Cross Country
The cross country team has the longest fall season, with the state meet at the end of November. Jeff Gardiner, Cyntia Salazar and Joe Fleming are returning coaching staff, and the team’s varsity captains are Jeannie Moreno ’20, Mira Terdiman ’20, Viva Donohoe ’20, John Peabody ’20, Matt Drew ’20, Marc Eidelhoch ’20, and Milo Chung ’21. So far, the team has competed in several invitationals and one league meet.
The women’s team returned from summer break with enthusiasm and determination, having won the state title last year. In their first league meet, Lick womens won by 22 points, with six athletes in the top 10. The majority of the league’s top runners are from Lick, so competition is primarily within the team rather than against other schools. Lick Spanish teacher Joanna Bethencourt’s daughter, who attends University High School, placed third at the meet—posing as one of Lick’s biggest threats.
The men’s team is striving to qualify for the state meet this year as many of their top runners graduated. They placed third in the league meet behind University and Stuart Hall, narrowly edging out Marin Academy for a spot on the podium.
One highlight of the cross country team is the immense support for one another. Diego Martinez ’20 said, “As a team, everyone is really close. Especially at meets because we are encouraged to cheer each other on.”
Women’s Tennis
The women’s varsity tennis team, coached by Jana Klein, is small, with only 11 players, fostering close relationships. “The three other seniors are some of my closest friends,” says Olive Maunupau ’20, a team captain alongside Charlotte Abbe ’20, Emily Seo ’20 and Ingrid Sigfstead ’20. Having been on the team since freshman year together, they know each other as players and people incredibly well.
The women’s tennis team suffered from sickness this season. Alexa DiSabato ’23 was brought up to the varsity team partway through the season to compensate. The team lost their first league match in six years this season but have made a comeback. Maunupau said, “It looks like we have a good chance in the semi-finals and finals as there is no clear winner.”
The team will hopefully continue on to NCS after their regular season is over.
Volleyball
After winning the league last year, the volleyball team came into this season with a lot of enthusiasm. The team is coached by Lindsey Denman and Stacey Cheong ’13 and captained by Caitlin Cummings ’20, Amaya Guillen ’20 and Maggie O’Connell ’20. The team’s major competitors in the league are Marin Academy and University. Lick narrowly beat Urban in a three-set game on October 2.
Last year, Cummings, awarded most valuable player, tore her ACL. Through countless hours of physical therapy, Cummings was able to make a recovery and play this season.
One fun fact about the volleyball team is that there are two sets of siblings: Emma Warden ’21 and Cate Warden ’23, and Charlotte Winn ’21 and Noelle Winn ’23.
The team is often seen in the cafeteria having a team lunch or on the hill taking pictures in their elaborate themes on game days. Amaya Guillen ’20 says, “Volleyball was a very quick way to make friends for me freshman year. I appreciate the support system that it provides.”
Field Hockey
The field hockey program at Lick, coached by Damian Glennon and Kendall Beveridge, has grown substantially in the three years of its existence. The varsity team captains are Laura Boyd ’20, Zoe Fu-Chen ’20 and Sofia Morris ’20. This is the second year with both junior varsity (JV) and varsity teams. The varsity team won its games against Sir Francis Drake High School and Tamalpais High School. Last year, the team lost to Redwood High School 0-9, and this year they lost 0-1. The team is hoping to secure a spot in the playoffs with several crucial games remaining in the regular season.
The JV and varsity teams regularly practice together and have back to back games. The long periods of time spent together create close relationships across grades. Natalie Keim ’21 said, “We all come out day after day and really enjoy being around each other.”
Water Polo
The women’s and men’s water polo teams are in an extremely difficult league, playing successful established teams from the East Bay. The teams are coached by James Ellingson, Emily Dymond, and Liam O’Malley.
The men’s team, captained by Gavin Pola ’20 and Drew Layton ’20, has seen major improvements from previous years. Pola notes the success. “Last year we were one in 13 and this year we are three in seven.” As the season continues, the boy’s team hopes to keep up their record.
The women’s team is rooted by their goalie, Audrey Gallagher ’21, who can stop almost any ball thrown her way. Over the past three years, Gallagher has saved on average 11 shots per game. So far this season, she has saved 187 shots. The women’s record is 2 wins and 11 losses. The team is captained by Gallagher and Catharine Paik ’20.
Both teams partake in many fun traditions such as Flop Friday, when each person belly flops into the pool at the start of practice. The immense amount of team spirit attracts many new players to the water polo team each year.
photo by Andrew Layton
Flag Football and Ultimate Frisbee
The flag football and ultimate frisbee teams, coached by Elliot Smith, director of Lick’s Athletic Program, are not in formal leagues, as they only practice two times a week. On Monday, September 30, a team from Australia came to the City College field to play both flag football and ultimate frisbee with Lick’s team. This game gave both teams an opportunity to play in a game setting outside of a scrimmage against their own team members.
The game not only gave the teams some competition but also was a cultural experience. Allen Wilson ’20 and Raji Davenport ’20, both flag football players, recounted the team playing an Australian song for Lick’s team on the speaker. Wilson said, “We got to learn a lot from their culture.”
On the frisbee side of the field, in addition to playing frisbee, the Australian team taught the Lick players some basic rugby skills.
During the regular season, the team is a great way for people to make friends as it is an informal and fun setting. Davenport said, “It is nice playing football with the underclassmen because seniors often do not get to interact with the underclassmen.”
The teams are hoping to play University before the season ends, however, there are no more scheduled games at this point. Wilson and Davenport are confident that they will beat University this year. However, to do so, they request more fans to come out and support the team.
