As little as 2% of high school students go on to play Division 1 sports in college, making those who play considered ‘elite’ at their sport.
Arroyo Grande High School’s amazing athletes, Berkeley Sinner (‘25), Ane Smith (‘25), and Tessa
Photo courtesy of Ané Smith
Pettit (‘25), beat these odds and plan to play D1 water polo in college. Their talent and dedication inside and out of the pool are outstanding. This accomplishment marks a significant milestone in their athletic careers.
Most people start a sport without knowing where it might take them.
“I never thought that I would make it this far in water polo until around the end of sophomore year when I thought I could do it,” Smith, who is committed to San Diego State University, said.
The work and time that these girls put into water polo paid off. As any athlete would, they’ve always dreamed of getting this far in their sport. They’re excited to continue playing and gain more friends who feel like family. They are, however, sad to leave the team they built such a strong connection with.
“You’re with [the team] so often you know the ins and outs of all of them,” Smith said. “I can literally call them family, and I can’t imagine being on a different team.”
While the girls are sad to leave, they are ecstatic to start this new adventure. After receiving several offers from other teams, the girls ultimately had to choose the school that would be the best for them.
“I wanted to be closer to home and the team was super nice,” Smith said. “[I also] connected with the coaches very well.”
Photo courtesy of Tessa Pettit.
School is difficult to manage with increasing amounts of homework and tests alone, but adding on sports makes it even more challenging to succeed. Water sports are very demanding on a person’s body and tend to take up a lot of free time, but these athletes never stop striving to do their best at everything they attempt.
“The biggest sacrifice I have to give up is my time,” Pettit—committed to Villanova University—said. “Water polo requires a lot of hard work and dedication, and we take every chance we get to practice and improve our game.”
Photo courtesy to Berkley Sinner.
Although water polo continues to be time-consuming, these girls have managed to maintain their amazing athletics and grades.
“Being open with your teachers when you’re going to be gone and always picking up the slack on your end, staying at lunches, staying in at open periods, and just catching up all the time,” Sinner said. “Don’t get too behind because that’s when you have a lot of making up to do so I feel like the biggest thing would just be communication.”
AGHS couldn’t be prouder of these girls who always represent their school and dedicate their time and energy to continue this school’s legacy.
