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SJND Athletics News
Longtime Cross Country, Track & Field Coach Tony Fong Named NCS Honor Coach
Congratulations to coach Tony Fong who was awarded the NCS Honor Coach distinction at the NCS Cross Country Meet of Champions on November 23, 2019. The Honor Coach award is the highest honor a coach can receive in our section and “represents the best of high school education and athletics,” per NCS.
Coach Fong has coached at SJND for over 20 years, leading SJND Cross Country to become one of the top programs in the state. Under his leadership, the Pilots have earned five state titles since 2012. Additionally, many of Coach Fong’s athletes have gone on to compete at the collegiate level.
“Cross country is a very demanding sport and I develop a training program that prepares each runner to take on the challenges of racing,” Coach Fong said about his coaching philosophy. “I also try and balance sports with their education to help develop values and life skills that contribute to their success in the future, including in and out of college.”
Cross Country Team Qualifies for State Meet
The SJND Men’s Cross Country team had a standout season, placing third at the NCS Meet of Champions to qualify for the CIF State Championships. Congratulations also to Aila Owens '21 who qualified as an individual and represented the Lady Pilots at the State Championships.
Women’s Basketball Team Has History-Making Season
Congratulations to our Varsity Women's Basketball team who made history with their 67-58 victory over Cardinal Newman to capture the first-ever North Coast Section Open Division title. Following a hard-fought win over Clovis West of Fresno in the NorCal Open Division Playoffs, the Pilots (24-8) finished the season as 2020 CIF Open Division Semifinalists after falling to Archbishop Mitty in the NorCal Championship.
Pilots Hire Former WNBA Player, Cal Bears Star to Lead Women’s Basketball Program
SJND has hired former professional basketball player and Cal Golden Bears star, Oakland-native Alexis Gray-Lawson as Head Coach of the SJND Pilots Women’s Basketball program.
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Gray-Lawson was a basketball standout at Oakland Technical High School where she led her team to two California state titles and earned MVP honors. Gray-Lawson continued her basketball career at the University of California, Berkeley, receiving recognitions including All-Pac-10 First Team in 2009 and 2010, and Pac-10 All-Defensive team in 2010, and earning a gold medal with Team USA at the 2009 World University Games. In 2010, she received the Frances Pomeroy Naismith award, which is presented by the WBCA annually to "the nation's most outstanding NCAA Division I female basketball player who stands 5'8" tall or under.”
In 2010, Gray-Lawson entered the WNBA draft and was selected 30th overall by the Washington Mystics. She later signed with the Phoenix Mercury, and also went on to play professionally in Turkey and Israel.
“Alexis has an impressive track record as a player and most recently, as a high school coach at Como Park Senior High School in St. Paul, Minn. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experiences that will tremendously benefit our student-athletes both on and off the court. We are fortunate to have someone of her caliber return to the Bay Area to lead our program into the future,” said Carlos Arriaga, SJND Athletic Director.
