Temecula Freshman Commits to Powerhouse PAC 12 School

From Patch Reader Jacqueline Hunter: Holly Hunter, a freshman at Great Oak High School has had an exciting soccer year from being calling into the US Girls National Camp, to playing for the US Deaf Women's National Team. This last week Holly waited until the Easter holiday to share with her family and post that she has verbally committed to play soccer in the Top Powerhouse Conference, the PAC 12, for University ofColorado.

"I am so excited and thankful to announce I have verbally committed to play D1 soccer, and further my education at University of Colorado in the PAC12! Thank you to all my coaches, Kevin Boyd, Cris Araya, Josh Hodges, and the Legends FC Development Academy program for pushing me to be a better soccer player and preparing me to play in the PAC12. Also, thank you to my family and friends for all the support you have given me over the years! Most of all, thank you Coaches Danny Sanchez, Coach Jason Green, and Coach Dave Morgan for giving me this opportunity to play for such an amazing school! I am beyond excited to become a Buffalo!" #GOBUFFS! #universityofcoloradoboulder #universityofcoloradowomensoccer #cubuffssoccer

UCLA, Stanford, Santa Clara and Oregon State were also on her list, but after going on an unofficial visit, Colorado quickly moved into the number #1 spot. "I decided to commit to University ofColorado in the PAC 12 because I wanted to play in one of the top soccer conferences in the nation. Colorado has an amazing soccer program that is looking to win the PAC12 Championships and NCAA National Championships. I hope that I can help contribute to making that goal a reality. "

Location also played a part in her decision. "Colorado's campus is truly breathtaking, with the stunning Flatiron Rocky Mountains as the backdrop of campus, beautiful red sandstone buildings and big BLUE, BLUE skies. It's truly amazing! Checked another one of my boxes in my recruiting process after going on about 10 unofficial visits to small, medium and large universities."

Another item on her list was she wanted be in a college town. "Boulder has a great outdoor downtown feel, with little shops, coffee shops and foodie restaurants. There are numerous websites that have awarded Boulder as a Top College Town and National Geographic awarded Boulder, Colorado, as "The Happiest City in the United States." (National Geographic, October 27, 2017) I know that I was sure smiling when I was there!"

"Lastly, Colorado is going to provide me with a great education. CU offers so many resources to help its students strive to do their best in their classes and majors. I am looking into major in Molecular, Cellular Developmental Biology or Neuroscience, with possibly going into the medical field."

And while Holly Hunter stands out on the soccer field, this couldn’t have been possible if she didn’t excel in the classroom. Hunter sports a cumulative GPA of 4.00 and holds a Board of Directors position for National Charity League, Inc. Temecula Valley Chapter. "This organization has given me an opportunity to not only get involved volunteering in my community, but also learn more about how to be a better leader, in my community, classroom and on the soccer field, which I am hoping to bring to the University of Colorado."

Images courtesy of Jacqueline Hunter