The star soccer player is in rare company at the school, becoming a two-sport athlete after joining the basketball team this season.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jaety Mandaquit is making quite a name for herself at Sacramento State.

The star soccer player is in rare company at the school, becoming a two-sport athlete after joining the basketball team this season.

Mandaquit is one of three women’s basketball players at Sac State to compete in two Division I sports. Her journey as a Hornet started on the soccer pitch.

“My main sport is soccer, but I have a deep love for basketball too,” Mandaquit said.

Since growing up in Hawaii, Jaety played every sport imaginable. That versatility runs in the family—her younger brother JJ is also an excellent athlete, playing basketball for the Washington Huskies as a freshman.

“My parents did that just to like help us learn the different aspects, learn how to be competitive and stuff,” Mandaquit said.

Jaety made the tough decision to focus on soccer in high school, later earning a scholarship to play at Sacramento State.

She instantly made an impact for the squad as a freshman, helping the Hornets win the Big Sky Conference in 2024—their first conference title in 14 years.

“She was instrumental, instrumental with winning that championship, because of what she can do in the midfield starting our attacks, she’s probably the best defender on our team as well,” said Randy Dedini, Sacramento State women’s soccer head coach.

But Jaety’s love for basketball never went away.

“Taking that break of not playing basketball, and completing my freshman year of college last year, I kind of realized and missed playing basketball,” Mandaquit said.

That’s when she decided to reach out to Sac State’s women’s basketball coach, Aaron Kallhoff.

“She just wanted to know if that would be an opportunity, and all along I knew it was something we could talk about,” Kallhoff said. “I thought about it more and did some research and seeing how tough she is and how good a high character kid she is and she is pretty talented so it looked like it was a good combination.”

Jaety’s soccer coach was in support of her playing basketball.

“It’s all about her experience here and and I really think you know she wants to be a professional soccer player and I really think that being a double sport athlete is going to help her with that because there’s some transferable skill sets,” Dedini said. “It’s rare that a player can play two Division 1 sports effectively, and she’s just that good of an athlete.”

But for Jaety, it’s also about reaching those in the stands and inspiring others when she’s on the court or pitch.

“I think it takes a lot of hard work and dedication and commitment,” Jaety said. “You really have to love the process, love your sports, have a passion for it because that really drives you, but know that like anything is possible if you put your mind and your heart to it, you can achieve anything.”

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