Ayala High School swimmer Kenisha Liu has verbally committed to the UCLA swim program.
The senior swimmer had various Division 1 programs showing interest in her talent from all over the country.
“I had a lot of schools to choose from,” she said. “Some of these schools included Princeton, Purdue, Stanford, Duke, University of Arizona and of course UCLA.”
With several of the options she mentioned located out of state, Liu decided to stay in California to continue her aquatics career.
“UCLA has such a great atmosphere. When I went there I could really tell that all the girls liked each other and really wanted to push each other to be better,” Liu said when asked about her decision.
Liu not only noticed the support system and drive to motivate one another from the athletes but from coach Cyndi Gallagher.
“(I believe she) can help me reach my goals and get me where I want to be,” Liu stated.
While she has decided on a program, she is not sure what events she will be competing in at the moment.
Her versatility was on display after a successful 2014-15 season that earned her the title as the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin’s swimmer of the year.
She concluded her junior campaign by winning two individual events at the inaugural CIF State Championship Meet, competing in the Girls 100 and 200-yard freestyle events.
With time to reflect on her verbal commitment, Liu will be the first to tell you that she did not get to this point in her career alone.
