Hilmar High celebrates two athletes headed to four-year schools. Where are they going?
Hilmar High seniors Mikela Labno and Genavieve Fontes have known each other since they were 4 years old. The two friends grew up playing different sports together.
Labno and Fontes both experienced athletic milestone moments recently as they signed their national letter of intents to accept athletic scholarships to four-year colleges.
Labno is headed to San Diego State University to play volleyball and Fontes is on her way to UC Davis to play soccer.
“It is awesome,” Fontes said. “I’ve known Mikela since we were 4 years old playing T-ball together. We started playing softball and soccer. We played on traveling teams growing up. It’s so cool that I’m going to play soccer and she’s going to play volleyball — two sports that we branched out on our own.”
The two held separate signing celebrations at Hilmar High, which has just 720 enrolled students.
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented the two friends from signing together in front of all their family and friends. Instead only immediate family was able to attend.
Soccer or softball?
Fontes said it was almost a coin flip deciding which sport to focus on in high school between soccer and softball.
“From the time I was a second grader I thought I was going to be a pro softball player,” Fontes said. “I played travel ball all through eighth grade. When I had to choose I ended up choosing soccer. I just like the competition of it. There are no timeouts, no stoppages, you just have to push through. You have to be bigger, stronger and faster then the other girls.”
Fontes has been one of the top scorers in Merced County the past two seasons, scoring 35 goals in 24 games as a sophomore and 32 goals in 21 games as a junior.
She verbally committed to UC Davis during September of her junior year. The school was always a good fit for Fontes.
“I think I want to join the medical field with my career options,” Fontes said. “They have a great medical school. I’m not sure if I want to go into sports medicine or veterinarian school.”
Fontes has a 4.3 GPA at Hilmar.
“I’m super excited,” she said. “There are no words to describe it. It’s a rush of emotions.”
Becoming an Aztec was an easy choice
Labno also committed early to San Diego State at the beginning of her junior year.
“(SDSU) checked all the right boxes,” she said. “It was the best place for me to go. The coaching staff is amazing and the girls on the team are great. It’s the perfect place to be.”
Labno has been a contributor for the Yellowjackets volleyball program since arriving on campus as a freshman. Hilmar has compiled a 95-39 overall record and won two Sac-Joaquin Section championships with the help of Labno.
Labno split time as a middleblocker and outside hitter during her career at Hilmar and has racked up 1,254 kills the past three seasons.
Labno plans to major in kinesiology at San Diego State. She has a 3.9 GPA at Hilmar.
“I’ve dreamed about this as long as I can remember,” Labno said. “I’ve always wanted to play volleyball at he highest level. This is a dream come true.”
