High School Sports:

Pictured L-R: Kerry Welsh & Kirsten Lindner

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

When judged on their individual athletic prowess alone, Kerry Welsh and Kirsten Lindner are impressive young ladies.

Welsh played soccer all four years for the Tartans and Lindner was a mainstay for the GHS water polo and golf programs.

But when considering Welsh has a weighted GPA of 4.6 and Lindner’s is 4.49, the Tartans duo reached new heights, and the school took notice.

Welsh was named the GHS girls scholar athlete of the year and Lindner earned the title of female athlete of the year.

Kerry Welsh earned a full academic scholarship and will attend Loyola Marymount University in the fall.

As mentioned, she finished with a 4.6 weighted GPA and that includes having taken 11 AP classes.

Along with her four years for the soccer program, Welsh also spent her freshman season on the swim team.

Lelani Pasillas and Josephine Juarez led the Tartans with nine goals apiece in 2019-20, and Welsh’s four scores was good for third best.

But as much she enjoyed the time with her buddies on a soccer field, Welsh has always been academically driven.

In fact, her acumen for math and science are off the charts.

“I’m ambitious when it comes to academics, and I learned from a young age that learning was important, so I’ve always valued that,” Welsh said. “I never went to school with a bad attitude, because I knew there was something new that I could learn each day.”

Welsh calls herself a math girl and says one day she’d like to get into medical school and work in pediatrics or neurology.

Her two favorite teachers over the last four years were Mr. Hart (AP History AP Seminar), and Miss Reigstad (AP English).

Kerry’s parents, Albert and Chiarra, play a big role in her life.

“My dad has sacrificed so much for us and the thing I respect most about him is how courteous he is to everyone, including strangers. He’s also a very selfless man, who began working from home so he could pick me up from school,” Welsh said. “My mom graduated from college in the Philippines before moving to United States to become a physical therapist. She’s extremely hard working and someone I admire a great deal.”

Welsh treasures the bonds she’s built on and off the soccer field at GHS and intends to remain in contact with them throughout her life.

She said simply, “my friends made me happy and I can’t thank them enough for that.”

She also wanted to thank head coach Steve Jimenez and assistant coach, Jonathan Ortiz, for all they did, including life lessons and a passion for the sport of soccer.

Welsh appreciates very much the fact that when extra time was needed to study for big tests, she got it from her coaches.

In return, she earned their respect.

“Kerry was a team-first player that has a lot of character,” Jimenez said. “She worked hard to not only be a solid soccer player, but she was a great friend to her teammates and she gave us everything she had. We know soccer is just part of an athlete’s life and there are life lessons to be learned. I think Kerry is going to be successful in anything she does, because of her work ethic, character and intelligence.”

Kirsten Lindner was a two-sport star.

And the pace between the two couldn’t have been more stark.

Lindner was part of a record-setting girls water polo team that earned GHS its first Palomares League championship in school history, as well as a trip to the CIF-SS Division 4 title game.

La Serna edged the Tartans, 14-12, that day in Irvine.

But not before GHS racked up 29 wins.

Lindner provided nine goals, 26 assists and 52 steals for the Tartans.

What made the senior so valuable for the program was how versatile she became and her willingness to fill any role over the years.

When Alba Espinar Gomez came in, she inherited a program that had gone a combined 28-30 in the two years before her arrival.

In her first two years at the helm, the Tartans have won 58 games and dropped just 10, which includes a 7-2 mark in the CIF-SS playoffs.

“Coach Alba Espinar Gomez came in and we weren’t very good to start,” Lindner said. “But she got us to come together, work hard and accept our roles and we were on the verge of winning a CIF championship. There were so many firsts this past season and it was so much fun to be part of. I took on a bigger role as both a player and a leader, and I just wanted to do anything I could to help us win games.”

Lindner was a three-year starter in water polo and a four-year star for the golf program.

It’s Lindner’s skills in golf, however, that will allow her to attend Hawaii Pacific and to reside in a state that most come to vacation.

“I had more fun playing water polo, because it’s quicker and it’s a team sport, but I knew if I was going to play a sport in college, it was going to have to be golf. I loved my teammates and both teams, though, and hope to remain friends for life with all of them.”

It should be mentioned that Lindner is exceptionally bright as well, and that included having just one ‘B” over her four years at GHS.

Her favorite teacher was Mr. Montgomery (AP Environmental Science).

Lindner’s parents, Robert and Lori Lindner, also play a big role in her life.

“They are selfless and loving parents, who always push me to be the best student and person that I can be,” she said. “I am so thankful for all the sacrifices and love they’ve shown me over my life.”

Glendora’s Alba Espinar Gomez has done remarkable things with the GHS water polo program in her two years and she said that couldn’t have been done without the “selflessness, versatility and character type athletes like Kirsten, who gave this program and her teammates everything that was asked of her and more.”