A Memorable Year in Cubs Athletics: Steve Bergen’s “Top 3” Moments

Getting back in the game

As the 2020-21 school year progressed, it looked increasingly like we wouldn’t have any memorable moments in Cubs sports. Weeks turned into months and, as classes stayed remote, so too did any chance of an athletics season. It was hard to accept that our girls, particularly the Class of 2021, would miss out on an entire year of athletic competition. We began our popular conditioning programs in the fall, and while it was great to see so many girls back on campus getting outside for some exercise, it just wasn’t the same as competing. Then, in February, something unexpected happened—the COVID-19 numbers continued to plummet and the CIF Section Office announced that we would have special seasons for a record six sports: golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, and track and field. So, for a few brief moments this spring, our Mayfield Cubs hit the pool, track, field, course and court to create some amazing memories— so many, in fact, that it was particularly difficult to come up with my favorite moments of 2021. Enjoy these highlights from our historic single-season year!

Go Cubs!

Steve Bergen, Athletic Director

3.

When we walked out of the swim meet at The Buckley School back on March 11, 2020, we had no idea it would be another 358 days before our next Cubs athletic contest. But on March 4, 2021, for the first time in school history, all three levels of our volleyball program hosted outdoor matches on the North Lawn against Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and San Marino High School. The results seemed meaningless next to the sheer joy of the moment, as kids got to be kids, playing a game they loved. The Varsity team even came away with a sweep of the San Marino Titans and finished their season undefeated at home—albeit with a 1-0 record!

2.

The Cubs Swimming and Diving team has been through a lot of ups and downs since winning its last Prep League Championship, in 2013. Most of our recent memories have been watching our league rivals jump in the pool to celebrate their wins. However, on May 15, 2021, the Cubs ended their eight-year title drought with their highest-ever score at a league championship. The Cubs went on to finish in the top 10 at the CIF meet, led by Taylor Carey ’22, who won the CIF title in the 100-meter breaststroke race in 1:03.68, an All American time that broke a 19-year-old Mayfield record!

1.

Since we don’t have a soccer field on campus, our girls are used to playing at venues all across the CIF Southern Section. But never in their wildest dreams did they think they would get to play in one of the most famous stadiums in the world—let alone on the same field that hosted the iconic U.S. Women’s World Cup victory in 1999! Yet that is exactly what happened when Pasadena Poly invited the Cubs to play our Prep League match at the Rose Bowl on April 21, 2021. Everyone—players, coaches and fans—had goosebumps as the girls walked down the tunnel onto the storied field. The Cubs were able to stay focused, coming away with a 2-0 win over the Panthers—and lifelong memories of an unforgettable moment.

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Lucky seven. The Cubs won 11 of the 12 events at the 2021 Prep League finals to secure their seventh straight Track & Field championship title. Go Cubs!

Goooooal! Playing soccer at the Rose Bowl was Athletic Director Steve Bergen’s top moment in athletics this year—one that’s sure to rank as an all-time sports highlight for our Cubs, too!

Senior privileges. One of the best things about returning to competition this spring was getting to celebrate our Class of 2021 athletes! The Cubs swim team celebrated their Prep League victory in an oversized way.

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Leader of the pack.

Cubs cross country phenom Audrey Suarez ’21, whom Steve Bergen describes as “the greatest athlete in Mayfield history,” heads to Stanford University this fall to run with the reigning PAC-12 cross country champs. Her Stanford signing capped a stellar high school career, made extra memorable with a series of impressive wins during her final few months as a Mayfield Cub. This spring, Audrey dominated the 1600-meter race, winning the Prep League, CIF Southern Section and California State titles, as well as the Arcadia Invitational, the biggest high school meet of the year. She was also the 800-meter champion at both the Prep League and CIF finals meets. Congratulations, Audrey!

Squash sensation.

After (pretty much single-handedly!) introducing the squash program at Mayfield, Frances Burton ’21 is heading to Amherst College to swing her racket for the Mammoths. A self-described STEM enthusiast, Frances won the Thomas P. Pike Award for the highest academic average and the Beverburg Science Award, and plans to major in biochemistry at Amherst. Congratulations, Frances!

Making a splash.

Gillian Gorocica ’21, this year’s Prep League diving champion and a member of the league-winning Cubs swim team, will join the Varsity swim and dive team at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana this fall. Gillian is an aspiring neurosurgeon who will be majoring in biomedical engineering on a pre-med track. Congratulations, Gillian!