Swinging toward greatness: Rincon/University sophomore golf standout elevates team

Rincon/University High School sophomore Ariela Trejo lives and breathes golf.

The precision sport has been a constant in her life over the last 12 years, ever since she first picked up a golf club at 3 years old.

Within the first few months of golfing alongside her older brother Tobias, she knew that golf was the sport for her.

“I was like, ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.’ That’s how much I loved it,” she said. “Golf’s my whole entire everything I live for.”

Her passion for golf has been evident in her second season with the Rincon/University golf team.

This season, she has logged multiple under-par nine-hole games, including during the school’s match against Mica Mountain and Salpointe Catholic, where she shot a -5 (32) and a -3 (32) against Catalina Foothills and Sabino.

Her personal bests include a score of 31 on nine holes and 67 on 18 holes.

“She is fantastic. She is eager to compete. She loves to compete,” said Angus Aron, the head girls golf coach at Rincon/University. “And I can’t tell you how many times this year, this season, that we’ve had to reschedule matches because of lightning, and they’re so disappointed because all they want to do is compete. And she’s a real leader. She cares about her teammates.

“She doesn’t think of herself as the only individual on the team. Because, yes, you play individually, but it’s such a team sport at the same time. … She wants everyone to succeed. She wants everyone to go to state. She wants everyone to have a memorable season. And it’s not just about one season. It’s about growing on top of each season and progressing.”

Trejo’s main goal this year is to not only make it to the state tournament herself but have her whole team make it, too.

“Last year, some seniors were my encouragement to get the team there and we did,” Trejo said. “So, this year, I feel like we should keep it up, keep the standard running, and I just feel that going to state as a team is much better than just going individually.”

Rincon/University girls golf is currently No. 14 in the state for nine-hole rounds, behind Catalina Foothills at No. 11 and Salpointe Catholic at No. 13. The rest of the top rankings belong to Phoenix-area schools.

At a few recent invitationals in Phoenix, the team finished in third place, while the team’s top two golfers in Trejo and Ellen Kwon, finished individually in the top 10 out of around 60 girls, according to Aron.

“Phoenix teams, they can be a different animal than Tucson teams,” Aron said, adding, “I was really proud of them. We’ve been competing really well.”

Last season was Trejo’s first season competing at the state level and she’s eager to make it back this year and for her final two years.

“My first state championship was a terrific experience, even though we didn’t have the scores we’d like to have, but it was an overall fun experience,” she said.

But the state tournament isn’t her only experience with elite competition. This past summer, Trejo qualified for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship in Miami, Florida.

With two full years left in her high school career, both Trejo and Aron are excited to see what she accomplishes.

“Our top five are really good, but the differentiators are Ariela (Trejo) and Ellen (Kwon),” Aron said. “Ariela is a sophomore. Ellen’s a freshman, so we have a lot of potential in the next three or four years with just these two players.”

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Big aspirations

At times, it can be challenging to balance schoolwork from the academic-focused University High, but Trejo utilizes every moment to finish her homework early, so she can get back on the golf course as soon as possible.

Her study method is working because she’s already secured a 3.5 GPA and was inducted into the National Society of High School Scholars.

As for golf, she has yet to receive any accolades for her achievements, mostly because she’s “competing with a bunch of top athletes who already committed to playing Division I golf,” she says. But don’t count her out just yet.

Her moment is destined to happen before her high school career comes to a close.

“In the next couple years, I would definitely love to see myself at the top or toward the top of the leaderboard at the state championship,” she said.

Her goals reach beyond the high school realm, though; she hopes to also become a top golfer in Southern Arizona who is committed to playing DI golf. Eventually, she wants to join the LPGA Tour.

“She continuously achieves and she can manage very well between school and golf,” Aron said. “I don’t want to say it’s a piece of cake, because it’s very difficult, but she’s able to get through everything, achieve everything that she wants. She’s only a sophomore and she shocks me every day with her abilities. So, between her leadership style and her capabilities on the course, and what she achieves in the classroom, I’m very proud of her.”

Fast Five with Ariela

What’s your favorite golf club?

It has to be either my seven iron or my nine iron. Nine is just super fun to hit. It’s like a super high spin club, and I can land it right by the hole and have it just stay there. Then my seven iron, it’s like my warm-up club every day, so I’m super comfortable with it.

What golf course in Tucson deserves a little more love?

Definitely Sewailo Golf Club because I feel like since it’s so far away, by Casino Del Sol, it’s their golf course. I feel like no one’s ever out there, and it doesn’t get as much love as it should.

Who are some of your favorite golfers?

Xander Schauffele, Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Lydia Ko and Gino Thitikul.

Where’s your dream place to play a round of golf?

I’d love to either play in Thailand or in Japan. I definitely want to play in Asia, for sure, because I feel like they have so many good golf courses there.

What’s your current favorite class?

This is a tough one, but I’ll have to say AP Chem or AP World (history). They’re challenging classes, but I feel like the curriculum being taught in them is very interesting, very intriguing.