Uncategorized – Acalanes Boosters

Varsity Baseball Awards Announced

June 3, 2019 0Comments

The Dons celebrated their 23-3 season on Sunday at the team banquet

Congratulations to the entire Varsity baseball team and staff on an outstanding season. The Dons’ season: 23-3 overall, undefeated League champions, quarter-finalists in NCS Division 1 playoffs, final MaxPreps ranking of #21 team in California.

All-League and Team awards were announced at Sunday’s team dinner:

Diablo All-League Awards:

League Overall MVP: Nick Kresnak (RHP/3B)

First Team All-League: Logan Hurd (LHP)

First Team All-League: Davis Diaz (SS)

First Team All-League: Nick Bamont (CF)

Second Team All-League: Tommy Thrasher (1B)

Second Team All-League: Brady Huchingson (DH/IF)

Honorable Mention All-League: Eddie Burns (RHP)

Gold Glove Award: Thatcher Hurd (C)

Acalanes Baseball Team Awards:

Team MVP: Nick Kresnak

Defensive Players of the Year: Davis Diaz & Thatcher Hurd

Offensive Player of the Year: Nick Kresnak

Most Improved Players of the Year: Scott Brydon & Nick Bamont

Pitcher of the Year: Entire Varsity Baseball Staff with its combined 1.12 Season ERA (Nick Kresnak, Logan Hurd, Eddie Burns, Michael Castelli, Andrew Peterson)

“Definition of a Don” Award: Tommy Thrasher (team leader in home runs)

“Heart of a Don” Award: Cole Murgia (.368 BA, led the League in stolen bases; inexplicably, missed out on All-League honors)

Congratulations & best wishes to all the seniors: Peter Meade, Will Burleigh, Zack Nelson, Andrew Peterson, Scott Brydon, team manager Ali Ibrahim, and Eddie Burns–who will continue his baseball career at the D1 level as a pitcher at University of San Francisco! Go get ’em, Eddie!

Many thanks to Head Coach Clint Hoover, Asst. Coaches Joe Bettencourt and Connor Hornsby, and Pitching Coach Rob Ellis for their hard work, dedication and the great direction they’ve taken the program in this first season at the helm. Great season!

RECRUITED ATHLETES RECOGNIZED

May 28, 2019 0Comments

Last Thursday, Acalanes Boosters was proud to have recognized 13 graduating senior student-athletes that have been recruited to play their sport atthe intercollegiate NCAA level. This is an outstanding accomplishment and we wish them well at all their future academic and athletic endeavors.We are proud to have them as Acalanes Dons Alumni.
All those recognized had played their sport for Acalanes for a minimum of two years. Boosters are happy to support athletics at Acalanes and would love to encourage your involvement.

GO DONS!!!

Recognized Athletes:

Bell, Sydney Women’s Tennis Carleton College

Burns, Eddie Baseball University of San Francisco

Choi, Johnny Track & Field UC San Diego

Fellner, Alex Women’s Water Polo USC

Fingerut, Amanda Diving University of Kansas

Franke, Alex Mens Volleyball Stevens Institute of Technology

Gebhardt, Emily Swimming San Diego State University

Park, Laurel Volleyball Pomona Pitzer

Rogers, Chris Football UC Berkeley

Rowell, Lexi Women’s Water Polo Stanford University

Samaniego, Jackie Diving Cal Poly

Stone, Jake Men’s Water Polo UC Berkeley

Stryker, Max Men’s Water Polo UC Davis

Track Team Announces Award Winners

May 24, 2019 0Comments

The Acalanes Track & Field team celebrated a great season under new co-coaches David Kohls and Joe Escobar on Tuesday night. The following athletes were honored with awards. Two of the recognized athletes recently broke long-standing school records – Johnny Choi high jumped 6’8″ to break a 37-year old record and Keaziah Smith long jumps 23’0″ to break a 53-year old record!

