Six students in the class of 2026 will begin their careers as college athletes this fall. Read about their journeys from beginners to college recruits!
Micah Chan ’26
Sport: Soccer (Division I)
School: University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO)
Tell me about your sport and how you got into it. What has your athletic career looked like leading up to college?
“I started playing soccer at the age of five. I started to love the sport in fourth grade, when I got a new coach. Over the pandemic, even though we couldn’t practice in person, my coach had practices on Zoom. That brought more passion towards the sport and made me feel very interested in working towards a goal.”
What did the recruitment process look like for you?
“I started reaching out to coaches the summer going into junior year. … I reached out to over 20 schools. I got a few responses back when I was playing with my old club, which was SF Elite. But [when] I recently switched clubs to play at the highest level in the country, … I started getting recognized by other coaches. … I reached out to UBCO [in] fall of junior year. I kept on sending them the film [of me playing], and they really liked what they saw. So, in October of senior year, they gave me an offer to play for them. I accepted it and now I’ll be playing for them next season.”
What are your hopes and/or plans for your sport in college and beyond?
“I hope to impact the team and bring it to a playoff, competitive, championship-winning team. In the future, I do hope to continue playing at the professional level, but mainly I want to focus on making my college team the best it can be.”
What is something you would like aspiring college athletes to know?
“Start the recruiting process early, … but also keep your mind open, … because that’s how you are able to get opportunities to play in college. Reach out to all the schools that have your intended major or schools that you like. … You can balance both playing at a high level and getting a good education out of it, too.”
Ellie Feldman ’26
Sport: Squash (Division I)
School: Columbia University
Tell me about your sport and how you got into it. What has your athletic career looked like leading up to college?
“I got into [squash] when I was six years old. … During COVID, I joined this group in the South Bay, … [which had] some of the best kids in the country. Since then, I became very, very serious about squash, training 15 plus hours a week, and then going to the highest level tournaments in the country and even doing some international tournaments.”
How and when did you know you wanted to do your sport in college?
“I decided that I wanted to play squash in college … [when] a lot of the kids who had done the COVID group with me had come back from their first or second years of college. They talked about how amazing it was to be on a sports team. … Because squash is such a solo sport, [when] you suddenly have a team, it completely shifts the attitude. It becomes way more fun because you have a group of people supporting you.”
How did you choose your school, and what are you planning to study?
“[Columbia] was one of three schools that I thought I could get into based on my squash level, and that I also was really interested in. … I’m planning to study economics, which is one of the things that also really attracted me to Columbia. ’Cause it’s in New York, if you want to go into the field of finance or econ, it’s kind of perfect.”
What are your hopes and/or plans for your sport in college and beyond?
“I hope to play on the team for all four years, … because there [are] constantly new recruits, and you’re always gonna get better players. And I want to continue my squash journey, get better [and] enjoy it. It’s been a huge part of my life, so I don’t ever want to drop it.”
What is something you would like aspiring college athletes to know?
“As much as it is luck, there’s also a lot of hard work that goes into this process. I feel for anyone who’s going through it. It is really tough, and it’s really scary.”
Elliott Maggiotto ’26
Sport: Cross Country/Track & Field (Division III)
School: Kenyon College
Tell me about your sport and how you got into it. What has your athletic career looked like leading up to college?
“I started [running] in ninth grade, [when] I decided to sign up for cross country. … I ended up really enjoying my time on the team and progressed a lot during the season, so I decided to sign up for track, too. I ended up improving enough over three [or] four years that I was good enough to email some coaches in Division III.”
How and when did you know you wanted to do your sport in college?
“Sophomore spring was when I started to come into my own as an athlete. I had a couple conversations with my coach. She ran D-III, and she encouraged me to reach out to some coaches. It wasn’t a super straight-line process, but it ended up working out pretty well.”
What are your hopes and/or plans for your sport in college and beyond?
“The big thing for me is getting the most out of running and out of my fitness as I can. I want to have fun and leave college with a great appreciation of my time there and a great love for the sport, because running is something that you can do throughout your life.”
What is something you would like aspiring college athletes to know?
“One, do a sport because you genuinely love it. You’ll be spending a lot of time doing it, so you need to have passion. Two, you’re going to your college because of academics, and athletics are just a sweet treat for your four years. Enjoy it, but keep the reason you’re there in mind.”
Stella Monberg ’26
Sport: Soccer (Division I)
School: Princeton University
Tell me about your sport and how you got into it. What has your athletic career looked like leading up to college?
“My family’s very into [soccer], and at a young age, I started playing and I loved it. I played on my school team until third grade, then I switched to a club in fourth grade and then switched to another club in fifth grade through eighth grade. Freshman year, I started commuting down to Palo Alto to play for a more competitive club, and they helped me get recruited.”
