Matthias Casanova: DIII soccer at California Institute of Technology
Following in the footsteps of his father and older brother, Matthias began playing soccer recreationally from a young age. As he grew up, the passion persisted and he has played as a defensive midfielder at Woodside Soccer Club Crush for over 10 years, as well as the school’s varsity soccer team his sophomore and senior years.
Since the beginning of high school, Matthias had hoped to get recruited. In the spring semester of junior year, he began reaching out to coaches and sending them footage of him playing as well as attending identification camps for the opportunity to play in front of coaches.
Matthias has committed to the California Institute of Technology for its strong academics and research opportunities, planning on majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace. He also finds its Division III soccer program advantageous for him.
“Often athletes want to play Division I sports, but for that, you have to dedicate so much to the sport that you don’t have as much time to study. So career-wise, unless you want to go professional in soccer, DIII is better for what I’m looking for personally.”
Somei Ogata: DI tennis at the United States Naval Academy
Somei began playing tennis at the age of six and has played on the school’s varsity team all four years as No. 1 singles and trains at Eagle Fustar Tennis Academy. He specifically enjoys the individuality of the sport.
“You’re out there by yourself so you can’t rely on other people, and you have to figure out all of it by yourself,” Somei said. “A good part of that is that other people can’t make mistakes for you. It’s only you out there, so you really just have to step up.”
Somei has committed to the United States Naval Academy for Division I tennis, planning to major in business or economics.
“It’s just a great school. I love the coaches there. I love the team there; but more importantly, the school provides a lot of room for self-improvement, and there’s a lot of like-minded people who are trying to get better,” he said.
Sahaana Potti: DI soccer at Pepperdine University
Sahaana first developed an interest in soccer from watching her older brother play. Since then, she’s grown into a national-level player with the De Anza Force 08 Elite Clubs National League. After talking to many coaches throughout the recruitment process, Sahaana committed to Pepperdine University in Malibu, where she saw a strong fit with the school’s highly ranked soccer program and competitive culture. In the future, Sahaana hopes to continue developing in her soccer career in college and eventually play soccer professionally.
“I felt this school would provide the best of both good academics and a strong soccer program. The coaches and culture are also super supportive of the student athletes,” Sahaana said.
Cole Sheehy: DI basketball at Pacific University
Cole started playing and watching basketball at the young age of four as his dad was a big fan. As he grew up, he played on his school teams — Rolling Hills Middle School, Westmont High and Saratoga High. He mentioned a big challenge of the recruiting process was keeping in contact with the coaches by consistently messaging them, sending them videos and updating them on his schedule.
Cole has committed to Pacific University to play Division I basketball due to his strong interest in their sports leadership and management major. In the future, he hopes to work in professional sports, whether that’s coaching or being on the staff.
“I’m most excited to see the competition level. Obviously, it’s going to be a struggle at first because I’m playing against grown men, but I think it’s a cool experience,” Cole said. “I can’t wait to learn and get advice from some of my future teammates.”
Nikhil Srivatsa: DI soccer at the University of New Mexico
Nikhil got into tennis through his father, and he enjoys the complete control it gives him over the game. He has played on the school varsity team for all 4 years as No. 2 singles. He recalls sending many emails to different coaches, eventually receiving a response from the University of New Mexico coach.
“The facilities were super nice; that’s probably what sold me over. The weight room was super nice, the courts were really nice areas with a super beautiful view, and they have super nice coaching staff,” Nikhil said.
Millie Wang: DIII golf at New York University
Millie began playing golf at age 10 and didn’t start competing until ninth grade — relatively late by golf standards — but she quickly rose through the ranks. However, her journey wasn’t without bumps. Millie almost stepped away from golf completely at the beginning of her junior year for personal reasons before recommitting and navigating through the recruiting process.
Millie will continue to golf at New York University, which she first fell in love with on an unofficial visit in July 2025. Academically, she plans to enter undeclared but is considering majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering.
“I’m really happy and grateful to have been recruited, and I’m looking forward to my time at NYU,” Millie said.
Kelsey Zhang: DI swimming at UC Berkeley
Kelsey fell in love with swimming as soon as she started lessons at just 2 years old and has continued to advance across various top Bay Area clubs, currently training at Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics. Competing at the elite level including at the 2024 Junior Pan-Pacific Championships, Kelsey was a top recruit in the sport and ultimately committed to UC Berkeley, where she was drawn to their head coach Dave Durden and her strong connection to current team members. With a full-ride scholarship, Kelsey plans to major in psychology while competing in Division I swimming. She’s particularly excited to compete in the NCAA — specializing in Individual Medley (IM) and Butterfly events — and potentially help bring home the championship.
“Words cannot describe how excited I am to go to college,” she said. “I can’t wait to be teammates with the other commits in my class. I think the people at [Berkeley] are really special and I love the team culture.”
