Salina Central junior Janae Montoya is a little bit old school in one particular way.
 
She has a planner.
 
“It’s just filled with all sorts of things to do,” said Montoya, a tennis standout, competitive twirler and a 4.0 student. “Be here. Do this. This is due then. But I love it.”
 
Montoya is the Capitol Federal® True Blue® Student of the Week.
 
A big part of Montoya’s fall slate recently wrapped up when she finished third in singles and led the Mustangs to a third-place finish at the Class 5A state tennis tournament in Andover. For the second straight season, Montoya’s title bid was ended by the eventual champion – this time in the semifinals by Bishop Carroll junior Brynn Steven – before she bounced back with a victory in her final match to complete a 31-2 season.

 
“I really felt like I had more I could have put out there, so it’s really filled me with hope for how much I can improve during the offseason,” Montoya said.
 
Like many of the things she enjoys, Montoya is drawn to tennis for its individuality within a team concept.
 
While several of her friends gravitated toward basketball and volleyball, Montoya picked up a racket and found she had passion for it. As a freshman, she qualified for state in doubles with Reagan Geishler. The duo posted a 20-10 record.
 
Montoya turned her focus to singles as a sophomore and enjoyed even more success. She won a regional title and posted a 31-7 record, finishing fifth after a quarterfinal loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Reagan Boleski.
 
The improvement continued this fall, as Montoya’s only two losses were to the 5A finalists. She won Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I and regional singles titles prior to state.
 
“She enjoys working hard,” said Clark Renfro, Salina Central’s assistant tennis coach who guided the Mustangs late in the season while head coach McKenzie Weishaar was on maternity leave. “She puts a lot of effort into things. She does a lot of things beyond tennis. She’s really well-rounded and just a good person from a good family.”
 
Montoya’s tennis acumen parallels her abilities as a longtime twirler with the Salina-based Shannon’s Stars Twirling Club.
 
Montoya estimates she started twirling in second grade after she took a summer class, then attended a friend’s birthday party at the club. The organization serves novice and competitive twirlers from ages 3-20, and participates in competition at state, regional and national levels.
 
In July, Montoya traveled to South Bend, Ind., with the Stars' national competition team. Their performance in South Bend landed them an invitation to travel to Liverpool, England, next August to compete in the International Baton Twirling Federation’s World Championships.
 
“They’re both very independent sports,” Montoya said of twirling and tennis. “You work toward a team goal in both of them. In baton, you have your own routine, and you have to be able to go out there by yourself and be brave enough to do what you have prepared.
 
“That’s the same way with tennis. You go out there in front of everybody and the crowd is watching you, so both require the same mental toughness. That’s what kind of sports I’m into, I guess.”
 
Montoya, a twirler with Salina Central’s Marching Mustangs, has also evolved into leadership roles at both Shannon’s Stars and with the Mustangs’ tennis team. She mentors younger twirlers, and as a state tennis qualifier with five sophomore teammates, Montoya was the one with both age and experience.
 
“I feel like I’m responsible for my team and I feel like I need to be there for them,” Montoya said. “I also feel like I can be a good role model for them. They look up to me, and I know that there’s a lot of power with that. But it helps me to believe in myself that I’m the right person for that. I care for those girls so much and it teaches me so much.”
 
Montoya said she enjoys all of her classes, but has taken a particular interest in psychology. She managed to keep her grades at a high level despite tennis travel demands this fall that limited her classroom time.
 
“It shows me I can work hard at something and do two things at once,” Montoya said.
 
Montoya has competed in track and field for the Mustangs the last two springs, finishing third in the high jump at the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division II meet. With her focus increasing on developing her tennis skills, she is uncertain about her plans for next spring.
 
One thing is for sure. Montoya will be busy doing something.
 
“This is just a prime time in my life right now and I won’t get this back,” she said. “I want to look back on this and be like, ‘Yeah, I did it all. I went for it.’
 
“It’s just such a time to be alive for me and I love it.”