In a short time, she had to adjust to a different language, culture and education system. Even the sport of tennis was different.

�gI used to play on clay courts,�h Raygada said, �gand the transition to hardcourts was just as hard as moving to the U.S.�h

Maria Raygada

Still, the fierce competitor who worked her way to a national ranking in Peru wasn't about to give up on fulfilling her dreams here.

Raygada quickly gained a top 20 ranking in Southern California and advanced to this season's quarterfinals of the San Diego Section singles tournament.

She was equally focused in the classroom, taking a heavy load of Advanced Placement courses at Eastlake High, where the senior stands 20th in a class of more than 600.

Raygada has earned a scholarship to play tennis at USD, where she plans to study international relations.

�gI'm interested in international concerns,�h said Raygada, who is also an accomplished table tennis player and speaks three languages. �gI think this is because I'm from a different country. I do community service at the International Rescue Committee, where I get to interact with refugees from all over the world.�h

Raygada is among eight Captains named to the Union-Tribune All-Academic Team for fall high school sports. The Captain's award represents each sport's Student-Athlete of the Year.

In Sunday's editions, the Union-Tribune recognized 4,570 juniors and seniors as members of the All-Academic Team for maintaining a 3.0 or higher cumulative grade-point average while playing a California Interscholastic Federation-approved varsity sport.

Selection of the Captains and the 90 members of the All-Academic First Teams was based on academic and athletic achievement and overall leadership.

Football

A talented three-sport athlete, Shields could have pursued football or baseball in college. But even with Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn calling to invite him to play baseball at San Diego State, the Mesa League Offensive Player of the Year believes his best bet is on the gridiron.

Not to say that he may not become an Aztec after all.

SDSU is among a handful of programs recruiting Shields, a 6-5, 230-pound wide receiver who also plays basketball. His school choice is still undecided, but Shields knows exactly what he wants to study.

�gI wish to become an engineer of some kind one day and make a difference in the world,�h said Shields, who scored 1,820 on the SAT and is the top student in his class based on unweighted GPA. �gChemistry and physics classes have also been very fun and intriguing for me, and that is why I'm planning on majoring in engineering in college.�h

Field hockey

Standing 5-11, Peterson looks more like the starting forward for the Eagles basketball team than the top scorer on the varsity field hockey squad the past three years.

But for Peterson, picking up field hockey as a high school freshman just seemed to make sense.

�gIt was similar to soccer, which I played for 10 years,�h Peterson said. �gI have always been one of the tallest players, which most people thought would hinder my performance, but it seemed to work.

�gBesides,�h she added, �gthe sticks looked cool.�h

Peterson is as dedicated to her studies as she is quick with a smile. Ranked in the top 10 percent of her class, Peterson will attend the University of Richmond next year, where she has earned a field hockey scholarship and done her part to prove the sport's best talent isn't isolated on the East Coast.

�gField hockey is definitely a growing sport on the West Coast,�h said Peterson, who also has earned numerous honors as a Girl Scout the past 12 years. �g(California) has started to acquire a name for itself (in the sport).�h

Boys water polo

Considered among the top young water polo players in the nation, Friedrich has had the opportunity to travel abroad with the U.S. Water Polo Youth National Team.

For Friedrich, it was an experience he will never forget.

�gI spent three years working for that accomplishment,�h said Friedrich, who scored 1,950 on the SAT. �gIt required a series of long and tough tryouts.�h

The payoff came in a pool in Croatia, where Friedrich – who is also a competitive bodyboarder – started against the best young teams from around the world.

Friedrich, who will play water polo at USC next year, hopes to continue building his international experience and plans to study business.

Girls volleyball

Volleyball, soccer, track. For most high school student-athletes, one sport is plenty by itself.

Casey not only competes year-round in two of the three sports but still manages to rank in the top 4 percent in her class.

�gMost people think my schedule creates stress, but in fact, without it, I probably couldn't have done what I have – athletics is the ultimate stress relief,�h said Casey, who scored 2,130 on the SAT. �gMy time management skills became very efficient because I was forced to (use time wisely) if I wanted to do all those things.�h

A skilled libero, Casey helped Bishop's advance to the San Diego Section and Southern California Regional finals in Division IV. Along the way, the Knights also upended rival Francis Parker, a feat Casey describes as one of her proudest moments.

Casey recently received her acceptance to Yale, where she will continue playing volleyball next fall.

Girls golf

As a youngster, Howe first stepped onto the golf course as a way to spend time with her dad, Bill. Nowadays, the roles have been reversed.

�gHe plays golf to spend time with me,�h said Howe, who scored 1,880 on the SAT. �gHe always loves tagging along for my tournaments. He is there to support me no matter if I fail or succeed.�h

That support comes in handy as Howe competes all over the country in tournaments year-round while preparing for a college career at Gonzaga.

Howe also was a part of Poway's state championship team in 2006, an experience she won't soon forget.

�gWhen they announced the winner of the state championship, we went wild,�h Howe recalled.

Howe plans to study either business management or accounting.

Boys cross country

For Enowitz to be at the top of his sport, it's no surprise to learn he spends hours each day running long distances.

But what might be less expected is how much time he spends sitting behind a desk, tutoring students from elementary to high school in math.

�gI love tutoring students,�h said Enowitz, who is ranked in the top 1 percent of his class of 250. �gI tutor five or six times a week with 12 different students. This has given me the opportunity to help them when they struggle academically.�h

Enowitz will take his passion and drive to the East Coast next year, where he plans to attend MIT. Enowitz, who scored 2,170 on the SAT, is considering a major in mathematics or economics.

�g(I want to) eventually teach and coach at a university,�h he said.

Girls cross country

Hardly a cross country race has been run in the San Diego Section that didn't end with Andrews' name at or near the top.

That type of success carried over to the classroom as well.

�gMy favorite classes in high school were AP U.S. History taught by Bob Sisler and sculpture taught by Ron Lenc,�h said Andrews, who scored 1,950 on the SAT. �gThe history class challenged me but allowed me to be successful through my hard work and capturing some of the passion and knowledge that Mr. Sisler had for it.

�gThe art class assisted me in developing my creative side, and Mr. Lenc taught me countless elements of art.�h

Andrews is still weighing her options for next year. She plans to continue running and is interested in studying nutrition.

Nicole Vargas: (619) 293-1390; nicole.vargas@uniontrib.com