This Week in Athletics

April 7, 2023

To say that this has been a spring season like no other would be an understatement. The multiple “atmospheric rivers” that California has seen in the past few months have been wonderful for the lakes and vegetation. For playing sports outside, however, not so much. After a full month of rainouts and unplayable field conditions, we have finally had games on and off the Mesa.

The baseball team has been one of the teams hindered most by the unusual spring weather experienced in the last few months. After having their first four games rained out, the team played its first game in late March and suffered a defeat to Foothill Tech. They were able to bounce back a week later with a two-game sweep of league foe Santa Clara. But the past week has seen the Rams fall twice and their overall record move to 2-3. With four league games still to be played against Ojai rivals, Villanova and Thacher, the team’s focus is on winning those games and earning a spot in the CIF playoffs in May.

Indoors, the boys volleyball team has suffered some tough losses in the first half of the season. The only team able to get games in before the School’s spring break, the Rams struggled to gain their footing against some tougher opponents, and it took a few more games after the break to really begin meshing as a unit. With the second half of league play ahead of them in the last two weeks of the season, the Rams will hope to turn the tides and run the table. With two wins in their past three games, it looks like the team might be hitting their stride at the perfect time.

The boys tennis team has seen the most misfortune, not playing a match until March 30. And that match just so happened to be in Ojai against the Toads. The Rams looked as if they had been playing matches for a month, easily handing the Toads a 15-3 loss. That group used that momentum to roll into Bishop Diego and walk away with a 17-1 victory. Although it hasn’t been the season the team had been hoping for to this point in terms of matches played, the Rams are not missing a beat. With four matches remaining, it seems like the team could go into finals play with an undefeated record.

The swim team has had a successful beginning of their season with three meet victories and one more still to come over Family Weekend. The swimmers have been solid in the pool taking home a lot of first-place finishes, including Jenevive Wong ’26 breaking the school record in the 100m fly and then breaking her own record three weeks later. Phin Stevenson ’25 didn’t want to miss out on the record-breaking, as he broke the 100m breaststroke school record in that same meet. The Rams look to finish strong in their final league meet before taking their talents into the League Finals, and hopefully, in the Sectional Qualifiers in May.

Girls lacrosse is at the midway point of their season with six games still to be played. After a slow start that saw the Rams compete against some very good opponents, the team has rattled off three straight wins, the most recent being a squashing of the Toads out in Ojai. This three-game winning streak has the group thinking big as they close out the first half of league play next week in a matchup with Dos Pueblos. The second half will be packed with six games in two and a half weeks, and the Rams have shown that they are ready to make a run at playoffs led by an experienced group of upperclassmen.

Boys lacrosse has been on a torrid pace ever since the season began. Not playing a game until a week after the spring break the boys have still managed to start the season on a five-game win streak. The defense, led by Jack Whelan ’23, Caden Fuchs ’23, and Kristian Scurtis ’24, and goaltender Burak Yanar ’24 have been the anchor leading the team’s success holding all of their opponents to fewer than six goals. With five games remaining, the boys will look to finish the season on a high note carrying all of this momentum, maybe even undefeated, and then look toward a successful playoff run into May.

The fastest team on campus has been attending meets for almost two months now with plenty of accolades to show. Specifically, the long-distance runners have proven to be among some of the best in the county, and the team’s top sprinter and jumpers are proving to be some of the top competitors in the southern section. The highlight of the season thus far, of which there have been many, has been the boy’s 4x400m relay team breaking a 30-year school record in a meet earlier this season.

It has been an interesting season so far, but here’s to hoping the rain stays away and for three or more weeks of great play from our student-athletes.

As always, stay up to date with the latest in athletics by checking the news section of the website. Stay tuned to Cate.org/livestream to watch live games in Sprague Gym and on Nion Tucker ’40 Field.