There’s no other way to put it, this was a special spring sports season for desert high school athletes.

We are unveiling our Desert Sun top spring athletes where we pick the top desert star in each of the eight spring sports, and this eight-pack is particularly decorated.

Of course, we’ve got league champions, all-league selections and desert record-breakers in the mix, but there’s much more with this group.

Three of the eight are juniors who have already committed to Division 1 schools. Three of these athletes reached the state meet and proved they are among the best in California. And one helped her team accomplish something that’s never been done before in desert history.

It’s time to meet the truly Elite 8 athletes who make up our Desert Sun Top Spring Athletes for 2025.

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Ava Otteson, Palm Desert

Sport: Swimming

What she did: Otteson, a junior at Palm Desert, was the only desert swimmer to qualify for the CIF State meet where she finished as the seventh-fastest swimmer in the state in the 200-yard freestyle (1:50.51). This came a few weeks after winning two CIF-SS Division 3 titles, one in the 200 freestyle and one as part of the 4-by-50 relay team. She also finished second in the 100 freestyle. At the DEL meet, she won and set league records in the 50-yard freestyle (24.25) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:59.36), the shortest and longest races in the meet. In recent days, Otteson committed to continue her swim career after she graduates in 2026 at UCLA. Congrats!

GET TO KNOW AVA

Favorite food: Definitely still pasta, I love a good chicken alfredo, specifically. Yeah, it’s pasta.

Favorite music: I’m listening to Ocean Alley. I was just put onto them, but they are really good. Mainstream stuff like Olivia Rodrigo. And I like Laufey, sort of like a kind of like jazzy and soft and whimsical. I love her.

Athlete I look up to: I’d say Katie Ledecky. I mean obviously she’s amazing, but to to see her come back after like eight years and break her own records again. I was shocked and I think it even shocked her.

And your senior year next year? Looking to keep improving, keep building upon my career in high school. Hopefully break some more records, maybe even some of my own records and just have a good year at CIF and State.

Anelisa Garcia, Rancho Mirage

Sport: Softball

What she did: Well, she made history. She was the best player on the first desert softball team ever to win a CIF-SS title. Garcia, a senior, was the starting pitcher and a clutch hitter for the Rancho Mirage Rattlers who took home the CIF-SS Division 7 title in Irvine, beating Culver City in the title game. They also won two state regional games before being ousted so that’s seven consecutive playoff wins. Garcia was a first-team all-DEL performer. She hit .379 on the year with six home runs including a clutch homer to help her team win their quarterfinal. She had 32 runs scored and 32 RBIs. As a pitcher she was not a strikeout artist but a reliable performer who had 19 wins by keeping opposing teams off balance. She pitched a four-hit shutout in the team’s first playoff game, and she did not allow an earned run in the 7-3 championship win over Culver City.

GET TO KNOW ANELISA

Favorite food: Burritos, I love any and all burritos. My No. 1 is a California burrito.

Favorite music: I listen to a lot of slow-jam type music. My favorite artist is probably Daniel Caesar. I also like R&B, I listen to a lot of different types.

Binge-watching anything? Marvel shows. I like all of them. Binge-watch them, re-watch them. I like them all. I’m into superhero stuff.

Softball player you admire: I’ve always loved Rachel Garcia (former UCLA star). It’s kind of cliche, because she’s so good, but she signed my water bottle. I’ve seen her a couple times at the Mary Nutter. She’s definitely someone I look up to. She used to pitch and she hits it really hard. I want to be like her.

Next year plans: I’m going to Long Beach State, and I’d like to try to walk onto the softball team. I was going there originally as pre-psychology, but I’m hoping to study neuroscience. Everything about the brain is so interesting to me.

