By Nadia Rivas
Fast, Smart, and Determined. Kiarra D’Arcangelo is the definition of an athlete.
Since the early age of 3, Kiarra has been playing soccer. She says it started with playing in the backyard with her dad and she then joined a program called “Kidz Love Soccer” where she really fell in love with the sport and picked up the skills fairly quickly. By kindergarten, she joined a team where she started her competitive days and is currently playing for MVLA on the U18/19 (2006) ECNL team (“Elite Club National League” – the highest level of competitive soccer in the USA) that is currently ranked 2nd in the nation. Last year her 2005 team won the ENCL Norcal conference and they made it to the ENCL National Championships where they placed 9th in the country. Incredible!!
When she first started to run it was just exercise and fun and once she began to play soccer she did it more to accompany her mom. Then, when she hit 6th grade she joined the cross country and track and field team at Rolling Hills, where she ran competitively. She was incredible. Kiarra went on and won leagues her first year and set many school records. She mentioned that she also fell in love with running because it was another way to push herself and see what she was capable of. Then, she went on and joined a competitive running club where she competed nationally at the USTAF junior Olympics cross country with a 7-runner team and placed 2nd in the nation. Not only, but in the 4x800m relay, her team placed 2nd in the nation and she placed 7th individually in the 1500m.
Although Kiarra has had many wins, she has had some losses. During her 8th grade year, she was tackled badly which led to part of her patella tendon being torn. She was in a wheelchair, crutches, and knee brace for several months. She had to go to rehab to learn how to walk and run again properly. That took over a year and just when she was ready to begin again, the pandemic hit, which stretched the gap of her not playing or running to 18 months until her spring of freshman year. During that time away from soccer she then realized that she wanted to play soccer as long as she could and strive to competeat a high level in college. She recently decided to commit to playing soccer at Cal Poly Pomona. During this process, she had many offers from various college levels for both soccer and running. Based on her academic and athletic goals she chose a D2 school that would be strong in her major (environmental biology), where she could get a scholarship to play soccer and contribute tremendously to the team starting her freshman year. Also, it would offer her more flexibility compared to D1 in orderto participate in academic research/internship opportunities. Kiarra will leave a forever mark on Westmont as an outstanding person and athlete. She is the best!!
Q&A
What awards have you received?
For high school sports, I have been a captain of the WHS soccer team for 3 years, and last year I won the BVAL-STL soccer MVP award, was the top goal scorer in our league, was named to the All-League First Team, and won Westmont Girls Soccer MVP. Also, I helped our team win the BVAL- STL league champions title.
For Cross Country, I helped the girls team earn BVAL- A league champions in 2021, won “WHS Most Improved” in 2022, qualified for CCS in 2021, 2022, 2023, and the highest WHS girls point earner in leagues in 2023.
In track, I am a 2-time BVAL league champion for 800m (2021, 2023), and for the 4x400m relay (2021, 2022), MHAL league champion for 1600m (2023), and a 3-time CCS Finalist (4x400m relay -2021, 800m – 2022, 2023).
Outside of high school, I have competed in a lot of soccer tournaments, cross country and track races, and futsal (version of indoor soccer) tournaments and have won many titles in those sports. In club soccer, last season I helped my team win the ECNL Norcal Conference Champions title and place 9th in the nation in the ECNL National Playoffs.he previous year, we made it to Round of 16 of the ECNL National Playoffs (finishing 13th). In futsal, I helped lead my team to the Regional Championship title in 2016, 2018, and 2019 and won the USA Futsal National Championship in 2016, 2017, 2018.
I also received an achievement award for my TED-Ed talk on “Addressing the Female Athlete Triad Condition” which I presented at Rolling Hills in 2020.
What moment are you proud of?
The moment I am most proud of is receiving my college soccer scholarship letter from Cal Poly Pomona, because it was the culmination of all my hard work and dedication throughout the years, leading me to this amazing opportunity and accomplishment. As I was signing my commitment letter, I was most proud of myself at that moment because I was able to reflect on my determination, perseverance, and meticulous process over the past few years to find the college that best fits me in terms of academics, athletics, student environment, and location.
Is it hard to manage school with so much on your plate?
I have a busy schedule with school, homework, my sports practices (many times it’s multiple sports in a day), my coaching job, volunteer work, and other activities. It requires a lot of effort to set priorities, manage my time to fit everything in, and ensure that I still maintain a high level of academics. It also helps to diligently manage my nutrition and sleep (which takes a toll sometimes) to ensure I am ready to take on my extremely busy days.
Favorite memory playing any of these sports?
I have many memorable moments but one that comes to mind is from the ECNL National Championships when I took a corner kick and saw my shot bend and go directly into the top corner of the goal, helping my team win an important game.
Do you have a routine before any match/race?
Right before I start any race or any match I have this short routine – I do a drill called “open the gate and close the gate” for both legs, jump twice, and shake my legs out. Also, I always wear my specific pink headband, and I have a few preferred “pre-competition meals/foods” that I like to eat, which I think help fuel me the best.
Could you tell me more about you like other activities you participated in outside of school or at school or just anything more that you can share?
One of my favorite activities is volunteeringweekly at the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, where I can help care for and rehabilitate native animals, such as turkey vultures, coyotes, owls, skunks, opossums, squirrels, etc. It’s cool and I have learned a lot about native species, which fits in with my interest in environmental science. I also do private coaching with young soccer players, typically 2 days per week. I enjoy the aspect of instructing, sharing my knowledge and skills, and seeing them eager to develop into better players.
Also, at school, I do Peer Tutoring for Mrs. McLellan’s IM2 class, which is another opportunity for me to help instruct younger students. As well, I am a member of LIFE Crew, which has been a good experience, helping freshmen get acclimated to Westmont.
In my free time, some of my hobbies are golfing with my dad, baking and cooking, reading, hiking with my family or friends, trail running, and recently trying 5k road race events with my mom.
What are you looking forward to this year?
For the remainder of this year, I am looking forward to Soccer Senior Night because it has always been such a memorable night for my past teammates, so I can’t wait to experience it for myself. I am also really looking forward to Track season and competing in League meets for my final season.
After the school year ends, my club soccer team will again play in the ECNL National Championships, being held in Seattle. I am looking forward to that opportunity to play against other high-level teams, show my skills, and have my family there to support me in playing my final club games.
Finally, I have made it my goal to try many new things this year and make special memories with family and friends before I leave for college.
What will you miss most about Westmont?
I will miss my long-time school friends, my coaches, the many people I have met here, and the community I have been fortunate enough to be a part of. It will be hard to leave my friends and the support system I have built here at Westmont, but I know they have helped prepare me for future challenges and I will stay in touch.
Who has been your biggest supporter throughout all of this?
My family and especially my mother has been my biggest supporter through everything. She is always there for me to cheer me on, help pick me up when I fall, offer guidance and advice when I need it, and celebrate with me when I achieve my goals. She shows she loves me unconditionally and has done so much for me, I feel I am the person, student, and athlete I am today thanks to her!
How would others describe you?
Determined, hardworking, mature, knowledgeable, leader, compassionate, competitive, open-minded, even-tempered, and athletic.