Charlie Eaton Award – Keaziah Smith

Charlie Eaton Award – Anna Weier

Jason Smedley Award – Anand Patel

Anja Simonsen Award – Nicole Frigon

Definition of a Don Award – Johnny Choi

Definition of a Don Award – Anna Weier

Most Improved – Josh Evans

Most Improved – Ethan Chow

Most Improved – Charlie Keohane

Most Improved – Natalie Stadt

Most Improved – Megan Baginski

Most Improved – Charlie Solari

Most Improved – Ibis Pond

Most Improved – Ryan Haugner

Most Improved – Kyle Otsuka

Most Improved – Josh Ramlan

Most Improved – Ben Thistleton-Dyer

Most Improved – Noah Yeager

Most Improved – Billy Brown

Most Outstanding Sprinter – Keaziah Smith

Most Outstanding Sprinter – Emily Sverak

Most Outstanding Jumper – Johnny Choi

Most Outstanding Jumper – Scarlette McCullough

Most Outstanding Distance Runner – Riley Noon

Most Outstanding Distance Runner – Nicole Frigon

Most Outstanding Thrower – Anthony Ortale

Coaches Awards

Dominic Basaldua

Lena Johnson

Irvin Chao

Sidney Zimmerman

Aidan Mosley

Ryan Giorgianni

Elle Casselman

Beatrice Weier

Max Anderson

RECRUITED ATHLETES RECOGNITION THIS THURSDAY!

May 21, 2019 0Comments

On Thursday May 23 at lunchtime in the main gym, Acalanes Boosters is proud to present a celebration of Acalanes’ talented, hard-working student-athletes who have been recruited to play their sports in college (Division I, II or III) while continuing their education. Local media, parents, friends, AHS students, and the community are ALL invited. There will be a group question and answer session, photo and interview opportunities, and other fun. Please come support these outstanding athletes:

Sydney Bell – Tennis, Carleton College

Eddie Burns – Baseball, USF

Johnny Choi- Track & Field, UC San Diego

Amanda Fingerut – Diving, Kansas

Alex Franke – Volleyball, Stevens Institute of Technology

Emily Gebhardt – Swimming, San Diego State

Alex Fellner – Water Polo, USC

Laurel Park – Volleyball, Pomona Pitzer

Chris Rogers – Football, UC Berkeley

Lexi Rowell – Water Polo, Stanford

Jackie Samaniego – Diving, Cal Poly

Jake Stone – Water Polo, UC Berkeley

Max Stryker – Water Polo, UC Davis

Cole Murgia Leads Dons to Walk-Off Win Against Dublin

May 14, 2019 0Comments

Cole Murgia and the Dons celebrate the walk-off win

In the bottom of the 9th, with 2 outs in an extra innings nailbiter, Cole Murgia put the team on his back and came through with the line drive RBI that led Acalanes to a 1-0 walk-off against Dublin High School in the first round of the NCS Playoffs on Tuesday night.

Though the Dons put up hits throughout the game–from Cole Murgia (2H), Nick Bamont (2H), Scott Brydon, Davis Diaz, Brady Huchingson and Nick Kresnak–Acalanes didn’t have luck converting baserunners into runs until the final out of the game.

Acalanes pitchers were nails, with 3 of them teaming up to hold Dublin to just 4 hits over 9 innings. Logan Hurd got the start and pitched the first 3 scoreless innings before Eddie Burns kept Dublin shut down for the next three. Nick Kresnak took the final trio of innings to close out the game and get the win for the Dons.

The Dons move to the second round of NCS playoff action on Friday at home at 5pm when #3 Acalanes plays #6 Heritage, and the Dons look to keep their 23-2 season rolling!

Bad pic, great dogpile! Dons grab the “W”

Dons Track Athletes finish strong despite Prom conflict

May 13, 2019 0Comments

Last week, Track & Field competed at the Diablo Athletic League Championship meet. For those not in the know, this marks the final Frosh-Soph competition of the season and the start of NCS for all athletes who finished in the top 6.

In our 12 team league, our Prom-depleted boys and girls teams finished 3rd and 6th, respectively, and 23 Dons qualified for NCS!

Special congratulations to our Varsity League Champions:

Anna Weier in Varsity Girls Discus
Johnny Choi in the High Jump
Keaziah Smith in the Long Jump

And our Frosh-Soph League Champions:

Ryan Giorgianni in the Pole Vault
Ibis Pond in the Shotput

Some Notable non-Qualifying performances:

Josh Evans with huge PRs in the 1600 (5:00.28) and 3200 (10:40.60)
Anthony Ortale’s throw of 121’ 7” in the FS Boys Discus Trials
Charlotte Keohane’s PR of 13.56 in the 100M Trials
Victoria Flint breaks 14 seconds in the FS Girls 100M Trials

Full list of all qualifying athletes below

Varsity Girls

Girls 4×100 advances on placing

Girls 4×400 advances on placing

Anna Weier

League Champion in Discus with a PR of 114’ 8”
Also qualifies in Shotput (2nd)

Nicole Frigon

2nd in girls 800M with a PR of 2:18.19

Lauren Yee

3rd in girls 800M with a PR of 2:21.65 – and she’s only a freshman!

