Caleb Settles never settles, especially in tennis. Ever since his introduction to the sport by his parents at age five, Settles has been competing against others both recreationally and in the United States Tennis Association’s Junior Tennis Circuits.
“Playing in junior tournaments helped me a lot because I was already going against skilled players at a high level, which helped me transition into high school tennis,” Settles says.
Settles joined CHS’s boys varsity tennis team as a freshman, and has been a valuable player on the team ever since. Over the past three seasons, Settles has progressed from playing “1-Doubles” (the first-ranked tennis doubles partner team) to “2-Singles”, making him the second-highest ranked singles player on the team.
In tennis, teamwork is a priority, and Settles enjoys building connections with his fellow players. He enjoys the companionship within the team, especially celebrating after tournaments and simply hanging out together.
Settles would consider one of his fondest memories to be winning CIF as a freshman.
“It was a special moment,” Settles says. “I was close with everyone on the team, especially the seniors, and being able to help them go out with a win– let alone a CIF Division 1 Championship– was awesome.”
The CHS boys’ varsity tennis team currently competes in the top-ranked Division 1 as well as the Open Division, playing against the other top high school boys’ tennis teams in Southern California. As the team’s captain in the upcoming spring season, Settles hopes to continue this success by winning CIF with his teammates and especially excelling in the Ojai Tournament.
Settles will continue to play tennis in college as part of his athletic commitment to Claremont McKenna College. He was especially drawn to CMC because his father coaches the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Men’s Tennis Team. He looks forward to both the academic and athletic rigor of CMC, which is both a highly-ranked liberal arts college and a participant of Division 3 Tennis.
Though he has much to look forward to in the future, Settles will miss the bond he has cultivated with his teammates over the years. He would like to shout out Mateen Ghafarshad, Dwight Teng, Caleb Fong, Josh Bonner, Dale “the Whale” Allen, and Drew Chung Paulson. He would like to thank Coach Kathy and Dr. Arboleda too. As Settles continues tennis beyond high school, his drive to never settle will persevere.
