IJ’s picks for 2024 Spring Players of the Year

06.07.2024 05:15

Marinij.com

The spring season featured a slew of athletic accomplishments from four combined baseball and softball teams making it to NorCals and a pair of Marin golfers going to State. Lacrosse teams claimed a pair of section titles, while a swimmer and a track athlete both claimed individual titles at the North Coast Section championships. MCAL […]

Redwood starting pitcher Rex Solle (6) throws against San Marin at the MCAL baseball final at Albert Park in San Rafael, Calif. on Friday, May 10, 2024. No. 1 Redwood defeated No. 2 San Marin 6-5 for the title. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
San Marin starting pitcher Sean McGrath (12) throws against Redwood at the MCAL baseball final at Albert Park in San Rafael, Calif. on Friday, May 10, 2024. No. 1 Redwood defeated No. 2 San Marin 6-5 for the title. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
Ben Friedman of Tamalpais tees off on the eight hole during the MCAL boys golf championship at Stonetree Golf Club in Novato, Calif. on April 29, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Will Mangino (3) and Colin Puckett (24) of Marin Catholic celebrate Puckett’s goal against Redwood at the MCAL boys lacrosse title game in Kentfield, Calif. on Saturday, April 27, 2024. No. 1 Marin Catholic defeated No. 2 Redwood 14-8 for the title. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
Riley Peterson (1) of Redwood heads down the field with the ball as a Marin Catholic defender moves in on her at the MCAL girls lacrosse title game in Kentfield, Calif. on Saturday, April 27, 2024. No. 1 Redwood defeated No. 2 Marin Catholic 13-12 in overtime for the title. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
LARKSPUR CA - APRIL 2: San Rafael shortstop Sophia Everett throws to first base for a double play after forcing out Kait Christensen (48) of Redwood at second base during fields a ground ball at second base to before their MCAL softball game in Larkspur, Calif. on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. San Rafael defeated Redwood 4-3. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
San Rafael pitcher Thomara Drummer (21) throws against Kennedy in the North Coast Section Division III semifinal game in San Rafael, Calif. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. No. 1 San Rafael defeated No. 13 Kennedy 4-0. Drummer struck out 16 and got the win for the Bulldogs. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
Terra Linda's Ben Butler competes and finishes in second place in 100-yard freestyle final during the swim and dive North Coast Section Championships at Concord Community Pool in Concord, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Addison Everage of Tamalpais does the butterfly stroke during the Women's 200 individual medley race during the MCAL swimming championships at the Miwok Aquatic Center at College of Marin, Indian Valley in Novato, Calif. on Apr. 27, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
William Ghalam of Redwood crosses the finish line first as the last leg of the 4x100m race during the MCAL Track Tri-meet between Archie Williams, Tam, and Redwood at Redwood High School in Larkspur, Calif. on April 18, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Antonio Bayon (center) of Redwood races in from of Kiernan Connolly (left) of Tamalpais and Nick Ferguson of Archie Williams (right) in the boys 110 meter hurdles during the MCAL Track & Field Championship at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, Calif. on May 4, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Sicily Grasso of San Marin (center) wins the girls 200 meter dash ahead of Gianna Grasson (left) of San Marin and Middleton, Sydney Middleton of Redwood (right) during the 100 meter range the MCALs Track & Field Championship at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, Calif. on May 4, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood No. 1 singles player Julian Zhang rips a forehand during his match against Tommie Higgins of Branson at the MCAL boys tennis final at Tam High in Mill Valley, Calif. on Friday, April 19, 2024. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
Zach Wulff (18) of Archie Williams hits the ball over the net during the MCAL boys volleyball final between Archie Williams and Tamalpais High School at Novato High School in Novato, Calif. on April 28, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)

Expand

The spring season featured a slew of athletic accomplishments from four combined baseball and softball teams making it to NorCals and a pair of Marin golfers going to State.

Lacrosse teams claimed a pair of section titles, while a swimmer and a track athlete both claimed individual titles at the North Coast Section championships.

MCAL and BCL coaches made their all-league selections before the postseason wrapped up and now it’s time for the IJ to reveal its picks for spring athletes of the year.

Prep baseball

IJ player of the year, Redwood’s Rex Solle >> Solle was a clutch performer during the Giants’ march to the CIF Northern California playoffs. The UCLA-bound Solle came through at the plate with 23 RBIs while batting .386 through 28 games, with eight doubles and a triple. Solle helped anchor the infield at third base — when he wasn’t in the spotlight on the mound — with a solid .829 fielding percentage.

IJ/MCAL pitcher of the year, San Marin’s Sean McGrath >> McGrath, quite possibly the most physically dominating pitcher in the MCAL, was 11-1 in 15 appearances on the mound, with five complete games and one shutout.

