Spring 2022
What an amazing season of Berkeley High Sports! We had over 600 students representing Berkeley High, winning League Championships, playing in the NCS tournament, racing in Nationals and reaping the benefits of participation in athletics. This was the first full Spring Sport season in 3 years and our teams competed in Badminton, Baseball, Boys & Girls Crew, Boys Golf, Boys & Girls Lacrosse, Boys & Girls Swimming & Diving, Softball, Boys Tennis, Boys & Girls Track and Boys Volleyball. To be a part of the action and demonstrate your support for Berkeley High Athletics, make a donation today here. Donations made now make you a part of the 2022-23 Booster Club.
Badminton
Coaches: Varsity Kyle Hayden, Assistant Kelvin Tang
After two years of cut short or extremely limited seasons the Berkeley High badminton team was excited to be back and competing! During the season the team won an impressive 102 out of 154 matches played across all events. Four doubles pairs and two singles players went to the end of season WACC Championships. In mixed doubles Jackie Dai and Jenny Shen won first place, with Nathan Nguyen and Sandra Guzman taking fifth. In Men’s Singles Mekhi Crossland got fourth place, and William Curran secured seventh. Mekhi, Nathan, Sandra, Jackie, and Jenny moved on to the extremely challenging NCS Championships, with William serving as an alternate. | |
Baseball
Coaches:
Varsity: Curtis Sandeford. Assistants: Mike Jefferson, Kevin Parker, Josh Cephas
JV: Matt Cord. Assistant: Greg Asfar
Frosh: James Moore. Assistant: Steve Stratton
Varsity Baseball is both WACC League Champions and the WACC Postseason Tournament Champion. The team qualified for the NCS tournament, but lost the first round game to Heritage. Darrell Mays, Luca McKerley and Kevin Parker, Jr. were named to the WACC All League First Team, with Darrell Mays sharing a co- WACC Player of the Year award and Luca McKerley being recognized as co-WACC Pitcher of the Year. EJ Fairchild, William Polishuk and Manny Selles were named to All League Second Team, with Leo Asfar and Mica Tomikawa receiving Honorable Mentions.
The JV team had another stellar season at 16-5. Antonio Nordman led the hitters batting over .500, while Riley Marstom-Chakan, Matteo Morales and Chase Worthington all hit over .300. Will O’Brien, Daniel Beadles, Mo Mohamed, Julian Ito and Antonio Nordman made up a formidable pitching rotation. Jackson Erlich, Lucas Drake and Kai Udall anchored the defense. The battle for spots on varsity next year will be fierce.
|
|||
The future is bright for BHS Baseball. The Frosh team went 7-10 against a very tough schedule and improved dramatically over the course of the season. Hit .300 even as a team with Arson Ormsby and Chase Worthington leading the way at .455 and .465 respectively. Also in the .400 club? Bodie Fouche at .412. The .300 Club includes Parks Ramsdale at .375 and Max Castelli at .343. Sasha Spahr on the bump is a guy to watch. Congrats to the whole ’25 class on a great start to their HS careers!! | ||
Crew
Coaches:
Varsity: Marie Jones and Leon Maurer
Novice: Alexis Aiello and Chris Hoeper-Tomich
Berkeley High Crew started the season last fall with nearly twice the number of athletes pre-pandemic, over 100 athletes between the four teams. The team had an excellent showing during the fall club racing season with several top five finishes. This set the team up for even greater success in the Spring scholastic competitions, where Berkeley High ended the season qualifying eight boats for scholastics regionals this May. This is the third time the crew team will be attending Scholastic Nationals and the most entries ever qualified, with 40 student athletes participating. The Novice/Freshman team finished the season with a third place finish at Southwest Regionals. |
The 27-person roster of the men’s varsity squad had a strong rebuilding year that, after a slow start, culminated in a heroic victory at West Coast Scholastic Championships on Lake Merced where the men’s varsity 8+ came from behind to take first place in the last 200m of the race. With this victory the Crew team qualified a large number of boats and athletes to compete at Scholastic National Championships in Campden, NJ on May 28th. All 27 men’s varsity members will travel to compete in the Varsity 8+, Second Varsity 8+, and Lightweight 8+ categories. Special shoutout goes to senior Sam Packman, who led the team as captain and stroke seat of the varsity 8+ and whose leadership helped guide the team through the pandemic and into greener pastures. | |
Boys Golf
Coaches:
Varsity: Ahmad Dilliehunt. Assistant: Ryan Costello
A total of 8 boys participated in golf this season, led by Junior Captain Maximus Francis and Freshman Alex Neira. The overall record was 2-12, with a respectable 2-4 at the team’s tough home course at Tilden. The most memorable moment of the season was the win vs San Leandro at home, the first win of the season by a narrow margin of only 5 strokes. Low rounds of the day were Phillip Kwakhiran who shot a 42, Maximus Francis (47) and Alex Neira (48).
