Rancho Bernardo’s Julia Haynes reached the pinnacle of junior tennis eight years ago, when she reached the final of the USTA Girls 16s National Championships in San Diego.

Years later, Haynes realized her ambition of heading to the Ivy League, and off she went across the country to compete and study at Columbia University.

Now, as a graduate student, Haynes is back in town and back in the national limelight.

Haynes has become the first UC San Diego player to earn a national ranking since the school joined Division I in 2000. She stands at No. 77 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings as the  spring season begins.

The Tritons start open their season Friday against the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Haynes knows further improvement that may determine her tennis future. She also plans to pursue a graduate degree in astrophysics, her major at Colombia.

It was a year ago that Haynes contacted Tritons coach Sebastian Bader about coming to UC San Diego for her final year of eligibility. While there were other college options, UC San Diego was her prime target.

“Everyone has been so welcoming on the team, and we have such an amazing coach who really cares about everyone’s well-being.” said Haynes, who resides in grad housing on campus.

“San Diego is obviously my home, so the climate and other factors are very comfortable.”

The 5-foot-7 Haynes won the Beach Tennis Fall Tennis Tournament, hosted by Long Beach State, in her Tritons debut.

“Julia doesn’t give you anything (on the court),” said Bader, in his second season as head coach, following the 44-year tenure of Liz LaPlante. “You have to earn absolutely everything against her. Her strength is to be steady when it is time to be steady, and she’s a fantastic competitor. That’s what sets her apart from other players, just that grit to just play every point as if it’s the last one.”

Haynes moved from Vancouver, Wash., to Rancho Bernardo ahead of eighth grade.

As a freshman, Haynes helped Rancho Bernardo High School advance to the CIF-San Diego Section Open Division final. She reached the individual semifinals before bowing to La Jolla Country Day junior Paulina Ferrari.

Ferrari and champion Jennifer Kerr of San Dieguito would each also attend Colombia.

Haynes made her first appearance in the USTA Girls 16s Championships at age 14 in 2015 at the Barnes Tennis Center. The next year, she reached the final of the summer event as a No. 17 seed against No. 4 Nicole Mossmer of La Jolla.

Mossmer prevailed 7-5. 6-0.

“It was a great match,” Haynes said a year later while preparing for her return to the tourney. “’My opponent played really well, so congratulations to her. There are always things that you wish you could have done.”

Playing in the 18s the next year, Haynes lost in the opening round.

An off-court injury caused her to withdraw the following summer, and ultimately, she bypassed her last chance before heading to college.

“To be honest, I needed a break,” Haynes said. “I was a bit exhausted from junior tennis. Junior tennis was honestly really hard for me because of the stress feeling like I was like competing for my future in college.

“That was really stressful for me, and so that’s why in retrospect college has been so amazing because I didn’t have to worry about that pressure. For the first time, I can just enjoy playing tennis and playing for my team. I’ve truly had such an amazing time.”

Haynes recorded a 52-27 singles record at Columbia. In her final season, the Lions were one spot short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships at No. 45 in the ITA rankings.

“I improved dramatically in my time there,” Haynes said. “One of the main reasons was our team implementing an incredible lift regimen. I had not lifted weights before going to college, and the strength I gained through that made my serve so much more powerful,”

Haynes was initially drawn toward financial studies on the New York campus in proximity of Wall Street. During the coronavirus pandemic, she turned her passion to pondering the stars and universe in astrophysics.

“I do want to do something that’s positive and really impacting people’s lives,” said Haynes, who hopes to become a researcher and professor. “ I went into astrophysics because I felt it was the big picture. It’s the field that attempts to answer all questions.”  Haynes is studying data science this year as part of the research aspect of astrophysics.

Haynes knows this may be her last shot to make a big impact. After being accepted to UCSD in mid-June, Haynes ramped up her summer training. It has paid off: She went 13-3 in singles during the fall season.

The Tritons have seven returners from a team that went 6-17 overall and 2-7 in the Big West Conference to finish eighth. Bader has targeted a top-three finish this year.

Haynes plays in the No. 1 singles slot; she’s also part of a veteran doubles team with senior Naomi Nguyen.

“Julia’s a fighter. She brings what she does on singles court to doubles,” Nguyen said. “It seems she gets every ball back, no matter how the opponent hits it, and that prepares me at the net.”

The spring season ends with the NCAA team championships. Hayes can measure her own progress with a glimmer of going pro.

“Never say never,” Haynes said. “If someone would want to sponsor me, of course I would give being pro a shot. It’s definitely possible that I could improve dramatically this spring. I’m feeling very confident.”

Either on the court or off, she’s reaching for the stars.

Box: La Jolla’s Mossmer turns medical issue into passion project

In winning the 2016 USTA Girls 16s National Championship, La Jolla’s Nicole Mossmer confirmed her evolution from a youth soccer standout to tennis phenom.

The triumph came in an all-local final as Mossmer prevailed 7-5, 6-0 over Rancho Bernardo’s Julia Hayes at the Barnes Tennis Center.

Mossmer ultimately attended Stanford, but her college career was cut short after she was diagnosed with congenital heart disease as a freshman.

Heart surgery followed to treat Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and despite further treatment efforts, Mossmer didn’t compete at Stanford beyond her freshman year.

In 2022, Mossmer joined with longtime friends to form the Play With Heart Foundation, a nonprofit that provides free heart health screenings to youth athletes. In December, the Play With Heart Foundation and the Eric Paredes Save a Life Foundation provided screenings for people aged 12 to 25 at Miramar College.

“Nicole learned how lucky she had been that the doctors at Stanford had caught her condition before a more serious incident occurred,” the organization’s website says. “After further investigation, it soon became clear to Nicole that there might be a silver lining to all of this.”

Mossmer graduated from Stanford with a Bachelor of Science degree. Her professional online profile lists her as a software investor.