UC Davis Athletics

2024: Made three appearances in her debut season...Posted 15th at the Brutus Hamilton in the pole vault event (3.10m, 10' 2")...Recorded a personal best at the Brutus Hamilton in the pole vault (3.30m, 10'10") to secure fourth. 

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School '23: Throughout high school, Francesca competed in volleyball and track & field. In track and field she competed in pole vault, hurdles, high jump, and relays. Her career with the panthers is marked by winning Bay League Champion in pole vault her junior season, South Bay Champion in pole vault her junior and senior seasons, and posting an 11'6" PR in pole vault. In volleyball she was a middle blocker and received all-league 2nd team honors her senior year. Francesca was the valedictorian of her graduating class (2023), was a gold award recipient (2023) and an AP Scholar (2022). 

Francesca competed with the Surfside Volleyball Club in Palos Verdes for 7 years. She was the team captain and earned 1st team all tournament awards. Francesca was also a competitive skier until middle school. Her favorite event was slalom. 

Personal: Francesca's family consists of her parents, Matteo and Mirka, who both attended the University of Milan and are now chemists, and her older brother Alessandro, who graduated from University of Colorado Boulder in 2023. In her free time, Francesca still enjoys skiing, but rather than competitive skiing like she enjoyed in her childhood, she now prefers the powder in the back country. She also enjoys backpacking and camping. Her sports hero is Lindsey Vonn. After graduation, she hopes to become an urban planner. She wishes to use her degree to help design cities that are livable for people and promote community. 

When asked why UC Davis, she responded "I chose Davis because of the amazing academic programs it had to offer, specifically in environmental science and planning. I chose the athletics because I liked the tight knit community."