What did the recruitment process look like for you?
“All throughout sophomore year, I was sending out emails to different colleges that I was interested in. College coaches came to showcases, and they would talk to my coach about me, but I couldn’t talk directly to them until after June 15 of my sophomore year. After June 15, a decent amount of coaches reached out. I talked with them for a while and then went on visits to the schools that I was interested in. Then I committed in September of my junior year.”
How did you choose your school?
“I ended up choosing my school mainly based on the vibes of the team and also the facilities. The team culture was definitely a highlight for me — everyone just seemed really nice and they really loved being there.”
What are your hopes and/or plans for your sport in college and beyond?
“I want to really work this spring to go into college … [in] the best shape I can be so that I give myself the best chance of starting. After college, I think I would like to play professionally — at least semi-professionally — maybe in Europe or some other league. … I don’t know if I’d be too interested in playing [soccer] as a profession, but I definitely want to experience it a bit.”
What is something you would like aspiring college athletes to know?
“Promote yourself. For me, it felt weird to be writing emails to colleges saying, ‘This is what’s great about me,’ but you really have to do that. Don’t be scared to hype yourself up to get yourself noticed. And then, just love your sport.”
Mawa Silvestro ’26
Sport: Basketball (Division III)
School: Occidental College
Tell me about your sport and how you got into it. What has your athletic career looked like leading up to college?
“I started playing basketball because my older siblings started getting into it. … I started to fall in love with the game because it brought the community together, and I got to meet a lot of cool people. … I built a web of friends that I still talk to to this day. It’s been really motivating to see really good players, and to be able to slowly develop a work ethic. You might not get the results immediately, but [by] working hard over time, you get results in the end. You chase the grind and not the actual result, which is a really good mindset I’ve been having, and I’ve been able to apply it to other areas of my life, too.”
How did you choose your school?
“There was communication with the coaches, and I had also talked to some other Urban students to see, outside of basketball, how the school life is. They painted a really good image of what the school was like. … but actually going onto the campus was a whole nother experience — I got to see what life is like there, and it seemed like a really nice community. I feel like as long as you have a good community, the experience will get shaped by that.”
What are your hopes and/or plans for your sport in college and beyond?
“I definitely do hope to play for the next four years, out of the love of the game. … Beyond [that], … it depends on how I perform and the connections I get to form, but I’m not opposed to trying to play professional[ly] overseas for my early 20s, right after college. I still want to keep basketball in my life, whether I get into coaching or just playing in an adult men’s league.”
What is something you would like aspiring college athletes to know?
“Keep your passion and joy for what you’re doing. You might have a motive outside of that, but if you’re dedicated to the joy it brings you, and the joy brings you dedication, working with those two together can [help] keep a healthy relationship [with the sport]. … Just stay passionate.”
Kyle Speta ’26
Sport: Volleyball (Division III)
School: Macalester College
Tell me about your sport and how you got into it. What has your athletic career looked like leading up to college?
“I’ve been playing volleyball and soccer since I was little. In high school, when I made varsity volleyball, I was like, ‘Wait, I really like this.’ The summer between freshman and sophomore year, I started doing a lot more lessons and shifting from soccer to volleyball being my main sport.”
How and when did you know you wanted to do your sport in college?
“Sophomore year, I joined a club team, and I had a coach that encouraged me to try and get recruited. In the beginning, I kind of laughed at the idea. Then, as my love for the sport grew, I was like, ‘Wait, this is an option.’ And then I started the whole process.”
How did you choose your school, and what are you planning to study?
“When the recruitment process started coming to an end, I had three offers. It really came down to the coach and the players, because I went on visits during the spring break of my junior year, and I really liked the energy and the values of the Macalester team. I don’t really know what I’m gonna study — I’m definitely leaning towards STEM, but I have two years to decide.”
What are your hopes and/or plans for your sport in college and beyond?
“Beyond college, I want to keep on playing whenever the opportunity arises. But that was something that I was struggling with when recruiting. I was like, ‘I want a team that will challenge me, ’cause I want to be able to have room so that I can grow. But also, I want to try and make it so that I can get consistent playing time.’ That was kind of hard to predict, but I’m just seeing how it goes.”
What is something you would like aspiring college athletes to know?
“You’re gonna send so many emails, and you’re not [always] gonna get responses, [but] don’t feel disheartened by that, ’cause there are schools that are gonna be interested in you. Honestly, some of it’s chance. … [Coaches] get so many emails each day, so if you’re really interested in the school … just keep on sending emails.”