By Stephen Ramirez
Gabby Walker and Jillian Saenz are two of St. Paul High School’s better student-athletes and Wednesday they were rewarded for their success.
Both signed scholarship letters on Tuesday.
Walker, a girls volleyball and softball player, signed with Eastern New Mexico University, of Portales. Saenz, a girls volleyball player, signed with Clarkson University, of Potsdam, N.Y. Walker will play softball for the Zias.
“The factors I liked was the coach,” said Walker, who has had a limited role for St. Paul the past two seasons. “The school was great. I’m a private school girl, so it’s small enough where it didn’t seem like a big college to me, but not too big for me to be overwhelmed.
“Plus the softball program is really great and I feel I can make an impact.”
Eastern New Mexico is 17-24 this season.
Saenz was one of the top setters in the area, helping St. Paul to a 31-8 record and a spot in the CIF-Southern Section Division 4AA semifinals. She had 1,105 assists last season.
Saenz will be going to one the top NCAA Division III programs in the country. Clarkson was 37-4 last season and advanced to the national quarterfinals. They won the Liberty League conference tournament.
“(Clarkson is) a really small school, which is what I was looking for, something like St. Paul,” Saenz said. “The volleyball program is very successful. I’m looking forward to (contributing). Everything just fell into place.”
The duo are the second and third St. Paul athlete to sign a scholarship letter in the past week. Girls basketball standout Clarissa Perez signed with Utah State Eastern last week.
Whittier Christian girls volleyball player Jeanne Reinis signed with Molloy College, a NCAA Division II school in Long Island, N.Y.
Reinis, an outside hittier, had 317 kills for the Hearlds last season. Whittier Christian was 18-13 and finished third in the Olympic League. Molloy was 12-17 last season.

Whittier Christian’s Jeanne Reinis signs with Molloy College.