Pioneer Athlete Spotlight on Samantha Bravo Ortega, Mt. Diablo High
Name: Samantha Bravo Ortega
School: Mt. Diablo High School
Grade: Junior
Sport: Tennis
CONCORD, CA (Oct. 8, 2024) — In a season where her team hasn’t had many rewards in terms of wins and losses, Bravo leads the Mt. Diablo High girls tennis team by example.
“I love coming to practice, I learn and have so much fun, I just can’t wait to go see my team every day,” says the junior captain.
Head coach Ryan Leuschen says Bravo took the No. 1 singles position when she joined the team a year ago and has never relinquished it. In every match she faces the other school’s top player, who have many more years of tennis experience than Bravo. “She has not had much success in terms of her record against the league, but she still leads the team with integrity and upholds the values that we have set and expect from all of our players,” her coach says.
Assistant coach Olin Caban says, “Samantha who is one of our team captains is not only a role model to her teammates. She also is an inspiration to us coaches. She is the quintessential student scholar athlete. She leads by example in the classroom and on the court. Some of the qualities that come to mind about Samantha is that she is accountable, humble, determined, resilient, optimistic and, lastly, respectful. The first time seeing Samantha practice and hit a tennis ball. I knew she was special. Her work ethic speaks volumes. She is a driven and dedicated individual who will spend hours after and outside of practice trying to hone her craft. The easiest way I can describe Samantha is that she carries herself with a ‘white belt’ mentality; meaning she is humble and always open to learn new things and grow from all experiences.”
Bravo says she played soccer with her sister before entering middle school. However, it was tennis that most interested her. “My mom was the one that taught me tennis growing up. Before I joined the team, all the knowledge I had about tennis was through my mom. She was my sometimes coach. Honestly, I didn’t really know about many sports in the fall when I started high school as a freshman, so I didn’t play tennis because I was unaware. I’m glad I joined my sophomore year. I do wish I started sooner.”
Coach Leuschen adds, “Samantha is the epitome of what a student athlete should and needs to be. She puts academics as her first priority-excelling in the classroom, attending College Now–and then brings that same mentality to the court, pushing and motivating her teammates to get better every practice. As the captain of our team, she stands as the best role model with admirable character and leadership.”
Bravo enjoys splitting her academic classes between Mt. Diablo and Diablo Valley College. “My music class is an official college class. I take U.S. History and English 3 as my high school classes. For my college classes I was required to take music but I chose math as well because it is one of my passions and hopefully part of my future career. After high school, I hope to go to a university to major in engineering. I still have a lot to think about when considering a university, but my dream is to find a school that is a great fit and get an amazing education to do well and eventually become an Engineer!”
The Pioneer congratulates Samantha and thanks Athlete Spotlight sponsors Dr. Laura Lacey & Dr. Christopher Ruzicka who have been serving the Clayton and Concord area for over three decades at Family Vision Care Optometry.
Do you know a young athlete who should be recognized? Perhaps he or she has shown exceptional sportsmanship, remarkable improvement or great heart for the sport. Send your nomination for the Pioneer Athlete Spotlight today to sports@pioneerpublishers.com.
Read more Pioneer Athlete Spotlights.
Jay Bedecarré
Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.