High School Golf Star Wins CIF Honor

For Francis Parker senior Michael Schreiner, sports have always been a big part of his life. Now, his commitment to excelling in both sports and academics is making his transition to college just a little bit easier.

Name: Michael Schreiner

Age: 18

School: Francis Parker

Accomplishment: Named California Interscholastic Federation San Diego Boys Scholar Athlete of the year.

Key to Awesomeness: An avid basketball and golf player, Schreiner was one of 20 students out of a pool of 500 across the state who will receive a $2,250 scholarship and an award at the CIFSD ceremony on June 3.   

“I first found out (that I won) in a text from my mom after my last regular-season golf match,” Schreiner recalls. “It was a great feeling, especially since I didn’t play too well that day. It definitely cheered me up.”

Schreiner began the application process for the scholarship after he was nominated along with three other students from Francis Parker School. In addition to submitting a resume, he was required to write an application essay.

“I wrote my essay about the life lessons I learned from the golf I played early in my life, and I meant every word of it,” he said.

Schreiner began playing golf with his father when he was just 4 years old. Doing so helped kick-start his love of sports and desire to always be active. In addition to playing for Parker’s golf team, he is a star basketball player and is involved with the Ultimate Frisbee Club.

“With basketball, I like the athleticism involved and my team was my favorite part of high school basketball,” Schreiner said. “For golf, I like that you can have fun with your competitors while competing against them. It’s also a game that anyone can play, yet it’s the most challenging game in the world.

In addition, Schreiner holds a 4.53 weighted GPA. But when it comes to schoolwork, Schreiner believes he probably wouldn’t have been as successful had he not participated in sports.

“I think I would have been bored through high school if I didn’t have something that I loved like sports to keep me occupied,” he said. “The teachers at Parker are the reason I’ve been able to balance academics and athletics. They are understanding and always want to help if they see you putting in effort.”

Schreiner is attending Duke University in the fall where he plans to study economics. He also hopes to continue to play sports competitively, but most likely on the club or intramural level. While he admits that there were times throughout high school where things got a little difficult, he encourages other students to pursue as many of their passions as possible.

“The only time I felt overwhelmed was when I was doing things I didn’t enjoy,” he said. “Just make sure you are involved in activities you love and you won’t mind spending that extra time.”