Top student-athletes set to compete in college

Eight student-athletes from the Fallbrook Union High School District were recognized May 9, for their signing of letters of intent to participate in sports at the collegiate level.

Julian Arteaga will be joining the rugby team at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz .; Nathan Chalut will be playing lacrosse at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, Calif .; Emma Christopherson will take the volleyball court for South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D. and Olivia Engebretson will join the cheer squads at California Baptist University in Riverside, Calif.

Miles Dewhirst will play volleyball for Concordia University in Irvine, Calif .; Desiree Jones will run track for Regis College in Weston, Mass .; Alexandra Pestolis will battle on the volleyball court for California State University Fullerton and Sebastian Winfield will be a member of the golf team at San Jose State University.

Arteaga, who as a Fallbrook High Warrior earned high school All-American honors in rugby in 2017, also plays on a club team out of San Diego that is competing for a national championship this season. He is looking forward to playing for the Antelopes at Grand Canyon University.

"It's really nice," Arteaga said of GCU. "When I went on my visit it was awesome. I'm definitely looking forward to rugby and meeting a lot of new people. I definitely want to take rugby serious, but more than that, I want to focus on what I want to do after college."

Arteaga is going to major in business, with an emphasis on data analytics. He is well aware, however, of the new professional rugby league in America – Major League Rugby.

"If I can keep on playing rugby, I'd like to do that," Arteaga said.

Arteaga said his most memorable moment playing rugby for Fallbrook High came in 2018 when the Warriors played Mira Mesa High School.

"It was senior night, and we were down three or four points and it was like the last play, and we were able to score as time ran out and win the game," Arteaga said.

Chalut started all four years on the varsity lacrosse team and was a prolific goal scorer.

"Stepping on the field for the first time as a freshman," Chalut said of his favorite sports moment at FHS. "It was all new to me, and it was amazing to see the whole crowd. The atmosphere was amazing."

Chalut earned all-league first team recognition as a freshman when the Warriors made it to the CIF championship game. He also helped the Warriors make the playoffs this year.

Notre Dame de Namur is a small Catholic institution located on the San Francisco Peninsula. It is the third-oldest college in California and serves approximately 1,600 full and part-time students.

"The main reason why I chose it is I wouldn't be going to a huge school where everyone is identified as a number," Chalut said. "The coach said to me, 'when you're here, you're actually a student, not just a somebody. You're going to be a part of this school.'"

Chalut plans to major in kinesiology.

"Hopefully it can spark my career to be a physical therapist," Chalut said.

Christopherson, a four-year varsity starter, was her team's MVP and a first team, all-league selection her senior season, when she recorded 284 kills, 13 aces, 122 digs and 25 solo blocks. Interestingly, she said one of her most memorable sports moments came in a match that ended in a defeat to Sage Creek High School.

"My junior year we made it to the first round of CIF (playoffs), and I had my three best friends on the team," Christopherson said. "It was a really, really hard game, but we showed up and played with heart. That was a game that I really felt like a part of a team. Even though we did end up losing, I really feel like we played our best and played with our hearts."

Christopherson said she'll also cherish her team's victory over Valley Center last fall on senior night.

"It's almost like a magical night, and you just want to do your best," Christopherson said. "I felt that was a super-memorable night that I'll remember the rest of my life."

Christopherson will have plenty of fan support when she plays for the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State University.

"My family is from South Dakota, and I have a bunch of family that's alumni from there," Christopherson said. "I went to (volleyball) camp there my sophomore year while visiting my family in the summer, and I fell in love with the campus."

Christopherson, an outstanding student, has been accepted into the nutrition-dietician program at South Dakota State University.

Engebretson earned All-American honors in cheer her senior year. Last year, she was named MVP of the school's cheer squad, and during her sophomore year she earned the Warrior Award.

Engebretson is going to a cheer powerhouse in California Baptist University.

"The cheer program there has won the national competition every year since 2013," Engebretson said, who added that she'll be on both the cheer squad and the cheer competition team.

