March is a month to celebrate Women’s History. To commemorate this, the UHS News Team is highlighting five female athletes who are role models for current and future female athletes here at Wildcat Nation. These five ladies share what it is like to be female athletes on campus today.
Our first athlete, Freshman Beya Dominguez, shared that cheer has been a central part of her life ever since she was little. In her first year as a Wildcat, Beya not only made the varsity cheer squad but also enjoyed great success winning State with her team.
Dominguez continued, “What drives me to keep working is seeing how other people are better, [and] how other people thrive in my sport.” She said her favorite memory from cheer “is being with the people and team bonding.”
Our second athlete, Sophomore and rising softball star Macie Winzler, loves her sport because it is always a challenge and an opportunity to meet new people. She shared that being part of a team is what continuously drives her to be better. Her favorite playing memory is hitting her first home run last summer.
Macie commented on being a female athlete today: “My experience is there’s going to be some supportive people, and then there’s always going to be the people that want to bring you down and want you to fail. When times get hard, don’t give up. You just gotta push through.”
She says softball has shaped her because, “being an athlete, you never know what’s going to happen. You just [learn to] expect the unexpected.”
Next up is Kylie Scarbrough, a Junior on the girls’ wrestling team. She wrestles because “it gives [me] a goal to keep getting better.” She shared, “I do wrestling because it drives me to be the best person I can be, and it’s given me the best community.”
Scarbrough highlighted how, as a wrestler, “if you lose, you can’t blame anyone but yourself, it’s only you and your opponent on the mat.” She continued, “Being a female athlete in the world gives me confidence to do things I previously thought I couldn’t.”
Scarbrough attributes her strong mindset in tough situations to her athletics, and looks most fondly on team dinners after tough tournaments. She finished with a word of wisdom for future female athletes: “Keep pushing to be better, don’t let anyone judge you for being the toughest in the room.”
Our fourth athlete is girls swim captain Molly Kaluna-Jones, who is in her last year at UHS. She shared insight into her years of athletic endeavors: “I swim because it keeps my body healthy, it makes me feel good, I feel in balance with everything in my life, and it helps me sleep better.”
She explained how she motivates herself, setting personal goals at the beginning of the season, and working towards shaving time off every day. In water polo, motivation takes a different form: “it’s for the team, you want to get that win, and you want to contribute.”
Molly spoke about her experience as a female athlete: “The boys are always faster than us, right? So, it’s trying to keep that in perspective. I’m always comparing myself to the guy’s team. And that can be good and bad. It’s good because it motivates me to work harder.”
Kaluna-Jones stressed that sports are for everyone and can change your life for the better. “Being an athlete has shown me hard work. I think [swimming] was the first time that I really invested so much of my energy into one goal. [It] gave me this confidence; I can make goals, and I can make results from my hard work.”
Our final athlete, Lilliane Thies, led the girls soccer team in goals and assists on their run to the NCS Division I Semi-Finals this winter.
Thies shared how soccer has shaped her as a person: “It has taught me discipline, time management, and resilience. Soccer has shown me how to handle both success and failure and how to keep moving forward, no matter the outcome. It has helped me develop leadership skills and confidence that carry over into other areas of my life.”
She continued, “I play sports because I love the sense of challenge and growth that comes with it. [Soccer], in particular, is special to me because it combines both physical and mental effort. I enjoy pushing myself to improve and learning new skills, and my sport gives me the opportunity to do that while also building strong relationships with my teammates and coaches.”
Thies spoke about being a female athlete and how she strives to get better every day: “It has shown me how strong and supportive the community of female athletes can be. On campus, being part of a women’s team has given me a strong support system. It’s a place where we encourage each other, celebrate each other’s achievements, and represent women in sports with pride. What drives me most is the desire to see how far I can push myself.”
She closed with advice to future UHS athletes: “Work hard, stay confident, and surround yourself with people who support and encourage you.”
These ladies are examples of excellence and strength, role models not only for athletes but for everyone. Whether it be on the mat, on the field, on the sidelines, or even in the pool, join us in supporting these athletes and their teams!
Salvio Senerchia was born in Santa Rosa and has lived in Mendocino County his whole life. He is a Freshman and in his first year of Journalism. He has a deep care for the world, its imperfections and inequalities. Salvio loves all things soccer, and is interested in law. He is an avid Liverpool F.C. fan and hopes to visit the city and attend a match! He loves learning, especially History, Math, and any and all reading and writing. He enjoys writing about current and past events and conflicts. Salvio loves traveling, exploring the world and learning about the places he visits.