Individually, Freshman Alex Neira qualified for NCS playoffs and represented Berkeley High honorably with a score of 86 in the first round of playoffs. Alex barely missed the cut for the second round of playoffs but he did finish top 40 out of 144 participants.
|
Boys Lacrosse
Coaches:
Varsity: Jerem Stothers, Mike Clark, Riley Westover, Quinn Gaebler
JV: Fritz Lechner, Chase Betta
What a year! The Berkeley boys lacrosse team went 12-8 in the regular season coming in 3rd in the league. For the first time in five years, the team qualified for NCS playoffs! In NCS play, the team lost to De La Salle, the eventual 2022 champions. The highlight win of the season was at University when the Jackets came from behind down one with a minute to go to tie it up and win on a buzzer beater by Auggie Gade. Phenom freshman, Hayden Hockenbrock, was awarded Team MVP while Axel Disston won Defensive Player of the Year and Brace Sproul won Offensive Player of the Year.
JV had an outstanding year going 6-2-1 lead by Stefan V who had 45 goals in 8 games. Varsity received eight all league recipients including a league high five 1st team players. Hayden Hockenbrock, Axel Disston, Brace Sproul, Max Cherbini and August Gade received 1st team honors. Cody Shevelson received 2nd team and Anthony Cherbini and Marc Rebusi took home honorable mention. Congrats to the entire program and best wishes to the 2022 seniors. |
|
Girls Lacrosse
Coaches:
Varsity:Jessica Seggman
JV: August Fern
\ | |
In the first regular season in 3 years, the team had numerous injuries and small numbers all season yet managed to maintain a JV and Varsity squad—both teams rarely playing with any subs yet staying positive through every game. The Varsity team was able to secure enough wins to make it to the WACC League Championship final game— a first for the program! While making it to the final game was a win in itself, the highlight of the year was the semi-final game against Piedmont. In a nail-biting game, Berkeley High took an early lead but when into halftime tied 7-7. In the second half Berkeley took the lead by 4, but Piedmont was able to tie the game for a second time with less than a minute left in the game. The game went to sudden-death overtime, broken into three-minute segments. Neither team scored in the first OT period although both had chances. The same happened in the second OT period, until senior Maggie Fern scored the golden goal with 43 seconds left on the clock. The BHS Varsity team played their hearts out to secure the win against long time rival Piedmont. Maggie Fern, Lane Imen and Sienna Prak-Perry received First Team All League honors. Sade Devine and Nya Havens received Second Team All League with Emma Boyd and Christina Keung earning an Honorable Mention.
The JV team was a mix of first time players and returners. With a small roster, everyone had more than enough playing time, leading to substantial improvement over the season. By the time the team defeated Northgate late in the season, the team was working together to play the beautifully orchestrated game of girls lacrosse. Most impressively, 95% of the team received President’s List or Scholar Athlete awards for academic performance during the season. |
|
Swimming & Diving
Coaches:
Swimming: Megan Melgaard, Amanda Palmquist, Michael Wilson, Susan Helmrich, John McDonald
Diving: Derek Douglas, Avery Fong
Several swimmers had the chance to compete at NCS in the 200 medley relay (same girls listed above), 200 IM & 100 Fly: Brianna Smyth representing the girls team and 1M diving (Lucien Geltman-Lamb & Liam Graham), 200 IM & 100 back – Luke Swiggett, and 400 Free relay ( Luke Swiggett, Jacob Leichter-Wilson, Samuele Gabriel, Lucas Childs). Alternates were: Caelen Fry, Maxwell Kaneko, Eamonn Kaufer, and Yair Sas representing the boys. |
|
In an example of blazing fast swimming, Junior Luke Swigget’s third place finish in the 200 IM at NCS qualified him for the State Championship CIF meet held in Clovis for the 200 Individual Medley, and as an alternate in 100 back. Nice work! |
Softball
Coaches:
Varsity: Jason Kaneko and Erica Racklin
JV: Mark Griffin and Jasmin Terry
The softball team went 14-4 overall and 9-1 in league play this year. The team had four first team all-league selections (Abigail Kaneko, Avery Lyman, Czar Fleischman and Oona Capristo), one second team selection (Elisa Highton) and two honorable mention selections (Melody Castro and Paola Gunier). Abigail Kaneko was selected as the Player and Pitcher of the Year for the WACC league. The team qualified for the NCS tournament post season tournament, but lost in a close game to Clayton Valley Charter.
