On Nov. 19, 2025, Campolindo held its National Signing Day, celebrating the commitment of six exceptional athletes to continue their athletic and academic careers at the collegiate level. The hard work and dedication of these athletes to their sport were celebrated by the Campolindo community, parents, teams, and friends. Congratulations to the six seniors, Grace Charles, Leo McDonough, Sydney Kring, Lilly Schmidt, Ella Binney, and Jack Elder, who will all be competing in college.
Charles is an astounding soccer player attending the University of Oregon, starting as soon as the start of 2026, where she will be graduating early to get a head start on her collegiate career. Grace attended IMG Academy, a notable boarding school for athletes who dream of playing in college, but she transferred to Campolindo after her freshman year. Charles plays for the Lamorinda Soccer Club and has been on Campolindo’s varsity team every year since she arrived here. She is excited to play in college and can’t wait to get started training with the coaching staff and team at Oregon.
McDonough will be playing golf at Cal Poly. McDonough is a notable member of the Campolindo Golf Team, having succeeded in many tournaments. He commented on how grateful he is for his commitment, thanking his coaches now and the Cal Poly coaches for the opportunity. “Most importantly, I want to thank my parents for being there every step of the way”.
The girls’ water polo team produced three outstanding players who continued to college for their sport. Schmidt, a bright face around campus, will be attending Claremont-McKenna College in Southern California. She began playing in fourth grade and only decided to play in college after meeting the coaches and team at Claremont-McKenna, “I wanted a university dedicated to both water polo and academics”. Binney is committed to San Diego State University, also in Southern California. She has been playing since childhood, and is overjoyed to “receive the opportunity to play water polo in college.” Binney noted how grateful she was to have her family to support her throughout her recruiting journey as well.
Kring is the final girls’ water polo commit for Campo. She will be attending Arizona State University as a goalie. Kring has been on varsity water polo every season she played, winning numerous awards over the years.
The girls’ water polo team is nothing but supportive and proud, with teammates who are overjoyed for Lilly, Ella, and Sydney. Senior Cailin Williams spoke about how Sydney Kring impacted the team, “She’s a great role model for the underclassmen, showing they have a future in the sport if they want it”. Similarly, junior Aislinn Hetke noted how inspiring it was to play with her committed teammates, “Sidney, Ella, and Lilly are all off to do amazing things, and we’re all so proud. It’s great to see their hard work pay off”.
Elder, a well-loved member of the boys’ water polo team, will be continuing his journey at San Jose State University in the fall of 2026. Elder has been playing water polo since he was nine years old, and has “been in love with the sport ever since”. He originally started playing at LAMO Waterpolo Club, and when high school began, he was pulled up to varsity for NCS his freshman year, and has played there every year since. Elder “loves the team. I love hanging out with the boys, both in and out of the pool”. He is incredibly excited to be playing in college, as it has been a lifelong dream of his, and he’s grateful to everyone who has supported him along the way.
His teammates view him as “an inspiration” and a core member of the team. Junior Will Maguy commented about how Jack is a captain with him, “He brings a great sense of leadership to the team, and I really look up to him”. Jack is not only a skilled athlete but also a great teammate. Senior Jackson Walls spoke about the impact of playing with such an accomplished person, “It’s a lot of fun to play with someone who’s really good at what they do”.