MCAL player of the year, Redwood’s Theo Trono >> The sophomore was the league’s selection and figures to be a big part of the Giants plans for the next two years. Trono was among the Giants’ leaders with a .411 batting average that included 17 RBIs, nine doubles and four triples.

Other standouts >> The Giants also got powerful performances from senior Gavin Soper (.330 batting average, 17 RBIs), junior Sam Gersch (.464 batting average, 17 RBIs) and sophomore Jack Moseley (.333 batting average, 34 RBIs).

San Marin muscled up this season with Anthony Scheppler, Cole Chamberlain and McGrath providing power at the plate, combining for 21 of the team’s total 22 home runs. The Mustangs (22-9) won the North Coast Section Division III pennant in a 6-0 win over Campolindo.

Novato’s JP Harmon, Archie Williams’ Jack Evans, Marin Catholic’s Jayden Lee, and Tam’s Jack Hanna each received all-league honors as their teams advanced to the NCS tournament.

Branson senior Cooper Tenney, plus juniors Mo Jacoby and Tom Lardner provided power at the plate, and senior Wilson Wendt was commanding on the mound during the Bulls’ NCS D-V championship run. Branson cruised past Head Royce, 11-3, in the final.

Boys golf

IJ/MCAL golfer of the year, Tam’s Ben Friedman >> Friedman was the early favorite to win the league title, and he didn’t disappoint. There were several contenders for the MCAL crown, but Friedman’s closest rival during the season came from teammate Hayden Thill. Friedman and Hill both finished 2-over 73 to join a six-way tie for 17th place at the CIF State Boys Championship. The two Red-tailed Hawks standouts were the first Marin County golfers to compete in the boys championship since 2013.

Other standouts >> Marin Catholic’s Theo Anderson and Mason Sylvester were among the top 18 individuals at the North Coast Section Division II tournament to advance to the D-I championship. Sylvester fired a 69 at Peacock Gap and Anderson finished at 71. They were joined by Marin Academy’s Charlie Wilhelm (69) and Charlie Hansen (72), as MC and Marin Academy both finished at 301, with MC winning a tiebreaker for first place.

Redwood’s Sam Sumski, an All-MCAL first team selection, placed fifth at the MCAL championship. Branson’s Barry Liu shot a 75 at the NCS D-II tournament to lead the Bulls, who were bolstered all season by Aria Saluja — another All-MCAL first team pick. Terra Linda’s Sean Madden, an all-league first team pick, and Kaden Martin were both outstanding as the Trojans capped their season with a seventh-place finish at the NCS D-I tournament.

Boys lacrosse

IJ/MCAL player of the year, Marin Catholic’s Colin Puckett >> Puckett helped pace Marin Catholic during a historic season as the Wildcats won the MCAL regular season and tournament titles, plus the NCS D-I crown. Ohio State-bound Puckett had three points in a 14-3 victory over powerhouse De La Salle to claim the NCS title.

Other standouts >> Marin Catholic’s dominating season is reflected in six All-MCAL first team picks: Tate Sedlachek, Jake Holmes, Mack Barry, Matt Bailey, Jack Herold, and Jack Irving. Redwood, which finished second to MC in both the regular season and the MCAL postseason tournament, put five players on the first team with Will Parsons, Jake Vasquez, Aidan Hackett, Edward Lin, and goalie Jackson Lesher.

Tam’s Oskar Armour was the only non-MC or non-Redwood player to make the all-league first team. Fischer Burke and Logan Chapman helped power Marin Academy to the Bay Counties League title.

Girls lacrosse

IJ/MCAL player of the year, Redwood’s Riley Peterson >> Peterson was in control on the field all season and her dominance on the draw established a powerful attack for the MCAL champions. The Giants finished the season 17-5 after a loss to San Ramon Valley in the NCS D-I finals.

Other standouts >> Big scorers Maya Mihara, Lucy Miller, and Lucy Jeffers, were the beneficiaries of Peterson’s directed attack, while Lily Pirsch anchored the defense.

Marlee Nies and Audrey Carr gave Marin Catholic an all-star 1-2 punch on offense, while goalie Katherine Villeda was solid in net for the Wildcats.

Senior Abigail Brackett scored 102 goals to lead San Marin to the NCS D-II championship, backed by all-league first team pick Alex Chamberlain’s 58 goals and 24 assists.

No honors list would be complete without Tam’s Rowie Scobie, who has helped shift the balance of power in Marin County. The Red-tailed Hawks beat Marin Academy in the opening round of the NCS D-I tournament.

Marin Academy was undefeated in Bay Counties League West play on the way to winning the league title, spurred by the scoring of Sadie Goodenough, Blythe DeGooyer and Elsa Anderson.

