Mission Bay High School junior water polo player Rachel Lobato makes a splash in and out of the pool. As a 2010 all-league first-team honoree, Lobato’s performance in the water merits attention. “Our returner, Rachel Lobato, is a standout player who colleges should be aware of,” said coach Troy Merkel. “She’s very talented and has great instinct. Not only is she aggressive, but she is very knowledgeable.” Lobato, whose college plans remain open, is also a star in the classroom. Lobato joined Mission Bay’s prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. The IB program offers a higher level of learning, which includes an advanced curriculum, community service and other requirements. “I’ve always been pretty good at academics, so I wanted the rigor of it and the difficulty and challenges it places me in,” Lobato said. “It’s something that will also help me with college entrances. It’s almost like you’ve taken a whole year of college, so you can enter as a sophomore at certain colleges. And, if I can take a year off, it will be less money.” Lobato said she wouldn’t mind seeing her water polo experience pay off in college too. “I think it would be really fun to play in college,” Lobato said. “But, I don’t really know where to start when it comes to thinking about where I want to go. I think somewhere in California, but I don’t think in San Diego. I want to branch out somewhere else.” While Lobato’s athletics and academics combine for an ideal recruit, she’s focusing on one season at a time. “I want us to win league, and I want us to get into CIF at a really high seed,” Lobato said. “I don’t think it’s ever happened at Mission Bay. I also want us to get to the second round of CIF, which would be a first too. We were so close last year, but lost by one.”