SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis alumna Caroline Wilkins, who officially graduated this week, will be attending San Diego State this fall and playing water polo for the Aztecs.
"I'm super exited to play water polo in college," said Wilkins. "I've been playing since I was eleven and had never really envisioned a summer, a school year, or a life without water polo. Being able to play in college is such a great opportunity for me to grow in the sport and take it to the next level as well as meet new teammates and play against people from all over the world."
Wilkins was a four-year varsity letter winner for the Troubadours. She had a career-best 40 goals as a senior to total 109 for her career, finishing with 63 career assists and over a 100 career steals.
"I was hesitant to make my college decision because I wanted to find the perfect fit for me," said Wilkins, who committed after the spring signing date. "I struggled for a while because I had always wanted to go to school for nursing which is too demanding of a major when you're playing a D1 sport. But, I was able to find other majors that would lead me down a similar path which put me in between a few different schools. It's hard not to love San Diego, and my parents have experienced living down there so they were very encouraging of the idea. St. Francis head coach Emily Whalen helped me see all there is to love about the school and the program they have there. So, with the support of my coaches, family, and friends, I was able to decide on attending San Diego State."
Whalen played for and graduated from San Diego State.
"I'm so excited that Caroline decided to go to SDSU," said Whalen, who is entering her second season and was named Delta League Coach of the Year last year. "She is such a versatile player with her length and speed that she will be able to contribute greatly to the team. Caroline is such a well'rounded person and San Diego being a big city will allow her to be so successful at whatever she chooses to do."
Wilkins joins a San Diego State program coached by Carin Crawford. Last season, Crawford coached the Aztecs to their fourth straight Golden Coast Conference regular-season title and she has guided the Scarlet and Black to a top-17 national finish in each of her 19 years.
"I chose SDSU because it had everything I'm looking for in a school," said Wilkins. "They offer great academics, athletics, and have the large school atmosphere that I was attracted to during my recruiting process. The coaching staff and girls on the water polo team are super welcoming and have a lot of great traditions which made their team stand out to me from other schools. Also, the weather and beaches in San Diego are hard to beat so I'm excited to get down there!"
Wilkins has always been attracted to the medical field and is very passionate about access to healthcare. She plans on studying Public Health with a possible major in public policy.
She leaves St. Francis with a great foundation from her water polo experience.
"My SF polo experience has meant the world to me," said Wilkins. "It's crazy to see how I'm now at the end of it when it felt like not too long ago I was learning the ropes from the class of 2017. I was always pushed by my teammates, and learned how to stay resilient in the face of adversity. Every practice was competitive, we were always working hard and striving to do better. In my times with these girls I've learned so much about how to lead different kinds of people, listen from different coaching styles, and push myself to be the best player I can be."
She is the 21st student-athlete from the Class of 2020 to make a collegiate commitment to play sports. She will join her classmate Kendall Houck on the Aztec team.
The last week has officially wrapped her high school experience with the final ceremonies for the senior class. While her season was not affected, she was grateful for time at SF this week despite the craziness of her final months.
"I am so grateful to have been able to walk the stage at graduation and baccalaureate," said Wilkins of the ceremonies this week. "While it may have only been in the company of my family and a few friends, I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. Being back on campus was amazing and made me realize how grateful I am to have attended a school with such caring staff, amazing traditions, and loving classmates. While my senior year did get cut short, it was definitely the most fun year I had at St. Francis and all the festivities we did get to celebrate like Senior Sunrise and Sunset were really fun."