Prep softball

IJ softball player of the year, San Rafael’s Sophia Everett >> Everett led the way as the Bulldogs broke a 20-year drought by claiming their first MCAL regular-season title since 2004. Everett was a standout two-way player for San Rafael again this season, hitting .500 for the year with 29 RBIs, a league-high 29 stolen bases, and a league-high 12 home runs – three times more than any other player. Everett, a junior who is committed to play for Cal, also provided standout defense at shortstop.

IJ/MCAL pitcher of the year, San Rafael’s Thomara Drummer >> After an injury cut short her sophomore campaign in 2023, Drummer bounced back in a big way in 2024. Drummer, a junior who is committed to play for Southern Oregon, was dominant at times inside the circle, tossing six no-hitters including back-to-back gems in the NCS playoffs. Drummer led the MCAL in earned-run average (0.51) and strikeouts (339) while pitching a league-high 177 innings. Drummer also led the league in batting average (.522) and RBIs (39).

MCAL player of the year, Archie Williams’ Paige Murphy >> Murphy was named the MCAL’s player of the year following a campaign that saw her hit .486 while doubling as one of the league’s best pitchers (1.86 ERA, 185 strikeouts).

Other standouts >> Murphy, along with catcher Kennedy Dunsing and center fielder Lydia Battaglia, led the Peregrine Falcons to their first appearance in the MCAL playoffs since 2017.

Redwood finished second in the league with a deep roster that featured just one first-team player in Gia Meyers. Stella Belluomini also established herself as one of the top pitchers in the league (1.37 ERA, 148 strikeouts).

San Marin also enjoyed a big season, besting both San Rafael and Redwood to win the MCAL postseason title as the fourth seed. Shortstop Lauren Fong was named an all-MCAL first teamer along with pitcher/third baseman Taylor Testa, who emerged as one of the top freshmen in the league.

Another freshman, Marin Catholic’s Morgan Carlson, made her mark by hitting .516 with four homers out of the leadoff spot for the Wildcats.

Terra Linda, led by junior pitcher Eleanor Johnson, also had a breakthrough campaign winning four league games following back-to-back 0-14 league records in 2022 and 2023.

Boys swimming

IJ/MCAL swimmer of the year, Terra Linda’s Ben Butler >> TL coach Tim Baker deployed Butler in just about every race possible to help ensure the Trojans went undefeated in the dual-meet season. Although Butler’s strongest event was the 200 free, he opted to swim the 100 back instead to help the Trojans compile enough points to win their first MCAL title since 2013. Butler won the 100 back in addition to the 100 free while teammate Cameron Heller won the 200 free. Butler also competed on two winning relay teams to win the maximum four events at MCALs. Butler had podium finishes at NCS in the 100 free and 200 free, qualifying for state in both events.

Other standouts >> Butler had a lot of help lifting TL to the top of the standings this season. Teammate Nicholas Arinduque was also a quadruple winner at MCALs (200 IM, 100 breast, two relays) and Cameron Heller was a triple winner (200 free, 500 free, one relay). Arinduque went on to become the lone Marin swimmer to earn a section title this season, winning the 100 breast.

Branson’s Cameron Aryanpour also had a big postseason winning the 100 butterfly at MCALs and placing second in the 50 free. He placed third in the 100 fly at NCS, adding a seventh-place finish in the 50 free.

Tam’s Dean Gustavson was the only other swimmer to win an individual event at MCALs (50 free). Archie Williams’ Vincent Krilanovich (third in 50 free, second in 100 free), Tam’s Andrew Sternfels (second in 100 fly and 100 back), and Redwood’s Owen Pritchard (third in 200 IM, second in 100 breast) also turned in stellar times at MCALs.

Girls swimming

IJ swimmer of the year, Tam’s Addison Everage >> Everage was one of three individual double winners at MCALs, touching the wall first in both the 200 IM and the 100 fly. Everage switched over to the 100 back at NCS, placing sixth. That performance was good enough to qualify her for state, where she placed 14th.

MCAL swimmer of the year, Redwood’s Kate DeForrest >> DeForrest won a pair of individual events at the MCAL championships to help push Redwood to its third consecutive league title. Deforrest topped all swimmers in both the 100 free and the 200 free.

Other standouts >> Marin Catholic’s Esme Quay was the league’s other individual double winner, claiming victories in the 50 free and the 100 breast. Quay also featured on a pair of winning relay teams for MC, bringing her medal haul to the maximum of four on the day. Quay anchored MC’s 200 free relay team which placed eighth at NCS. Quay was joined on that team by Alyssa Kooy, Amelia Kiriakis, and Claire Cassidy (who also won the 500 free at MCALs).

Novato sophomore Emerson Wunderlich also turned in some of the top times at the MCAL championships, finishing second in the 200 free and third in the 100 free.