Luke Ringkamp, Palm Desert

Sport: Golf

What he did: A junior at Palm Desert High School, Ringkamp led the Aztecs to another undefeated season in the Desert Empire League. At the Champions Invitational at Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort in Palm Springs, a tournament packed with the top teams from throughout California, Ringkamp fired a three-round total of 18-under, breaking the tournament record he set one year earlier, as the Aztecs won the title. In the postseason, Ringkamp advanced to the CIF-Southern Section individual finals, where his 4-under 67 at Temecula Creek Inn earned him a tie for second place and helped the Aztecs advance to the CIF-SCGA tournament as a team. Ringkamp has committed to play college golf at Pepperdine when he graduates in 2026.

GET TO KNOW LUKE

Favorite food: Can’t go wrong with sushi especially when it’s near the beach. In the desert my favorite spot is Musashi, great sushi (and) nice people.

Pro golfers I look up to: Perspective of the game-wise like staying present it’s Scottie Scheffler. It’s really resonated with me, but I wouldn’t want to copy his swing. Swing-wise, I like Ludwig Aberg, he’s a robot. Fun to watch-wise, I like Justin Thomas always puts on a good show. And then I like my guys from Pepperdine, Joe Highsmith, Sahith Theegala. They’re playing great right now.

Favorite music: Heavy enthusiast of reggae. Going to a Cali Vibes reggae concert soon. The message in it resonates with me, like if you break down the lyrics. The vibe is fantastic, first thing I listen to in the morning and last thing at night.

Jake Brande, Palm Desert

Sport: Baseball

What he did: Brande, a 6-foot-7 junior, made a major impact on the Aztecs’ baseball team which went 15-0 and won the Desert Empire League title. He was 8-1 as a starting pitcher with a 1.31 ERA, which included 52 strikeouts and just 14 walks. He had six complete games. He also hit .321 at the plate for the undefeated Aztecs. He was named a first-team All-DEL performer. He has committed to pitch at Long Beach State after he graduates in 2026.

GET TO KNOW JAKE

Favorite food: Let’s go with home-cooked steak.

Music: It ranges a lot, whatever I’m feeling. Could go from classic rock to rap in a couple minutes. For the most part I’d like to say classic rock, like Journey bands like that.

Pro baseball player I admire: Even though I am a Padres fan, I do like watching Tyler Glasnow pitch (Dodgers pitcher of similar height and hairstyle to Brande). But Petco Park where the Padres play is like my heaven on Earth.

Nickname: Big Bird. Estevan Valencia called me Big Bird one time and it stuck. Everyone started calling me that and now I’ve fully absorbed it. Sometimes I flap my wings after a hit or things like that.

Dream vacation spot: The Swiss Alps, I’d love to see that. I’ve tried skiing but the skills aren’t great. Just a different way of life I’d want to see.

Jack Reardon, Xavier Prep

Sport: Swimming

What he did: Reardon, a senior, broke his own Desert Empire League record in the 200-IM this year, becoming the first person to break the 2-minute mark in that race in DEL history with a time of 1:59.66. He added another DEL meet record in the 100-yard backstroke, which he won in a blazing time of 54.66 seconds. Both times were his fastest of the year in those events. He then took seventh in the CIF-SS Division 3 meet in the 100 backstroke, besting his DEL time with a 54.10. Reardon will continue his swim career in college at Biola University in La Mirada.

GET TO KNOW JACK

Favorite food: Might have to go with the chicken and rice. As bland as that is, I love it.

Music: Surf Punk. Beachy stuff, some Australian Indie groups. I love Skegss. Skegss is probably my favorite band right now.

Swimmer: Definitely Ryan Lochte. He’s a great role model and inspiration especially in the backstroke. He’s someone I look up to.

Binge-watching anything? Not binge-watching anything right now, but I am waiting for that new season of “Stranger Things” to come out. So I’ll be on that when it drops.

Dream vacation spot: Probably say the Bahamas just so I can surf a little. Love the beach. I think I’m a good surfer, I can stay up. Haven’t had a chance to go to the surf clubs in the desert yet, but I’m excited to.

