Correction: Errors appeared in the March 22 article, stating Parsio’s injury had occurred “during the season”, when in fact it happened before the season had started.
The spring season has been off to a roaring start for Pepperdine Athletics, with athletes across multiple sports looking to improve on or build off of strong freshman seasons.
This semester, the three highlighted “up and comers” for the spring seasons are: Jenna Parsio, sophomore Women’s Track and Field sprinter, NewsWaves sports anchor and a previous Graphic contributor; Nick Bonn, sophomore Baseball pitcher; and AJ Adams, Women’s Swim and Dive back and individual medley swimmer.
“I’ve honed in on trusting myself and the hard work I’ve put in,” Bonn said. “I’m trusting the process that all the work I put in will develop and deliver when the time comes.”
Jenna Parsio: The Flash
Parsio said she grew up in Orange County, California, and was a dual high school athlete. She played soccer and ran varsity track all four years.
Sports have always been in her family, and at as early as 8 years old, Parsio said she would receive Ohio State College Football shirts as Christmas gifts. Her older brothers were collegiate soccer players, and watching them pushed her to follow the same path.
“Both of my brothers were in sports, and my dad was their coach when they were younger,” Parsio said. “My dad was my coach for a bit when I was younger. I’ve always been surrounded by sports.”
In high school, Parsio said she was forced to compete in both a fall and spring sport, so she decided to do track in the spring because it would help her with soccer. As time progressed, she quickly realized she not only enjoyed running track but was also pretty good at it.
Parsio said she injured herself during a morning practice before the season had started, but still ran in six events with the injury, resulting in some poor performances during the season. She said she went to multiple Pepperdine trainers, who told her the injury was minimal and she was okay to continue her normal routines — but the pain never subsided.
She said she made a trip to a family doctor, who notified her that her labrum was torn. She decided to have a surgery done to repair the tear July 19.
“To work so hard and to almost be punished for how hard I worked was just so hard to deal with because it doesn’t make any sense,” Parsio said. “And nobody can explain it to me because there is no explanation.”
Before the injury, Parsio had a season-best 400-meter time of 59.08 at the Vince O’Boyle Track and Field Classic on April 1, 2023. In the five individual meets, four of them resulted in top-10 finishes, and she was a part of the 400-meter relay team that placed first at the Battle of the OC, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“Track is just super rewarding because you do [run] it alone, and while that’s also stressful, it’s just so fulfilling,” Parsio said. “I wish I did track sooner, and I wish I started track when I was little.”
Parsio said she feels somewhat worried about her ability to reach her dream coming into the second half of her college career, which originally was to run a 55.00 sprint time. She said, now, her goal has shifted to getting back to the level she was at before she suffered her injury.
Nick Bonn: The Ace
Bonn is a local kid who grew up in Laguna Beach, California, and said his passion for baseball started off watching his older brother play for Concordia.
Between the age gap and the skill difference, Bonn said he always tried to one-up his older brother, and it was always to no avail. However, the sibling rivalry they shared is something Bonn credits for his former and current success.
“It gave me a competitive edge for sure,” Bonn said. “So, when I’ve faced some of the guys who are grad students, I don’t feel out of place there because I feel like I’ve been there.”
His poise is something he said is his biggest strength, and he started developing a lot of it from a young age. He feels comfortable being in the uncomfortable and credits it as being more of a mental strength over pure talent.
In high school, Bonn was a two-way player, and across three varsity seasons, he hit .348 and pitched 85 innings. It was good enough to nab him the Sunset Wave League Co-Pitcher of the Year and the Laguna Beach High Offensive Player and Pitcher of the Year as a senior, according to the Laguna Beach Independent.
Bonn made his debut Feb. 19, 2023, against Boston College, throwing a scoreless sixth inning of relief in a tough 18-6 loss for Pepperdine. Bonn would go on to appear in 19 more games for the Waves, ending his 2023 campaign with a 5-1 record, a 6.27 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 33 IP, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
He said, coming into the season as a freshman, he placed too many expectations and hardships on himself, but now, he’s more at peace coming into his sophomore campaign.
“It’s the same game,” Bonn said. “Just a different level, and you have to hone in on more pitches, deliver in more spots, but at the end of the day, it’s the same game — it’s you against the batter.”
So far this season, he’s started five games, striking out 12 batters and walking only three with a .230 batting average against in 19 IP, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Bonn said his dream is to host a NCAA Division I Regional tournament on Pepperdine soil. Ever since he first stepped foot on the field, Bonn knew the location, coverage and atmosphere the Waves can bring to the field is something he’d always strive for.
“Having a regional here — with people scattered around the stadium, the seats filled, people standing in the parking lot watching us face a tough team like Arkansas or Ole Miss — has been my goal ever like ever since I came on my visit here,” Bonn said. “I would love to just host a regional here, and this beautiful spot would be awesome.”
AJ Adams: The Bullet Wave
Adams said she was born and raised in Castle Rock, Colorado, with a family deeply rooted in swim and dive. Her grandfather coached swim and dive in college, leading to her mother participating in the sport and, eventually, herself.
“I got into it at a very young age, and then, it was definitely one of those sports that just kind of stuck with me,” Adams said. “Now, here I am.”
Adams said coming to Pepperdine was never a clear-cut choice, but knowing her skill level, she felt she could get into a private school with a great education. She applied to a bunch of schools, including many private schools as she wanted to prioritize education.
Adams skill in the sport jumped as a result of joining the Waves, according to Pepperdine Athletics. As a freshman, she set a school record as a member of the 800 free relay team, had the season-best time in the 200 back at 2:02.12 and received All-PCSC first team honors in three events — the 200 back (first place), 200 IM (fifth place) and the 400 IM (fifth place).
“Coming to Pepperdine and getting more specific attention and training for what I was necessarily good at was kind of what really kick-started me into excelling,” Adams said.
Adams made her debut Oct. 6, 2022, against San Diego State. The Waves lost that affair 83-49, but Adams recorded a fourth-place finish in the 50 back with a time of 28.02, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Adams said she played with a lot of intensity and trained fiercely to prepare for her freshman campaign. Coming into her sophomore season, she said she set goals that she feels more than capable of obtaining.
This year, Adams said she’s switching up her races. She previously swam in the 200 and 400 IM as well as the 400 back, but Adams decided to swap her 200 IM for 500 back, trying to go back to her long-distance races.
“I’m kind of tapping into more of my distance free routes from back when I was in high school,” Adams said. “I’m here to improve and hopefully get some best times in the future because that’s kind of what swimming’s all about.”
She said her dream is to improve upon the team’s success over the previous couple of years. She wants to bring the success the team had in the Pacific Coast Swim Conference to the conference they are currently competing in — the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
“I just want to keep the momentum rolling because I had an amazing freshman year,” Adams said. “I just want to keep building the program up so that, eventually, I can look back at Pepperdine, and it’s some dynasty — that would be really cool to see.”
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Contact Justin Rodriguez via email: justin.rodriguez@pepperdine.edu
