Written By: Jerry Vaughn, Staff Writer
MOVEMENT: Poly’s senior athletes take the next step to competing in college.
On April 26th, Athletic Signing Day highlighted some of Riverside Poly High School’s best senior athletes. During the event, seniors from a wide range of sports, including baseball and volleyball, were celebrated for their commitment to compete at the next level in college. Each athlete brought a speaker to talk about them and the impact that they have left. This diverse group of speakers ranged from coaches to former teachers, with each talking about a wide variety of experiences. For instance, Coach Phil Orr, who spoke on behalf of Makayla Anderson, even brought out a mask to symbolize how Makayla joined the team during the “COVID Year.” Notably, Athletic Director Jim Vaughan described Athletic Signing Day as “a fun and refreshing end to these high schoolers’ careers.”
The athletes used athletic signing day as a way to celebrate their amazing accomplishments that have now allowed them to continue their sporting passions beyond high school. Athletic signing day has been a prominent, positive part of the Poly community for many years now; it has helped the athletes connect with the larger community and other members of the Poly High School athletic body.
Overall, Athletic Signing Day served as one of the final high school activities to have taken place for these seniors. It is a final goodbye, a way to commemorate them ultimately leaving poly and taking that next step in their lives. Congratulations once again to these athletes – you are all going to do amazing things!
These are all athletes (name, university, sport) celebrated for their remarkable accomplishments at signing day:
Jenna Largent, Cal State Bakersfield, Soccer
Raylene Alcaraz, Montevallo University, Soccer
Reina Gonzalez, Arizona Christian University, Softball
Kate Sullivan, Point Loma Nazarene University, Volleyball
Kayden Croy, Concordia University Irvine, Volleyball
Emilie Castillo, Southern University, Softball
Breana Walk, Hope International University, Stunt
Kennedy McPhail, Fresno State University, Swim
Téa Summers, Concordia University Irvine, Water Polo
William Cloake, Grinnell University, Football
Aaron Garcia, George Fox University, Baseball
Samer Zidan, University of Southern California, Lacrosse
Grace Bonzumet, New Mexico Highlands University, Soccer
Diego and Sophia Soto, Dominican University, Golf
Makayla Anderson, UC Riverside, Track and Cross Country
Noah Thetford, Lasell University, Volleyball