There were 15 players on the junior varsity team this year, a promising sign for the future. The team played 8 games and had big wins over San Leandro (twice) and El Cerrito. |
|
Boys Tennis
Coaches: Jeff Jue, Bud Travers and David McCaig
There were 20 players on the boys tennis this team this season, led by seniors Micheel Alharazy, Jasraj Dhillion, and Boris Momtchev. Overall the team finished with a 13-5 record and a 10-2 record in League play, enough to finish second in the WACC behind Piedmont. Sophomore Leighton Sproul in the #1 spot won the WACC Singles Title at Chabot College and represented the League at NCS Individuals. Henry Grant won the JV Jamboree Singles while Bo Speirs and Aditya Shridharan won the JV Jamboree Doubles. Several players were nominated for All League status: All League Singles – Leighton Sproul; All League Doubles – Boris Momtchev; Honorable Mention – Micheel Alharazy and Celian DeLaBrouille. |
||
Track & Field
Coaches: Brad Johnson, Brooks Geiken, Don Miller, Bobby Pope, Theo Bazakas, Kristen Kulhanek
Over 200 athletes were a part of the Track & Field team this year, each working towards their best performance. The Girls team won the WACC League Championship Title! The Boys team finished 3rd in the WACC. Individually, Timothy Keller won the 800 and 400 and the 4X400 relay (with Giuseppe Chiappetta, Oliver Lu, and Aidan Metcalf). Lucy Rickart-Webb won the pole vault (Matthew Avery and Claudia Johnson took 2nd). Sonia Delangle and Fenner McCoy won the high jump (Rosie Bultman took 2nd). Oliver Lu won the triple jump (Rosie Bultman took 2nd)
Rosie also took 2nd in the long jump. Alessandra Ionescu-Zanetti won the 100M and 300M hurdles. At the Clash of the Titans track and field meet, Sonia Delangle broke the meet record for the high jump.
|
|
|
At the NCS Bayshore meet, girls team finished SECOND out of 24 teams at the NCS Bayshore Meet to take home another pennant! And the boys’ team tied for THIRD overall. There were lots of individual victories and PRs too. Alessandra took first in the 110m and 300m hurdles. Aidan, Oliver, Joe, and Timmy captured a thrilling photo finish win in the 4×400. Tim and Joe also finished 2nd and 4th in the 800m. Nate and Fenner soared to 2nd and 3rd in the high jump and Rosie leaped to second in the long jump. Phoeben tied for 3rd in the discus and Oliver took fourth in triple jump. |
|
Berkeley High also had a strong showing at the NCS Track & Field Meet of Champions. Tim Keller won Gold in the men’s 800m and Alessandra Ionescu-Zanetti came in 3rd in the women’s 100m Hurdles, meaning both will be representing BHS at the CIF State Championship meet next weekend! Other strong showings at the meet were Alessandra in 5th for the 300m hurdles plus the 4×400 mens relay and Sonia’s high jump just missing state qualification in 4th place. Good luck Tim and Alessandra! | |
Boys Volleyball
Coaches: Mike Hudley, Megan Hall and Ahrash Bissell
The Berkeley High Boys Volleyball got off to a quick start of the 2022 season after their undefeated (10-0) 2021 Covid season the previous spring. As planned, the team had an outstanding season with a League Championship and a strong NCS run. The first game and loss against Bishop O Dowd was a hard fought match of 2-3 sets. This only loss of the season set the stage for a battle for league champions between BHS and BOD. The team learned more from that loss than from any other game during the season and ultimately it helped focus the team on improving key aspects of the game. The Senior Night match against BOD for the league championship finished in a 3-2 victory. Seniors Alvaro Pani Lugo, Paul Regier, Dahrius Bissell, Lev Gruber, Jayshan Parameswaran, and Morgan Koch were all honored with a few sincere words from their peers. The stands were packed with students, parents, and the cheer squad all cheering at every point in the match. The energy was high and the boys played magnificently to earn the league champions pennant for BHS boy’s volleyball. The last league champion pennant for boys volleyball at BHS was awarded in 1992! Due to having the same league record we are co-champions with BOD.
NCS matches one and two were easy victories for BHS against San Leandro and Foothill High but the run ended in the semifinals with a 1-3 defeat by the number 1 seed, and ultimate NCS champions, College Park.
The WACC awarded seven individuals with All League Team honors: Seniors Paul Rieger, Dahrius Bissel, Jayshan Parameshawaran, Lev Gruber, and Alvaro Pani-Lugo; Junior, Otis Norton-Tsang, and Sophomore, Oliver Shrieve. Senior, Paul Reiger was the WACC Player of the Year. The coaches awarded Freshman, Sebastian Chen as Most Promising Player; Junior, Otis Norton-Tsang as Most Spirited; and Senior, Mogan Koch was Most Improved. In addition, the squad boasts seven academic awards on the President’s and Scholar-Athlete lists. The six seniors will be sorely missed and have promised to return as alums to cheer on the legacy they have rebuilt in Jackets Boys Volleyball. |
|
Berkeley Athletic Fund supports Student Athletes
BAF was out in force for the 14th Annual BAF Golf Classic at Tilden Golf Course May 6. Not only were important funds raised to support Coach stipends at Berkeley High, but a great time was had by all in attendance. Put the first Friday of May 2023 on your calendar and plan to join us next year. The Berkeley Athletic Fund was pleased to provide financial support to multiple teams this season, including replacing worn-out equipment for the swim team and securing better court time for the tennis team. The Berkeley Athletic Fund raises funds year round to maintain coach stipends and equipment funds at their current levels. Your tax-deductible contribution to the Berkeley Athletic Fund goes to work right here in Berkeley on the field, in the pool, on the court, or in the gym for the 1200 student athletes at Berkeley High. Become a Berkeley High Booster today! |
Need some Jacket gear to show your school pride while cheering for your favorite team? Yellow Jacket gear is available year round on the Fan Store. Have a great summer and see you at a game in the Fall! |
Go Jackets!