Malia Strange, Xavier Prep

Sport: Track and field

What she did: Strange, only a sophomore, made it to the State meet and finished the year as the fifth-best triple jumper in the state. She had a leap of 38 feet, 5.75 inches in the championship round. It wasn’t her best of the year, that was a 39-7.25 at the Arcadia meet. She was the only desert track star to qualify for the Masters Meet in two events (long jump and triple jump). At the DEL meet, she won and set league records in the high jump, triple jump, long jump and 100 hurdles.

GET TO KNOW MALIA

Favorite food: My dad bought croissants from Costco recently and I can’t stop eating them. I need to stop, but it’s hard.

Favorite music: I just kind of bounce around to a lot of different things, listening mostly to Daniel Caesar right now.

Binge-watching anything?: Not right now. I’m kind of keeping up with “Love Island” a little bit. Mostly waiting for other shows to come back like “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”

Track athlete I look up to: Mostly like Tara Davis (American who won gold medal in long jump in 2024 Olympics), and also Sydney McLaughlin (American gold medal winner in last two Olympics). I try to pick up what they’re doing, but it’s hard, they’re so good.

Dilen Kakar, Palm Desert

Sport: Tennis

What he did: Kakar was the No. 1 singles player on the No. 1 team in the desert as he helped lead the Aztecs to another league title. In the Desert Empire League meet, he played doubles instead of singles and won a DEL title with his partner David Kang. Back at singles, Kakar won all three of his sets in a narrow 10-8 opening-round CIF-SS playoff win over Santa Barbara. In the CIF-SS doubles tournament, he and Kang made the semifinals. Next year, Kakar will attend USC, where he will major in business administration with an emphasis in finance and a minor in applied analytics and accounting. He said he hopes to make time for some club tennis on campus.

GET TO KNOW DILEN

Favorite food: Sushi. If I could, I would travel the world and try different fish from everywhere.

Favorite music: I’m a big fan of music from the 70’s and 80’s. Love Billy Joel, The Eagles and Elton John.

Binge-watching anything? I just finished watching “Prison Break” on Netflix, but my family and I just took a 13-hour flight so I downloaded my favorite episodes of “Modern Family” to watch again.

Favorite pro tennis player: Alexander Zverev is definitely my favorite tennis player. His game is one that I try to model mine after. I’ve met him a couple times and every time I do, he always makes time to say “Hi” and take a picture. During the BNP, he was taking part in an Adidas photo shoot in my neighborhood and had the opportunity to speak with different members of his team.

Jax Penny, Palm Desert

Sport: Track and Field

What he did: Penny, a sophomore whose first name is Kingston but he goes by his middle name Jax, was the only desert boy to make the state track meet where he finished as the 17th fastest 300-meter hurdler in the state with his time of 38.69 seconds after finishing seventh in the same event at the CIF-SS finals. Penny won the same event at the DEL meet and finished second in the 400. The scary part is, the sport of track and field is new to Penny. He’s just getting started, and he said he surprised himself with every step he progressed in the postseason.

GET TO KNOW JAX

Favorite food: My grandma makes this dish called “Rasta Pasta”. It’s like a pasta in kind of like an alfredo sauce and shrimp and chicken. It’s really good.

Favorite music: Depends on my mood. I listen to a lot of different stuff. Recently, I’ve been into a lot of old Drake and even go so far as the Deftones. I like a lot of genres of music.

Binge-watching anything? Not really “Love Island” is kind of trending right now, but it’s kind of unbearable. I gave it a shot.

Track athlete you admire: To be honest, track is kind of like new to me. All my teammates will always be talking about these different guys, and I don’t know who any of them are. I do know Noah Lyles and I like his energy and his mindset, so I’d probably say him.

Next year: As a junior, I’m definitely going to put all my focus into track. I’ve been all over the place with sports, tennis, golf, water polo, football, but now that I see that track can take me somewhere, I’m focused on it. The end result is to be a doctor and if track can help take me to medical school, that’s something I’m interested in pursuing.

Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.