Graduate Tara Levens, who has swam at both Gunn and Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics (PASA), now swims for the University of Chicago.

Levens said college swimming is very similar to her past experiences. “My training schedule is almost the same now as it was in high school except now I put in additional time for weight lifting,” she said.

At the University of Chicago, Levens has thus far received numerous awards and titles. She holds the school record in the 50 meter freestyle, 100 meter backstroke and 200 meter backstroke, was part of four relays that also broke school records and received an All-University Athletic Association honors in the 200 meter backstroke. She was also named Most Valuable Player and Rookie-of-the-Year for the 2008-2009 season.

Levens says that she loves college swimming. “There’s a great sense of team camaraderie that I never really felt as part of the Gunn team or even, to some extent, my club team,” she said. “Since we all go to school, swim, eat and live together, we are a really tight-knit group.” Although Levens doesn’t see swimming professionally in her future, she says she will continue to swim as long as she can.

Alumnus Adam Juratovac is currently a senior at the University of Idaho (UI), where he plays football.

Juratovac was recruited by UI while at Gunn, however he red-shirted his freshman year, meaning he took an additional year off in order to accommodate for a year of illness, injury and other conflicts.

Compared to Gunn football, Juratovac says college football is a full-time job. “During the fall, not including traveling, we spent at least 30 hours a week working on football related things,” Juratovac said. For home games, the team goes to a hotel 45 minutes away the Friday before their game. “We’re technically on the road every weekend during the season,” Juratovac said.

During his college football career, Juratovac has been named a member of the all-academic team for his conference, an honor awarded to only fifteen students who excel in athletics as well as academics. In his sophomore year, his first official year of playing, Juratovac received an honorable mention for the freshmen All-American team.

Juratovac hopes to be able to play professionally, and can start talking to those teams his senior year. “I’m definitely keeping my options open,” he said

Alumnus Alex Guzinski now plays soccer for Yale University after playing varsity soccer at Gunn for three and half a years.

Guzinski’s career began with his experience in high school and his desire to pursue the sport. “Growing up by Stanford, playing division I soccer quickly became a goal of mine,” Guzinski said.

Guzinski said club soccer and the coaching he received in high school were defining factors in his recruitment. “What I have achieved is definitely a result of [my coaches’] hard work and dedication in developing me athletically, ” he said.

According to Guzinski, confidence was what help him succeed in the college level of play. “The confidence I established at Gunn really helped me transition from Gunn to Yale,” he said. “It is a huge step into the unknown, and it’s really important to have that confidence instilled in you. That way, you know what you have to do to excel.”

In his freshman year at Yale, Guzinski’s team won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament, which was a big dream of his. “It’s an awesome time,” Guzinski said. “Similar to Gunn, the camaraderie that exists with my teammates isn’t accessible in any other environment.

Guzinski was recently chosen to be captain for his team in his senior year, which he says is a huge honor.

Soccer mid fielder and alumnus Andrew Jacobson has traveled the depths of professional soccer.

Prior to his professional career, Jacobson played for the University of California Berkeley, where he scored 11 goals and received many awards, including NCAA first team All-American, and Pac-10 player of the year.

Jacobson was selected in the 2008 Major League Soccer (MLS) draft by D.C. United, but signed with FC Lorient of the French first division. Jacobson had to quit the team shortly after being drafted due to an injury. Later in the year, he was drafted to the U.S. National Futbal Team and played at the Futbal World Cup in Brazil.

He officially made his MLS debut when D.C. United kicked off the season on March 22 at the Los Angeles Galaxy.