Boy’s Golf places 4th at WBAL Championships

After a rollercoaster of a season, Menlo boys golf finished with a 6-6 record and secured fourth place at the WBAL Championship out of 18 teams. “We started with a slow start, but the guys rallied well and finished with a .500 record,” Assistant Coach Francis Santora said.

With the departure of some key players last year, the program has honed in on developing underclassmen. The roster now has around 30 players, split up into three teams.

The Knights went into the WBAL Championship confident. “We had a good warm-up session. Our guys went out and played their game,” Santora said.

At the WBAL Championship there were up to 25 mph wind gusts which affected the team’s strategy. Junior William Beesley, who shot a 77, noted how the wind affected his game.  “We practiced for it a lot by hitting lower shots to cut through the wind as well as clubbing up when needed,” he said.  Beesley explained that because the Knights home course Baylands Golf Link is also often quite windy, the team is well trained to play with wind.

Santora credits the team’s new practice schedule for improvements over the season. “On Fridays now, instead of being at the range, we have a lift and then a mental game session where we scout courses we haven’t played at, plan our shots and talk about the mental side of golf,” he said.

Beesley, and senior captain William Edwards, received at-large bids to play in the CCS qualifiers at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch on May 6 where they shot 82 and 81 respectively.

Swim Team Shatters School Records

Late last month, senior Eden Chuang swam a 100-yard fly in 59.30 seconds, shattering the school record. Chuang was just one of several Menlo swimmers who have broken records this season. 

“We’re a small team, so we often have difficulty scoring points, but I think we’ve done quite well at a lot of the meets we’ve been to,” junior Connor Burks said. 

Burks explained that the underclassmen have shown a lot of promise. “We have a lot of club swimmers in those younger grades,” he said. “There’s a lot of connection and strong social bonds between upperclassmen and underclassmen this year compared to previous years.”

Swimming team head coach Simon Cassidy is also proud of the team’s camaraderie. “[We have a] great team culture and positive and fun attitudes at practice,” Cassidy said. This year, the team had fewer meets than in the past, but has subsidised with extra practice. 

Cassidy says that a priority of his is to help his swimmers with time management. “For next year, I want them to find a balance between their club swimming and water polo commitments and the Menlo Swim program,” Cassidy said.

“Next season, I hope that the team will have some more seniors, because we’ve historically struggled with senior numbers. In general, I’m very excited for next year,” Burks said.

Track Runs Historic Times, Targets State Meet

The Menlo boys and girls track teams are nearing the finish line of a great season filled with school records, personal bests and strong team chemistry. 

This season, the teams have over 50 athletes training on a daily basis and competing. Interim head coach Keith Larsen is proud of this team’s performance. “The season is going great. […] Every meet this season we have had multiple PRs and on most meets we have either broken or been close to a school record,” Larsen said.

One of the team’s biggest standouts this season has been freshman sprinter Tres Onyejekwe, who set school records in the 65,110 and 300 meter hurdles. “This track season has honestly been one of my best. […] It’s cool to look back and see how far I’ve come,” Onyejekwe said. 

Senior distance runner Landon Pretre set state records for the mile (4:07.71), 1,500-meter (3:50.68), 3,000-meter (8:18.52) and 3,200-meter (8:45.30). His time in the 3,200 placed first in California and 11th in the nation. At the Nike/Jesuit Relays in Oregon, he finished in sixth place in the Elite Mile, a California-best time of 4:07.71

On the girls team, junior distance runner Ariya Kaushek has made impressive strides this season. Kaushek holds the school record for the two-mile and now ranks third in school history in the 3200-meter. “[It’s] such a great feeling as an athlete knowing you’re improving,” Kaushek said. 

As the season wraps up with WBAL Finals and CCS ahead, the team is focused on finishing strong. “Our postseason goals are the same as the first day we met as a team: win both boys and girls varsity WBAL Championships,” Larsen said. “I think we have a good shot to do well at CCS and the state meet as well.”

Baseball Catches Fire, Tops League Standings at 10-1

After a rocky 3-7 start to their season, Menlo’s varsity baseball team has gone 12-1 over their past
13 games and currently sits atop the Peninsula Ocean League. Junior right-handed pitcher and outfielder Jackson Flanagan noted how the team has matured over the course of the season. “We’re younger,” he said. “That was noticeable at the beginning, but we’ve really figured it out. Guys have stepped up and everyone’s been playing really well.”

