9 minute read
Athletics
Panthers Win STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Women’s Varsity Basketball made a storybook run this year all the way to the Golden 1 Center—home of the Sacramento Kings—where the Panthers defeated Shalhevet High School 38-27 to be crowned 2022 Division 5 state champions!
Advertisement
The first half was close, with Shalhevet taking a three-point lead into halftime. But the Panthers took over in the second half with staunch defense, winning the state title in front of hundreds of SD students, faculty, and staff who bused in to cheer on the Panthers. Lily Reeser ’24 led the team in scoring with 12 points and three steals.
“Hats off to San Domenico,” Shalhevet coach Ryan Coleman told the Los Angeles Times. “That’s the bestcoached team we’ve faced.”
Maja Cykowska ’23 celebrates via FaceTime with her family in Poland!
Tracy Gerhauser ’84 and Shawn Sweeney Copenhagen ’84 cheering on the Panthers at the Northern Regional Championships.
From the Desk of Athletic Director Mark Churchill
The 2021-22 school year saw Panther Athletics come roaring back as pandemic restrictions were lifted and we returned to a full slate of sports. With 10 teams making playoff appearances in the highly competitive BCL West, one could argue this was our most successful year yet in SD Athletics history. And, of course, the crown jewel of the year: our Women’s Basketball team winning the state championship!It was also a year of well-deserved honors for many of our individual Panthers, with an astounding 43 of our student-athletes earning BCL all-league recognition. Their exemplary performances on and off the field/court continue to make us proud of what our student athletes can achieve.More growth lies ahead for Panther Athletics in the coming school year. Our brand-new pool will host Men’s and Women’s Water Polo in the fall. Men’s Lacrosse is coming to SD in the spring. Our coaching staff continues to grow with incredibly strong pedigrees of competitive success and dedication to student well-being. I can’t wait to get back at it this fall and continue to build upon our impressive achievements. Go Panthers!
Lacrosse Program Adds Hall of Fame Coach
Men’s Lacrosse is coming to SD this spring, bolstered by the addition of coach Bob Ott, a Hall of Fame player and All-American at the University of Maryland. Prior to San Domenico, Ott led the Redwood High School women's team to numerous league championships, NCS berths, and wins over nationally ranked opponents during his 10-plus-year tenure with the program. Ott is one of just six players in Maryland's illustrious 127-year history to be named an All-American in each of his four seasons (1976-79).
2022-23 Awards and Achievements
2021-2022
2022 Panther of the Year Award
Noku Mukukula ’22 - Volleyball, Basketball, Track and Field Max Tavano ’22 - Baseball
2022 Scholar Athlete Awards
Emma Keith Brown ’22 - Swim Zidane Zamarano ’22 - Soccer, Track and Field
2022 Panther Pride Award
Jillian Bizjack ’22 - Volleyball, Basketball, Lacrosse Simon Straube ’22 - Cross Country, Basketball, Track and Field
2022 Marin Athletic Foundation - Outstanding Student Athlete Award
Piper Fleece ’22 - Basketball, Track and Field Kezian Dunn ’22 - Track and Field
2022 NCS Scholastic Championship Team Award - Baseball
2022 NCS Scholastic Championship Team Award - Badminton
2022 NCS Class A Track and Field
Hayley Ballard ’23 - Girls 3200 Meter Champion Kezian Dunn ’22 - Boys Shot Put Champion
2022 NCS Division 2 Badminton - Third Place
2022 NorCal Division 2 Mountain Bike Championships - 2nd place
Basketball Program Lands Local Standout
Tyler Gaffaney, our new Director of Basketball and Head Coach of the men’s team, joins Mike Fulton to lead our basketball program into the future. Tyler brings an impressive pedigree to SD Basketball, having played professionally in Spain with Club Baloncesto Morón and El Olivar and coached at the collegiate level at Cal State East Bay and Wesleyan University. In his three years at Wesleyan, Gaffaney’s focus on recruiting and player development contributed to the program’s winningest season in that school’s history. Gaffaney’s honors as a college player include SCIAC Conference Athlete of the Year, Academic AllAmerican, and Athletic All-American. He holds an MBA from Claremont Graduate University.
2022 NorCal Division 2 Mountain Bike Championships - 2nd place Individual Haley Ballard ’23
2022 BAC/BCL West Swim
Emma Keith Brown ’22 - Girls 200 Yard IM BAC Champion / Girls 500 Yard Freestyle BAC Champion
2022 BAC/BCL West Track and Field
Hayley Ballard ’23 - Girls Track Athlete of the Meet BAC Championships/ Girls 1600 Meter BAC Champion/Girls 3200 Meter BAC Champion Kezian Dunn ’22 - Boys Shot Put BAC Champion
2022 BCL West Baseball
Max Tavano ’22 - Catcher - All League First Team Alex Tavano ’24 - Catcher - All League Second Team
2022 BCL West Baseball
West Middleton ’22 - Catcher - All League Honorable Mention
2022 BAC/BCL West Swim
Emma Keith Brown ’22 - Girls 200 Yard IM - All League First Team / Girls 500 Yard Freestyle - All League First Team
2022 BAC/BCL West Swim Emma Keith Brown ’22, Lily Ott ’22, Avery Quinton ’25, Quinn Joyce ’24
- Girls 200 Yard Freestyle Relay - All League Second Team
2022 BAC/BCL West Track and Field
Hayley Ballard ’23 - Girls 1600 Meters All League First Team / Girls 3200 Meter All League First Team Kezian Dunn ’22 - Boys Shot Put All League First Team Saliah Johnson ’25 - Girls Shot Put All League Second Team Braeden Connan ’23 - Boys 100 Meter All League Second Team Kevin Leng ’22 - Boys Long Jump All
Swim Team Splashes into New Pool
What better way to dive into a beautiful new pool than with the best season in SD history? The 2022 Women’s and Men’s Swim Teams didn’t take long to feel at home in the brandnew Sister Gervaise Aquatic Complex.
