Seniors Kennedy Waite and Julia Gubner have committed to Brown University, an Ivy League school, after four years of academic and athletic achievement. When deciding where they would attend in the fall of 2019, Brown’s high ranking academics and Division 1 athletic status greatly appealed to both Waite for track and Gubner for softball.

Kennedy Waite runs the 100m, 200m and 4x100m for Calabasas Track and Field. She was recruited by Brown Track & Field Coach JJ Riese in the spring of her junior year, and after sorting through offers from Oberlin, Westpoint, Yale, Brown and some Division 3 offers, Waite ultimately chose to study and run at what she considers to be her dream school: Brown.

Waite began running track recreationally in the eighth grade during her tennis offseason; at the end of her freshman year after winning titles in the 100m and the 200m, Waite decided to quit tennis and focus her full attention on track. Waite now trains year round for two hours a day, six days a week.

“Tennis was never a sport where I could find my inner tiger,” said Waite. “Track somehow found a way to pull it out of me. I take the energy and passion I have for the sport to the finish line.”

Waite credits her success to her high school coach Jeff Clanagan for training and sending her to out-of-state meets and IMG Academy two summers in a row, and to her friends, parents and brothers for always attending her meets and motivating her to improve.

In school, she plans to major in computer science. Academics always come first for Waite, as she holds a 4.65 weighted GPA, but she still involves herself in several extracurriculars including singing, participating in Link Crew and leading a Confirmation group at St. Bernardine of Siena Catholic Church.

“I am blessed to be where I am today; it is insane to think that joining a sport for the joy of discovering a new talent would turn out to be the career that gets me into college,” said Waite. “It is truly amazing to see what beautiful things life has in store for each and every one of us… and this is just the beginning.”