Six Standouts Honored as Paloma Valley Athletes of Week

Back row, left to right: Marshall Tuleja, Savannah Aaron, Olivia Meyer. Front row, left to right: Symone Carreno, Lucero Morales, Phillip Hauser.

Some of Paloma Valley High School's finest athletes are being honored today in their respective sports as the Menifee 24/7 Athletes of the Week.

Marshall Tuleja has battled through injuries to have a successful season for the boys cross country team. He had what he considers one of his better races last week in a Sunbelt League meet at Lakeside High. Despite the injuries, he hopes to top his personal best of 16:09, established last year in the CIF postseason competition.

"I'm banged up, but I've learned to run with them," he said about the injuries. "I overcome it by staying focused on the big picture. The team needs me to score some points, so I'm working hard every day to stay in there."

Junior golfer Savannah Aaron was set to compete in the league finals this week on a par-72, 18-hole course -- a challenge for players who normally play nine holes in regular-season matches. So far this season, she has been up to every task in her performance for Paloma Valley.

"I started playing golf when I was about 8," she said. "My dad would take me along with him. I had some lessons, but I never really played competitive golf until last year."

Junior Olivia Meyer has made a huge impact on the volleyball team in her first year at the varsity level. She has shown great improvement and determination at the middle blocker position for the Wildcats, who have been solid in league play.

"We had a rough start in the preseason," she said. "I don't know what happened when league kicked in, but when we played Elsinore, we turned things around."

Symone Carreno has been a standout for the girls cross country team, posting a personal best of 20:55 in a recent meet. This is the first full varsity season for the junior.

"My coach said that race was the first race where I actually raced the whole way," she said with a smile. "Instead of having one point of the race where I'm just surviving, I've worked on racing the whole race."

Tennis standout Lucero Morales battled her way onto the varsity team this season and adjusted to a switch of doubles partners to become a key part of the Wildcats' success. She says she prefers doubles to singles.

"At first the switch from singles is tough, but once you get used to it, it's fun," she said. "Having a partner to rely on helps; you don't have to cover as much of the court."

Senior Phillip Hauser has made some key catches for the Wildcats football team, which is undefeated at 7-0 heading into Friday's game against Heritage. He has caught 13 passes for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns, including 5 catches for 117 yards against Elsinore two weeks ago.

"I haven't gotten as many catches as I hoped, but we're doing pretty good and that's what counts," he said. "I knew we could do that. This is my third year on varsity, and I feel like I'm starting to make more plays."