First published in the Jan. 6 print issue of the San Marino Tribune.
Though she is just a semester into her collegiate experience, Kenzie Tokuchi, who graduated from San Marino High School in 2021, gives her soccer and educational experiences at the Illinois Institute of Technology two enthusiastic thumbs up.
Tokuchi started in 11 of Scarlet Hawks’ games and played in all 22 as the squad finished the season with a fine 15-6-1 record.
Tokuchi scored two goals for the Scarlet Hawks, including a game-winner over St. Norbert where she followed up a bobbled save attempt to score her first collegiate marker.
The Scarlet Hawks advanced to the championship game of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference where they lost to Dominican.
Kenzie Tokuchi, a 2021 graduate of San Marino High School, now roams the midfield for Illinois Institute of Technology, where she majors in architecture.
“This season was one to remember because we upset the first-place team in our conference, Concordia Wisconsin, in the semifinals to clinch a spot in the championship game,” she said.
The daughter of Mitsue and Norberto Tokuchi was attracted to Illinois Tech’s architecture program, which she has declared as her major.
“The social and academic experience have been great,” said Tokuchi. “Socially, I have met such amazing people, from the girls on my soccer team to other architecture students from all over the world, not just the United States. When I am not in class or playing soccer, I love going into Chicago and exploring the city. Academically, I am loving my major, architecture, so far. It is both challenging but, at the same time, very rewarding as I get to expand upon my favorite areas academically such as math, design, and other hands-on projects.”
While at SMHS, Tokuchi was named to the All-Rio Hondo League first team after her sophomore and junior seasons and to the second team after her freshman campaign. The midfielder was also named to several all-area squads.
One obvious difference is the weather in Chicago versus Southern California’s legendary climate.
“Surprisingly, I am loving the weather so far,” she said of her Midwest experience. “I personally prefer cold weather than hot weather like we have in California, but maybe my opinion will change once it starts to snow.
“Being a student-athlete in a city like Chicago has not only allowed me to fully immerse myself in my studies but I have been able to make new friendships and memories, all while being able to play the sport I love,” Tokuchi said.
As mentioned earlier: So far, so good.
