54 JANUARY 2018 ARCAD A NEWS By Rachael Bouley The Arcadia neighborhood’s abundance of talented young athletes is no secret, and last month, several students from local schools took the next steps in their sporting careers. Seniors from Xavier, Arcadia High School and Veritas Prep signed national collegiate letters of intent, cementing their college plans and confirming where they will be competing next fall. XAVIER PREP ACADEMY Six talented young women announced their next moves at Xavier’s signing day – a celebration complete with family, friends and lots of college spirit. Six seniors signed on the dotted line, including: • Caroline White , beach volleyball, Texas Christian University (TCU) • Kaitlyn McCoy , swimming, Boise State University • Montana Oltrogge , basketball, Idaho State University • Kailey Klein , beach volleyball, California State University, Northridge • Melissa Fedorka , softball, Lehigh University • Alyna Draper , volleyball, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) These girls have dedicated their high school years to balancing their athletics and academics – an ability that will come in handy as they start their new college adventures. “I’m excited to represent our school and trying to be the best team in the country,” said White, who will be continuing her beach volleyball career at TCU. White said she fell in love with the campus when she visited Fort Worth, and felt an immediate connection with her coach. Her friends and family showed up for signing day decked out in purple and cowboy hats. “I’m super proud of her,” said White’s mother Joan. “I want her to enjoy college, do well and be able to balance sports and schoolwork. I think she’ll have a good time.” McCoy, another soon-to-be Gator Graduate, said she is excited to continue swimming competitively, something she’s been doing for more than 11 years. “I love swimming because I love the people. One of the best things I’ve gotten from swimming is probably the friendships,” she said. “When I went to Boise on my recruiting trip, I could tell that everybody on the team genuinely liked each other and that was something I was looking for.” The Arizona native is anticipating her first move away from home, but she already has plans to return. “My eventual goal is to come back and teach English and coach the swim team at Xavier,” she said. “I love the community there and how faith-oriented it is.” ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL Nine Titans announced their collegiate commitments: • Morgan Ash , softball, University of Connecticut • Haley Denning , softball, University of Utah • Kelly Flynn , softball, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) • Madeline Forshey , softball, Georgetown University • Regan Kerr , softball, University of Maryland • Bryce Nixon , basketball, University of Arizona • Hannah May , golf, Southern New Hampshire University • Sloan Van Zanen , golf, Stonehill College • Rylie Satran , beach volleyball, San Jose State University “I am looking forward to the new opportunities and new relationships in college. I can’t wait to train with the coaches at San Jose State,” Satran said. “I am incredibly blessed to have gotten the chance to play for them.” “It’s amazing to see these young women making their next moves by signing with their top colleges,” said Cher Fesenmaier, athletic director at Arcadia. Satran noted that signing day at Arcadia High was a great time, especially surrounded by other dedicated female athletes. “It is so awesome to see girls really making big pushes in athletics. I really loved my journey through Arcadia’s program.” VERITAS PREP ACADEMY The Falcons had two of their top volleyball players sign letters this fall. • Jacalyn Sharko , volleyball, Phoenix College • Katie Coulter , volleyball, Eastern Washington University As Coulter heads north, she’ll keep her favorite Veritas memories close to her heart, especially their big comeback win from down two sets during the quarterfinals this year. “The friendships that have formed on the court have contributed to some great wins and fights against strong teams,” said Coulter, who was the 2017 Veritas Prep State tournament MVP Award winner. “My high school career was better than I could have asked for. Nothing compares to signing and looking at my parents and family, thinking this is a dream come true.” Local athletes look to the future at college signing days Standing (left to right) Caroline White, Kaitlyn McCoy, Montana Oltrogge. Seated (left to right) Kailey Klein, Melissa Fedorka, Alyna Draper. Our programs are internationally-recognized - stop in and find out why! Heated indoor pool & small class sizes BABY SPLASH ages 8 wks - 5 mos LITTLE SNAPPERS ages 6 - 35 mos GROUP LESSONS ages 3 - 12 yrs Our Riverview location is just 15 minutes from Arcadia HUBBARDSWIM.COM · 602.971.4044 SPLASH, PLAY & LEARN! Redefining Swim Lessons since 1998