The women’s team went 6-1 on the season and finished in second place in the highly competitive BCL West, while the men followed that up with an impressive 5-2 record. Emma Keith-Brown ’22, who will now swim for Division 1 UC San Diego, won the BCL West championships in the 200 IM and 500 Freestyle events. Emma made it all the way to the state championships in Clovis this year, the first swimmer in SD history to do so.
“Emma has been an inspiration to the entire school,” says Coach Julie Anderson. “Our first athlete to sign with a Division 1 school, Emma has been instrumental in putting San Domenico Swimming on the map. She has worked incredibly hard to reach her goals. Her work ethic separates her from the pack."
League Second Team / Boys Triple Jump All League Second Team Kezian Dunn ’22 - Boys Discus All League Honorable Mention Braeden Connan ’23 - Boys Long Jump All League Honorable Mention Saliah Johnson ’25 - Girls Discus All League Honorable Mention
2022 BAC/BCL West Badminton League Champions 2022 BAC/BCL West Badminton BAC Tournament Champions
2022 BAC/BCL West Badminton
Eric Liu ’23 /Martin Peng ’25 - Boys Doubles BAC Champions Cici Lin ’23 - All League First Team Girls Singles Becky Xiang ’23/Scoot Wang ’23 - All League First Team Girls Doubles Eric Liu ’23/Martin Peng ’24 - All League First Team Boys Doubles Stanley Ma ’23 - All League Second Team Boys Singles Kevin Yang ’25/Ivan Ban ’24 - All League Second Team Boys Doubles Dylan Song ’25/Wendy Feng ’23 - All League Second Team Mixed Doubles
2022 Women's Basketball Division 5 State Player of the Year
Summer Jenkins ’24 - Cal High Sports
2022 Women's Basketball Division 5 All State Second Team
Noku Mukukula ’22 - Max Preps
2022 Women's Division 5 NorCal and State Champions CIF Sportsmanship Award
Piper Fleece ’24 - (handed out at State Championship)
2022 Boys BCL West Soccer
Angelo Neto ’23 - All League First Team Seiki Rosa ’23 - All League Second Team Bernardo Atalla ’23 - All League Second Team
Mad Baddies Win League Title
The SD Badminton team were crowned league champions for the first time in SD history with an 11-1
record this season. Cici Lin ’23 and Stanley Ma ’23 led the way for the team in the singles competition with dominating performances all season long, while
Becky Xiang ’23 and Pinkie Chan ’24 led the way in the women's doubles. Kevin Yang ’25 and Martin Peng ’25 also contributed as the top pair in men's doubles.
Head Coach Julie Lazarin said winning the league title this year was bittersweet. “It feels great being crowned league champions. However, I'm also overcome with a sense of sadness knowing that this is my last year as the head coach.” In addition to being the head coach, Lazarin has also been a resident faculty (RF) for the past 11 years, helping to care for the boarding students. “My relationship with them exists beyond the 3-to-5-p.m. time frame when we're on the court,” she says. “I genuinely know the students that are on my team. I see them at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I take care of them when they are sick. I drive them to doctor appointments. We're a family, and our team is that much better because we care deeply about each other.”
2022 Girls BCL West Basketball
Noku Mukukula ’22 - All League First Team Summer Jenkins ’24 - All League Second Team Lily Reeser ’24 - All League Second Team Maja Cykowska ’23 - All League Honorable Mention
2022 Boys BCL West Basketball
Jimmy Hoagland ’22 - All League Honorable Mention Gavin Early ’25 - All League Honorable Mention Drew Morehouse ’24 - All League Honorable Mention
2021 Girls BCL West/Central Cross Country
Hayley Ballard ’23 - All League First Team undefeated
2021 Girls BCL West Volleyball
Ashe West Lewis ’22 - All League Second Team Jillian Bizjack ’22 - All League Honorable Mention
2021 Girls BCL West/Central Cross Country
Hayley Ballard ’23 - League Champion
2020
2020 Norcal Div 5 Boys Basketball Champions
2019
2019 BCL West Individual Champion Track and Field
Kayden Korst ’19- Shot Put Grey Snyder ’20 - Shot Put Grey Snyder ’20 - Discus Joe Zhou ’20 - Triple Jump
