pinewood. 

“Beating Mitty as a sophomore and celebrating in their home gym [stood] out to me, as well as playing in the CCS championship at Stanford as a freshmen,” Ramirez said. 

Through these highlights of her career, Ramirez reflected on the lessons she has learned during her tenure at Pinewood.

“All those days spent in the gym are the stepping stones to succeeding,” Ramirez said. 

She also appreciated the effort to wake up early and balance school with all of her basketball commitments.

“Because of this, I know what it takes to prepare and what goes into playing at a high level,” Ramirez said.

Skylar Chui will be competing at Williams College, a Division III school, next year, which she decided on due to its unique blend of academics and athletics, as well as being a small community.

Chui had high praise for her coaching staff at Pinewood, and appreciates how they make every player that comes into the program better than when they arrived. 

Chui recognized that the commitment and time requirements from the Pinewood program have mentally prepared her to play at the next level. Chui’s goal in college is to recover from two ACL surgeries so she can return to all-star level play once again.

Finally,  Ava Uhrich will be playing basketball at Southern Utah University, a Division I school.. Uhrich averaged 17.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists to lead the Pinewood girls basketball team to a miraculous season. Uhrich picked Southern Utah from a slate of other offers she had received.

All Pinewood athletes that will be competing at the collegiate level have accomplished great things throughout their high school careers. Pinewood athletics has left an indelible mark on each of these athletes, just as these athletes have left their marks on the school.