SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Recent St. Francis graduate Ari Miggins will continue her water polo career at American River College this fall.

“They have a really strong team and I like the training schedule,” said Miggins. “(Head Coach) Bethani (Black) has a similar coaching style to St Francis Head Coach Heather Moody so I know I can fit in easily.”

Miggins played in 21 games as a senior, making 148 saves while allowing just 69 goals.

“I have improved tremendously after barely knowing how to play my freshman year,” said Miggins. “As a freshman I had no idea what I was doing. As a senior, I could help run drills and had a high block percentage.”

Head Coach Heather Moody was really happy with her growth.

“I am extremely proud of her,” said Moody. “Coming out for a sport she was not comfortable doing as a freshman and making the commitment to stick it out and grow and improve. She put the time in during the offseason and showed improvement in the pool every year. It helped her build her confidence overall by competing in athletics. I am so excited for her and what she has in store at ARC.”

Miggins, who plans to study film production while minoring in music, chose the school for the strong theatre and film program. She was an active member of the St. Francis Technical Theatre program during her time on campus.

She coordinated the sound for the St. Francis production of Two Gentleman of Verona last year.

“The sound itself is like another character in the play,” said Miggins.

The Folsom resident said her Senior Night was her favorite moment from the season because of everything it signified for her.

“Senior night this year and getting to play that game was really impactful for me,” recalled Miggins. “It made me realize how far I have come in my time at St. Francis. I have people who care about me and I can rely on them in and outside of the pool. It helped me become strong with my team.”

Miggins will work with a TAG agreement with Long Beach State to transfer after finishing her requirements at ARC.

 “I am going to do whatever I can to transfer as a junior in two years and improve as an athlete,” said Miggins.

Miggins is the 19th student-athlete from the Class of 2018 to commit to play sports in college.