Flanagan, who holds the team’s lowest ERA at 1.78, said the team’s back-to-back wins against Sacred Heart Prep on March 31 and April 1 were crucial in turning their season around. “Prep was a big series and that sweep really helped us gain momentum. […] Then we started piecing everything together,” Flanagan said.

Junior catcher Chuck Wynn has powered the Knights’ offense, leading the team with a .404 batting average and slugging percentage at .500. as of May 7.

After winning their first CCS title since 2017 last season, the team fell just short in the NorCal Division V final against Woodland Christian, losing 3-2. “This year we are going to get revenge and win NorCals too,” Flanagan said. “That’s the goal, but we’ve gotta win the league first and then CCS.”

Boys Lacrosse Rides Up and Down Season Into Playoffs

The Menlo varsity boys lacrosse team finished its regular season 6-10 overall and 2-5 in league. “We’ve certainly had our ups and downs this season, and we’ve lost some close games that I felt we had a good shot at winning,” head coach Blake Kim said.

Junior midfielder Trevor Van Der Pyl agrees with Kim and also thinks that the team should have won more convincingly in some of the games they did win.

On May 1, the Knights prevailed 11-10 in overtime over Archbishop Mitty, with Van Der Pyl scoring the game-winning goal. “We should have definitely beat them by more than one goal and [in] overtime,” Van Der Pyl said. “But, it was just so much fun having a close battle like that. We haven’t had one that we won pretty much all season.”

After the West Catholic Athletic League playoffs, the team will play in the Central Coast Section playoffs, which begin on May 12. Kim would like for the team to be in Division I for CCS playoffs, but only the top eight teams make DI, with eight more finding a spot in DII. “When you look at the top lacrosse programs in the CCS, I believe Menlo should always be a consideration as a top eight team,” Kim said. As of May 3, Menlo is ranked 12th in CCS according to MaxPreps.

Van Der Pyl believes the team needs to clean up some sloppy mistakes, but thinks the team has the right attitude approaching the postseason. “As you can see by looking at our bench, the morale never dips. We’ve got amazing bench energy,” he said.

Girls Lacrosse Rebounds, Eyes Strong CCS Finish

After a slow start to their season, the Menlo varsity girls lacrosse team has turned things around, winning five of their last six games and heading into the CCS playoffs with an 8-12 record.

Head coach Parnika Patel attributes the Knights’ 2-10 start to frequent team illnesses and overlapping winter sports commitments. According to Patel, many varsity players were unable to join the team at the start of the season. “I think that we have really found our footing since then and are in a much better place,” she said.

Specifically, Patel says that the team is very solid defensively. “We’ve definitely maintained [our strong defense] this year, which I’m super happy about,” she said.

Patel is also proud of the team dynamic this season. In particular, she commends the returning seniors, who she says have created a welcoming and energetic environment for new members of the varsity squad.

Senior Ellie Knoll shares a similar sentiment, reflecting on her final year with the team. “We have a really great group of seniors,” she said. “It’s been so much fun.” At the same time, Knoll says that these last couple of months in the program have been bittersweet, especially with senior night having passed on April 23 in a 16-9 win over Menlo-Atherton.

Patel says that the team’s focus going into CCS is to treat every practice like a game and encourage players to leave everything on the field to round out the season.

Boys Tennis Rolls Into Postseason at 22-1

In his first season as head coach of the Menlo boys tennis team, Francis Sargeant has guided the team to a 23-1 regular season record.

The Knights wrapped up play in the West Bay Athletic League at 10-0, extending their undefeated league streak to 23 years.

Senior and captain Kavan Kumar noted significant differences in the coaching styles of Sargeant and the team’s longtime head coach, Bill Shine, who retired last year. “[Shine] was much more laid-back, but [Sargeant] expects us to go out and work hard every single day,” Kumar said.

The team is focused on winning its 18th CCS title and is also seeking its first state title berth in school history. California introduced a high school state championship in tennis just last year, giving top teams a new level of competition to chase.

“We’re really trying to win CCS because last year we lost in the semifinals,” Kumar said. “We’re trying to get over that hump and then hopefully get through NorCals as well.”