Athletics

Jesuit Athletics Program Named #1 in Nation

Jesuit High School was named the No. 1 athletic program in the nation in August, taking home the MaxPreps Cup for the second time in the last four years.

This marks the fourth time that the school has been recognized on a national level as the top high school athletic program (Sports Illustrated named Jesuit first in the nation in 2007 and 2010).

“We are extremely honored to receive this national recognition as the #1 high school athletic program in the country,” says Athletic Director Mike Hughes. “In Jesuit athletics, we focus on coaching for character. We find if you do the little things right, concentrating on developing men and women of conscience, competence and compassion, the wins and losses take care of themselves.”

After a huge spring sports season, Jesuit racked up 11 total state titles for the 2018-19 school year, including championship wins in baseball, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s golf, men’s tennis, men’s basketball, women’s and men’s swimming, men’s and women’s soccer, and volleyball.

“Our coaches, many of them on-campus Ignatian educators, understand that athletics is but one expression of the Jesuit mission of producing leaders-for-others,” said Principal Paul Hogan. “Sports at Jesuit help us to pursue our mission by teaching character traits like self-sacrifice, teamwork, commitment, self-discipline, and love—of the game, and of each other—that serve our students for generations.”

High schools sports news arbiter MaxPreps determines the No. 1 high school sports program in the nation using a specialized point system. Schools accumulate points for finishing first or second in the state finals or finishing in the Top 25 national rankings for a specific sport. Points are also awarded based on the size of the state, the popularity of the sport, the playoff classification for the sport played and for the number of teams competing in that playoff classification.

In July, Will Sheaffer ’19 was named Athlete of the Year by the Beaverton Valley Times. During his senior year, Will earned a team state title with the men’s basketball team and an individual crown in track for the 1,500 meter race. Will also captained the men’s cross country team and led the Crusaders to a second-place finish in the state meet. As a three-sport athlete, Will took cross training to a new level. Throughout basketball season, he continued to run a full cross-country regime in order to stay in shape for the spring track season.

“He has a level of intensity and passion that’s pretty rare,” Jesuit’s cross country coach Tom Rothenberger told the Valley Times. “He just loves to compete. He hates to lose. That’s not a given for kids that can make shots and run fast times…He might be one of the most intense competitors I’ve ever coached. He won’t go down without a fight.”

JHS Student Awarded Beaverton Valley Times Athlete of the Year

Mick Abel Katie Duong Peter Murphy Rose Booth

Oregon Sports Award Winners

The Oregon Sports Awards honor outstanding achievements by Oregon’s prep, amateur and professional athletes, as well as teams, coaches and administrators. Various awards are distributed annually to highlight accomplishments and shining moments in Oregon’s sports history. In 2019, four Jesuit students received the honor of Prep Athlete of the Year.

Mick Abel ’20

Prep Baseball Player of the Year Ace right-handed pitcher for Jesuit’s state championship squad, Mick Abel ’20 was almost unstoppable in 2019 with a 10-0 record. He was named Oregon’s Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year, 6A Pitcher of the Year, and first-team All-Metro. As one of the top prospects in the nation, Mick also competed in the inaugural year of the MLB’s Pipeline Development League and was ranked as the no. 2 prospect to come out of the showcase by MLB.com.

Katie Duong ’19

Prep Girls Soccer Player of the Year Katie Duong ’19 capped off her high school soccer career by leading Jesuit’s women’s soccer team to an undefeated season and the program’s 13th state title. In addition to earning Allstate and All-Metro first-team honors, Katie was selected to compete in the High School Soccer All-American Game. After leading the West team to victory, she was a named co-MVP of the contest. Katie will continue playing soccer for the University of Minnesota this fall.

Peter Murphy ’20

Prep Boys Tennis Player of the Year Peter Murphy ’20 has already claimed three individual tennis state titles and two Oregon Sports Awards. He is a core member of Jesuit’s men’s tennis team, helping to continue a dynasty that has won 10 out of the last 11 state titles. According to United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Tennis Recruiting Network, Peter is a five-star recruit for the class of 2020. During his senior year, Peter looks to clinch the highly acclaimed fourpeat and solidify his plans to play tennis at the collegiate level.

Rose Booth ’19

Prep Volleyball Player of the Year In her final year as a Crusader, Rose Booth dominated the court. Rose was named the Oregon Volleyball Gatorade Player of the Year as part of Jesuit’s state championship winning team, in which she was announced as the Player of the Game. She was also named the Co-Metro League Player of the Year, Co-State Player of the Year, and was a unanimous first team All-State Tournament selection. Rose will continue her athletic and academic career at Loyola Marymount University.

Jesuit basketball players Aiden Williams and Justin Bieker signed their official Letters of Intent on May 21. Aiden will be attending the University of Redlands and Justin will be attending the University of San Francisco.