Boys tennis

IJ/MCAL player of the year, Redwood’s Julian Zhang >> Zhang made an immediate impact as a freshman going undefeated in league play to help Redwood claim both the MCAL regular-season and postseason titles. Zhang, who was ranked No. 2 in Northern California among U-14 players by the USTA during the season, won both of his MCAL postseason matches in straight sets while playing No. 1 singles for the Giants.

Other standouts >> Redwood’s Jackson Sichel was also key to the Giants’ title push, playing at No. 2 singles and often moving up to No. 1 singles when Zhang was unavailable. Sichel also advanced to the finals of the MCAL singles tournament.

Branson’s Chase Hoeveler won that tournament, entering as the No. 3 seed and taking down No. 2 seed Tyler Byrne of Tam and No. 1 seed Sichel in the process. Branson’s brother duo of Finn and Tommie Higgins won the MCAL doubles tournament. The Bulls, who also placed Ishwar Jayaraman on the MCAL first team, made a deep postseason run, falling to University in the D-II section finals.

Boys track

IJ/MCAL track athlete of the year >> Liam Ghalam was one of the standouts on a star-studded Redwood squad. He took first place in the 200 at the MCAL and NCS Redwood Empire championships. He was second in the 400 at MCALs, but took first place at the NCS Redwood Empire and NCS Meet of Champions, then set a personal record of 48.19 seconds at State.

IJ/MCAL field athlete of the year >> Decathlete Antonio Bayon brought home the gold for the Giants. He won the triple jump (PR 43-3), pole vault (PR 14-8) and 110 hurdles (15.29) at MCALs. He continued to excel, especially in the pole vault, with a first-place finish at the NCS Redwood Empire Meet and second at the Meet of Champions to qualify for State.

Other standouts >> Archie Williams junior Will Mulliken and Redwood senior Ethan Werner showed their stamina in a great rivalry. Mulliken took gold in the 1,600 at MCALs and was fourth at MOC in the 1,600 (4:16.02). Werner went the distance in the 3,200, placing second at MCALs before winning the Redwood Empire meet and placing 14th at MOC.

Marin Catholic junior Kyree Marshall won the MCAL title in the high jump and tied for eighth place at MOC with a leap of 6 feet.

Girls track

IJ/MCAL track athlete of the year >> San Marin junior Sicily Grasso took the title in the 100 at MCAL and NCS Redwood Empire championships, setting a PR of 12.42 along the way. She won MCAL gold in the 200 and set a PR of 25.44 for a second-place finish in the Redwood Empire meet.

IJ/MCAL field athlete of the year >> Redwood’s Trinity Chancellor ran the 100 and the 4×100 relay, with teammates Tatum McPeek, Annalise Horn and Jenna Beauchamp. But she stole the spotlight in the pole vault, where she won seven gold medals, including at the MCAL and Redwood Empire meets, then set a new PR of 11-3 for a fifth-place finish at the MOC.

Other standouts >> Marin Catholic junior Molly Stewart was stellar in the relays and the 800. She won the 800 at MCALs, was second at Redwood Empire (PR 2:14.40) and fifth at MOC.

Giants junior Marley Nacco, Archie Williams sophomore Ani Stieg and Tam runners Ellery Barnes and Emma Gardner were among the top distance athletes in Marin County. Stieg won the 1,600 at MCALs in 5:19.33, with Nacco second. But Nacco beat Stieg’s time to place ninth at MOC (5:16.96).

Redwood’s Ruby Hauth won the MCAL 100 hurdles and high jump titles, and placed 12th at MOC in the high jump with a record-setting mark of 5-1.

San Rafael resident and St. Ignatius sophomore Ellie McCuskey-Hay continues her standout career after she took fifth in the long jump at State (19-00), and was 10th in qualifying in the 100 at State, and 15th in qualifying for the 4×100.

Boys volleyball

IJ/MCAL player of the year, Archie Williams’ Zach Wulff >> Wulff, a junior, had a big season for the second-place Peregrine Falcons, piling up a team-high 318 kills – almost half of the team’s total of 698 – while being among the team leaders with 150 digs. Archie Williams was upset by Tam in the MCAL semifinals then advanced to the second round of the NCS D-II playoffs.

Other standouts >> Redwood junior middle blocker Beckett Shewey also had a huge season, posting 236 kills and 43 blocks as the Giants went unbeaten in league and claimed the MCAL postseason title.

Terra Linda outside hitter Camden Franjieh helped the Trojans make their first MCAL playoff appearance. Tam advanced to the MCAL final on the strength of all-league first-team seasons from Yaseen Ashraf and David Bloom. Archie Williams’ Ellis Chamberlain (581 assists) was named the top setter by the league’s coaches.