Gabriella Salinas '25 Recruiting Profile

My name is Gabriella Salinas and I am a junior at Dana Hills High School in Dana Point, CA. I started my track and field journey during my freshman year of high school, and quickly earned my varsity position. I have always loved to run since I was little and I often trained with my dad, who used to run marathons. I discovered my passion for jumping in seventh grade when I joined my school’s track team. Unfortunately, shortly after committing myself to track and field, I was forced to end my season due to the COVID-19 quarantine lockdown. I was able to officially begin my track career in freshman year and soon learned that long and triple jump were my favorite events.

I have always been athletic, and throughout my life, I have tried many different sports. I started gymnastics at the age of 2 and competed for 5 years. I was also a competitive swimmer for 2 years and played club soccer for 4 years. As soon as I started track, I realized that it was my passion and I immediately knew that I wanted to pursue jumping at the collegiate level.

I received the Rising Star award and my Varsity letter at the end of my freshman season and I also received the track MVP award at the end of my sophomore season. During the 2023 season, I assisted my high school coach by teaching the necessary techniques to incoming long and triple jumpers so that they could succeed. My strong communication and teamwork skills allowed me to make positive contributions to the team. 

During my sophomore year, I gained the most points at meets out of anyone on the team.  Off-season I devote myself to weight training weekly and private training with Soka University’s coach, Ryan Sanders. 

I pride myself on being an extremely hard worker who stays focused under pressure. I strive for academic and athletic success. When I am on the track I always put my total effort into practices and meets. I constantly set goals for myself with my primary goal being a competitive jumper at the college level. I want to attend a college that has an academic and athletic balance because I believe that it is necessary to receive a quality education while dedicating myself to track and field.