Five athletes reach Track and Field CIF Masters

By Nathan Wang

The Boys Track and Field team placed fourth and the Girls Track and Field team placed eighth at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Track and Field Finals

May 13. Pole Vaulters Jessica Thompson ’23 and Sofia Rakfeldt ’25, Discus and Shot Put Thrower Jesse Goldman ’23 and Long Jumper Benson Fleischer ’23 qualified for the CIF Masters meet on May 20.

Thompson, who achieved a new school record of 13 feet and one inch on the pole vault, said the journey to reaching her new personal record was mentally taxing.

Doubles team advances to fourth round

By Eden Conner

Andrew Kurgan ’24 and Colin Kennedy ’24 won three rounds in the CIF individuals tournament to make it to the round of 32.

The duo rallied to win 6-4 and 6-3 in the third round, guaranteeing them a spot in the second week of the tournament.

Kurgan said the team closed out both sets efficiently. He said he served with power and Kennedy performed well at the net.

“When [Colin] and I are playing well, we are very hard to stop.” Kurgan said. “The chemistry we have, especially in our service games, propelled us forward in this tournament.”

Kurgan said staying focused at key points late in both sets helped the team win the match.

“Tennis is all about how you deal with pressure,” Kurgan said. “We won the points we needed to win, it’s as simple as that.”

Kennedy said the duo needs to make some minor adjustments in order to maximize their success.

“We gotta work on executing better and make sure not to give up any free points that add up and have an impact,” Kennedy. “We need to be more aggressive in closing at the net and reduce the amount of double faults. Staying focused and keeping [the] energy up is crucial.”

Kennedy said he and his teammate are planning to give their all in their last tournament of the season.

“The goal for the tournament honestly is to just have fun and embrace this opportunity [that] we’ve been given,” Kennedy said. “[We’ve] got to trust our games and play how we have been practicing all season. Obviously we want to go far, but we don’t want to get caught up in the results and stunt our performance.”

Sports Section Editor Paul Kurgan ’23 competed in the CIF-SS singles tournament, making it to the second round. He said he went into the tournament feeling confident in himself.

“I was hitting my forehand very well,” Paul Kurgan said. “I was playing relaxed and confident tennis and was able to get a win quickly.”

Paul Kurgan said he went in as an underdog in the second match, but that he is happy with the way he played in the last match of his high school career.

“I’m happy [that] I got the opportunity to compete for the team [over] these past four years,” Paul Kurgan said. “My coaches have all been so supportive [throughout] my journey and I’m extremely thankful for my team.”

Andrew Kurgan said the team had strong bonds this year.

“The whole team liked each other,” Andrew Kurgan said. “We were competitive in practice but we respect each other a lot.”