Jackie O'Neill counts on mom (Andrea Yuen) and dad (Ralph O'Neill).
Jackie O’Neill is Cali bound.
The Punahou tennis player signed a letter of intent to play for Cal State Northridge, fulfilling a dream.
“I was able to make an unofficial visit to CSUN last year and I really fell in love with the campus, the facilities, and I’ve always wanted to go to school in California. But most importantly, I connected and got along with the coaches there,” she said.
Gary Victor is the head coach of the women’s program at CSUN.
“They instilled confidence and belief in me as a player because from the beginning of the recruiting process they always believed in me and what I could do,” O’Neill said.
She has a 3.9 grade-point average and plans to major in Economics.
“I had decided that I was going to commit about a month ago so I knew I was going to go there. But once I signed that paper it really just solidified my place at the school and I couldn’t be happier with my decision,” she said.
Last year, O’Neill teamed with Cossette Wu to reach the finals of the HHSAA State Championships. In 2018, O’Neill and Wu advanced to the semifinal round. She is also a USTA Hawaii Muriel Osborne Tennis Award winner along with Keilyn Kunitomo.
“On the court, Jackie has a true fighting spirit and I have never seen her back down,” said one of O’Neill’s personal coaches, Nikola Petrov. “She always fights until the last point and that is the trait any coach would like to see in their players.”
O’Neill has always been highly coachable.
“I really like her outgoing personality,” Petrov added. “I remember when I first met her, she was only 12 years old. I expected her to be a shy girl as most are at that age. To my surprise, she was extremely easy to communicate with. She was never scared to ask questions, which made her very coachable. I realized that it would be a pleasure to work with her and that we would form a good team.”
The tennis season is in the spring, though the specter of COVID-19 remains. The future beyond graduation, though, is bright.
“I’ve been working towards becoming a D-I athlete for a really long time and it feels like a dream come true. Honestly, it hasn’t really hit me yet but right now I’m feeling really proud and accomplished with what has happened,” O’Neill said.
She was up early on national letter of intent day to participate in the Education-1st signing event online. It was streamed on Zoom and Facebook Live at 6:20 a.m., and letters were officially signed at 7 a.m., or noon Eastern Time.
“I got up at 5 a.m., which is earlier than I’m used to, but I’ve gotten up at that time for 8 a.m. matches before and I’m also a morning person, so it wasn’t too bad,” O’Neill said.
Lockdown staples
Top 3 movies/shows
1. Gossip Girl.
2. Lucifer.
3. The Originals.
Top 3 food/snack/drink
1. Tan tan ramen, Agu.
2. Fried chicken, Popeye’s.
3. Chocolate chip cookies, McDonald’s.
Top 3 music artists
1. Ariana Grande, “POV.”
2. Omar Apollo, “Brake Lights.”
3. H.E.R., “Do To Me.”
New life skill
“I’ve gotten a lot better at cooking during the pandemic.”
Who will be the first to cry at the airport when you leave?
“I think my mom (Andrea Yuen) will be the first one to cry.”
Shout outs
“I wanna shout out to my friends and family who have helped me along my journey. I especially wanna say thank you to my parents (Ralph O’Neill and Andrea Yuen), my varsity coaches, and specifically my coaches Nikola Petrov, Dominica Ahuna, and Erica Ahuna.”
The Punahou tennis player signed a letter of intent to play for Cal State Northridge, fulfilling a dream.
“I was able to make an unofficial visit to CSUN last year and I really fell in love with the campus, the facilities, and I’ve always wanted to go to school in California. But most importantly, I connected and got along with the coaches there,” she said.
Gary Victor is the head coach of the women’s program at CSUN.
“They instilled confidence and belief in me as a player because from the beginning of the recruiting process they always believed in me and what I could do,” O’Neill said.
She has a 3.9 grade-point average and plans to major in Economics.
“I had decided that I was going to commit about a month ago so I knew I was going to go there. But once I signed that paper it really just solidified my place at the school and I couldn’t be happier with my decision,” she said.
Last year, O’Neill teamed with Cossette Wu to reach the finals of the HHSAA State Championships. In 2018, O’Neill and Wu advanced to the semifinal round. She is also a USTA Hawaii Muriel Osborne Tennis Award winner along with Keilyn Kunitomo.
“On the court, Jackie has a true fighting spirit and I have never seen her back down,” said one of O’Neill’s personal coaches, Nikola Petrov. “She always fights until the last point and that is the trait any coach would like to see in their players.”
O’Neill has always been highly coachable.
“I really like her outgoing personality,” Petrov added. “I remember when I first met her, she was only 12 years old. I expected her to be a shy girl as most are at that age. To my surprise, she was extremely easy to communicate with. She was never scared to ask questions, which made her very coachable. I realized that it would be a pleasure to work with her and that we would form a good team.”
The tennis season is in the spring, though the specter of COVID-19 remains. The future beyond graduation, though, is bright.
“I’ve been working towards becoming a D-I athlete for a really long time and it feels like a dream come true. Honestly, it hasn’t really hit me yet but right now I’m feeling really proud and accomplished with what has happened,” O’Neill said.
She was up early on national letter of intent day to participate in the Education-1st signing event online. It was streamed on Zoom and Facebook Live at 6:20 a.m., and letters were officially signed at 7 a.m., or noon Eastern Time.
“I got up at 5 a.m., which is earlier than I’m used to, but I’ve gotten up at that time for 8 a.m. matches before and I’m also a morning person, so it wasn’t too bad,” O’Neill said.
Lockdown staples
Top 3 movies/shows
1. Gossip Girl.
2. Lucifer.
3. The Originals.
Top 3 food/snack/drink
1. Tan tan ramen, Agu.
2. Fried chicken, Popeye’s.
3. Chocolate chip cookies, McDonald’s.
Top 3 music artists
1. Ariana Grande, “POV.”
2. Omar Apollo, “Brake Lights.”
3. H.E.R., “Do To Me.”
New life skill
“I’ve gotten a lot better at cooking during the pandemic.”
Who will be the first to cry at the airport when you leave?
“I think my mom (Andrea Yuen) will be the first one to cry.”
Shout outs
“I wanna shout out to my friends and family who have helped me along my journey. I especially wanna say thank you to my parents (Ralph O’Neill and Andrea Yuen), my varsity coaches, and specifically my coaches Nikola Petrov, Dominica Ahuna, and Erica Ahuna.”
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