Eagan senior Ciara Rivera is starting her final season as a member of the Wildcats softball team.
She also played tennis for the Wildcats last fall. Here is a closer look at Rivera, who is headed to the University of Minnesota-Crookston next year:
The best movie I've seen in the last year? "Bridesmaids."
Three songs I never skip on my iPod are ... "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco, "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO, "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled.
Three words my friends or teammates might use to describe me? Driven, competitive, outgoing.
How do you balance school and sports during the year? I try very hard to maintain my grades, because they are equally important to me as sports. I use whatever free time I have after practice during the week to get my homework done ... and other times I finish in other classes.
How did you get started playing the sports you play now in high school? For one of my very first birthdays I had gotten a giant red plastic bat and would always play in the yard with my dad. I grew to love hitting and started playing softball to discover I had a natural talent for it. For tennis, I didn't start until seventh grade. My grandpa was the one who had first shown me how to play the game and is the one I will always thank for inspiring me to play tennis.
At my first varsity practice, I felt ... very intimidated to be a freshman around upperclassmen and to have a coach I knew I needed to impress, but the team was very welcoming and I fit right in with the girls.