Engebretson, who is going to major in business, said she enjoyed her time at Fallbrook High.

"It's a really small community and you get to know everyone," Engebretson said. "Everyone here is very uplifting and supportive, so I really like that."

Dewhirst, who last year played on a Seaside Volleyball Club team that earned a bronze medal as the third-best team in the nation in its age division, said one of his favorite moments as a Fallbrook High Warrior came early in his career when he blocked the shot of a high-profile opponent.

"It was the first time I actually made a volleyball play," Dewhirst said. "It was my freshman year, I didn't know what I was doing and I was super nervous. I just got out there, and he swung and I just blocked him straight down."

Dewhirst said he plans to have fun playing for the Eagles of Concordia University.

"It's a small school but the volleyball program is getting a lot of traction there," Dewhirst said. "People are coming out to the games. That's what I'm really excited for – putting on a show for all the kids there."

Dewhirst said he is going to major in graphic design, with an emphasis on digital arts.

"Hopefully (after college) I can just get into a firm because Concordia is right in Irvine, and it's kind of a hub for that job," Dewhirst said. "I'm really stoked for that. It's a double-whammy. I get to play volleyball, and I get to study what I want to do."

Jones said her most memorable sports moment at Fallbrook High was being the team captain for the varsity track and field team her junior year. She added that she challenged herself each year in track.

"Every year since my freshman year I've been doing a different event," Jones said, who has competed in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 meter races and also run cross country. "I'm proud of what I've accomplished thus far."

Jones, who has consistently maintained a GPA of 4.0 or higher, is excited to be attending Regis College, a private Catholic college located just 12 miles from downtown Boston.

"Back in my freshman year I decided to wanted to become a lawyer," Jones said. "I plan to major in criminal justice first and minor in pre-law and from there hopefully switch over to Boston University and get my law degree there."

Jones said her high school experience "overall was pretty great."

"Everyone here has been so helpful," Jones said. "I'm going to miss Fallbrook but I'm kind of excited for what is going to come in the future."

Pestolis was captain of the junior varsity volleyball teams that won league titles her freshman and sophomore years, and she earned awards as MVP and Most Inspirational. She didn't play for Fallbrook her junior and senior years, electing instead to hone her skills playing for the Laguna Beach Volleyball Club.

A defensive specialist, Pestolis said she can't wait to compete at the Division I level for California State University Fullerton.

"I'm really excited to be a part of the Big West Conference, which is one of the biggest conferences in volleyball," Pestolis said. "My coach (Ashley Preston) said I have a very good chance of playing as a freshman, so I'm very excited for that."

Pestolis will major in health and science but hopes to play volleyball beyond college.

"I would love to go play professionally overseas," Pestolis said.

Pestolis, by attending California State University Fullerton, will have proved some naysayers wrong.

"I definitely had to grind really hard, because when I was younger I was told I would never even be good enough to play collegiate sports," Pestolis said. "I had to work that much harder, I feel, to be where I am."

Winfield attended Fallbrook High before transferring to Oasis High School, which offers independent study, halfway through his sophomore year so he could travel to golf tournaments while in school. Winfield plays on the Elite Tour and last year he won the NCJGA Thanksgiving Shoot Out Tournament when he shot 72 the first day and 69 the second day for a three-under par 141.

Winfield said his highlight playing for Fallbrook came this season when the Warriors won the Valley League title.

"We were able to win as a team, and I was league player of the year," Winfield said. "And we also won the league tournament as a team, and I won the league tournament as an individual."

As a San Jose State University Spartan, Winfield will play Division I golf at a school that recently invested heavily in its golf program.

"They just finished building a $12 million facility on campus exclusively for the golf team," Winfield said. "Their home course, Pasatiempo Golf Club, is one of the most elite golf clubs in the world, and their schedule is insane. The courses they play and the teams they play... it's awesome."

Winfield would love to someday make the PGA Tour but plans to teach golf if he can't make it on the professional circuit.

"I want to try playing professionally – that's my dream," Winfield said. "But if that doesn't work out, I love teaching."