55 JANUARY 2018 Arc A d A News By Megan Forrester Xavier is bringing back its own glimmer of gold to its girls’ basketball team. Former star of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and two-time Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Gillom is returning to coach Xavier College Prep’s girls varsity basketball team. Gillom, now a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, began her coaching career at Xavier in 2004. “I have always had great memories here [Xavier] and I feel like I can make a better impact on these kid’s lives than I could in the WNBA,” Gillom says. “I use basketball as a platform to help others and reach others, so to me this is living out something I have always wanted to do.” Gillom’s dream of coaching, has rested in the back of her mind since she was a young player. She says what attracted her to coaching was the possibility of helping others by sharing her knowledge of the game. “I felt like I had something to give back,” Gillom says. “I eat, breathe, live the game, so I always wanted to be a part of it and to be able to share my talents with others.” Gillom is one of only four women in the world to have won Olympic gold medals as a player and a coach. Perhaps surprisingly, she believes that her background as a player aids her in coaching high school students even more than her coaching experience. “High school is where I got my start and now that I have reached the pro level, I wanted to come back to give back,” Gillom says. “As an Olympic player or coach, it did not help me when getting a high school job, but retiring as a player and coming from [being] a player helped me get my first start as a high school coach.” Gillom teaches physical education at Xavier along with her varsity coaching duties. Although she loves the X’s and O’s, her primary goal of c o a ch i ng go e s beyond the court. “Being able to be an inspiration in their lives and making an impact in their lives to me is more important than coaching basketball,” Gillom says. “I really enjoy seeing the overall reward of these kids becoming not only good student- athletes, but good citizens as well.” When Gillom previously coached the Gators, the varsity team achieved an amazing 135-25 record in the span of six seasons, but never won a state title. This season, the team is striving to win its first state championship. After winning eight of its first 11 games, it looks as though the Gators are on the right track. “That [state championship] is a huge goal for us. I feel like it’s something these players can achieve if they just put their minds to it,” Gillom says. “It’s all up to them.” Former WNBA star returns to coach Xavier Prep basketball Jennifer Gillom is into her second stint as coach of Xavier College Prep’s girls’ varsity basketball. Gillom’s basketball pedigree is deep, as she has played and coached in the WNBA and won one Olympic gold medal as a player and one as a coach with USA Basketball. I have always had great memories here [Xavier] and I feel like I can make a better impact on these kid’s lives than I could in the WNBA.” 30th Street & Indian School Road 602.957.8402 Lindstrom Family Auto Wash Your Neighborhood Car Wash Visit us at LindstromAutoWash.com for the “Deal of the Month!” Not valid with any other offers. Must present coupon. Expires 1/31/18. Not valid with any other offers. Must present coupon. Expires 1/31/18. Not valid with any other offers. Must present coupon. Expires 1/31/18. 15% OFF Any Detail Package $3 OFF “The Works” Car Wash $2 OFF Regular Car Wash Not valid with any other offers. Lindstrom Family Auto Wash Not valid with any other offers. Lindstrom Family Auto Wash Not valid with any other offers. Lindstrom Family Auto Wash PROFESSIONAL DETAIL SERVICES Engine Cleaning • Dress (top only) • Express Shampoo Express Wax • Leather Cleaning Conditioner • Complete Interior Exterior Over Spray Removal ARCADIA NEWS ARCADIA NEWS ARCADIA NEWS Contact Roni@Arcadianews.com today to find out how you can save up to 46% on your ad investment! How to reach 50,000 potential patients or clients... advertise in DIR EC TORY DIR EC TORY The Arcadia News Health & Wellness Directory is the perfect way to promote your practice or business to the affluent, educated and health-minded readers of the Arcadia News . The Health & Wellness Directory is mailed in the Arcadia News six times per year to homes in the Arcadia/Biltmore/Camelback Corridor. It is also distributed at over 70 retail locations. 2018 Health & Wellness Directory MARCH 2018 Ad space and design 02/18 @ Noon | Print-ready art due 02/18 @ 5 p.m. MAY 2018 Ad space and design 04/18 @ Noon | Print-ready art due 04/18 @ 5 p.m.