Originally appeared on Vype.com.

Cate Reese has long been a two- sport athlete, so she knows how to juggle multiple tasks.

It started in junior high when she added volleyball to her resume. The other sport was basketball, which she’s been playing since the age of seven. Her diverse set of skills were very attractive to college programs across the nation, but she ultimately decided on Arizona basketball before her senior year.

“You have to stay focused,” Reese said. “Keep your priorities straight on what you need to do with practice and homework and sleep.”

Her discipline is not only important for athletic success, but her personal health as well. That’s come into light since she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2016.

“You have to stay on top of it,” Reese said. “You always have to check your blood sugar and make sure you’re good before and during a game.”

She doesn’t let the condition slow her down and sets an example for her peers and fans that also live with it.

“It’s kind of helped me become the leader that I am,” she added. “It’s also motivation for other kids out there, who are younger than me with an obstacle like this. They can still do what they want to do.”

That’s one of the reasons why her high school coaches are thankful she chose both sports.

“Cate continually strives to push herself to be better than she was the day before,” Cy Woods assistant principal and former basketball coach Virginia Flores said. “Ask any coach and they’ll tell you Cate has a motor. She goes and goes and goes, and is relentless in her pursuit of greatness.”

That personal push not only helped the basketball team win the state title in 2015, but also extended volleyball’s playoff run to eight appearances in its first 10 years.

“She is a big force for us,” Cy Woods volleyball coach Ashley Ahlfinger said. “She has grown so much as a volleyball player, even though it is not her main sport.”

Her 6-foot-2 height is helpful for both sports, and she has chosen the more physical path to college ball.

“I’m confident in the choice that I made,” she said. “And I’m happy that I chose Arizona.”

She chose the Wildcats over Texas Tech, SMU, TCU, Washington, Colorado, Rice, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma because she believes she can help the team immediately.

This article appeared in the October Issue of VYPE Magazine. Pick up your copy today!