Mila Mathias

6th in 100M Hurdles

Beatrice Weier

4th in Discus with a PR of 93’ 10”

Emily Sverak

4th in 300M Hurdles

Isabel Rasmussen

5th in High Jump

Scarlette McCullough

3rd in Long Jump

Varsity Boys

Boys 4×100 finishes 2nd

Boys 4×400 finishes 5th

Keaziah Smith

League Champion in Long Jump
Also qualifies in 100M (4th)

Johnny Choi

League Champion in High Jump
Also Qualifies in Long Jump (4th) with a PR of 20’ 9.25”

Kevin Mlynek

5th in 400M with a PR of 50.89

Rayce Walton

3rd in 800m with a PR of 2:01.55

Riley Noon

6th in the 1600 with a PR of 4:27.63

Chris Rogers

2nd in Long Jump with a PR of 22’ 5”
3rd in High Jump

Clark King

5th in High Jump

Irvin Chao

3rd in Triple Jump

Girls Swim Team finishes strong at State meet

May 13, 2019 0Comments

A small but mighty team of Dons travelled to Clovis this weekend to compete in the CIF State swim championships. Swimmers must meet a qualifying time to compete, and Acalanes was represented by Emily Gebhardt, Shelby Suppiger who both qualified in 2 individual events, as well as the girls 200 Free relay consisting of Gebhardt, Suppiger, Jewel Roemer and Nicole Edwards. Trials were held Friday, and the top 16 in each event advanced to the finals on Saturday.

Shelby Suppiger, sophomore, again led the team with two stellar performances including 3rd place in 200 IM, and 7th in 100 breast. Emily Gebhardt also had 2 strong performances – her last swims as a Don, before beginning her collegiate swim career with SDSU. Emily finished with an 11th place in 200 Free, and 21st in the 500 free. Both girls times bettered the All-American consideration time standards. Way to go ladies!! The girls 200 free relay also stepped-up big time – seated 16th in a super tight field where only the top 16 advance, the girls qualified 5th in the trials and in the finals finished in 4th place overall with a time of 1:35.13, the second fastest in school history.

Jackie Samaniego finished her Dons diving career with a fantastic 12th place finish in the state, adding points to the overall Acalanes team 11th place finish. Great end to the season DONS!!

Varsity Baseball Clinches League Title with Perfect Record

May 8, 2019 0Comments

Cue the dogpile! Acalanes Dons Baseball–on Senior Night, and at home–locked down the League title on Tuesday night with their 5-2 win over Clayton Valley, the League runner-up. The Dons have taken the title in convincing fashion, remaining undefeated in League play at 11-0 (and 21-2 overall) on the season.

Logan Hurd got the start and the win for the Dons on the mound, pitching 4.1 strong innings (3H, 1ER, 4K) against a solid Clayton Valley squad. Senior Eddie Burns, a University of San Francisco Baseball signee, took it from there and pitched 2.2 great innings (2H, 0R, 5K) to close out the game and lock in Acalanes’ win.

Dons bats got it done as they’ve been doing all year with timely hits and 2-out rallies. Nick Kresnak was the Cal-Hi Sports MVP of the game (which filmed the entire game; stay tuned for the highlight reel later this week on the Cal-Hi Sports TV channel) with 2 hits and 2 RBI’s. Nick Bamont hit a smoking line drive RBI double down the right field line, one of his two hits on the day. Cole Murgia was solid as he’s been throughout the season with 2 hits and 2 runs. Tommy Thrasher also contributed a hit, and Sam Heyman drove in the first run of the day.

The Dons have their last regular season game on Thursday, when they play Clayton Valley away in the second of their two-game series. The Dons will then begin NCS playoffs next week, and will likely be the #2 seed behind perennial powerhouse, De La Salle HS, in the D1 North Coast Section. Go get ’em, Dons!

Time to celebrate with an end-of-game dogpile

Thank you, Seniors! L-R: Peter Meade, Scott Brydon, Eddie Burns, Andrew Peterson, Zack Nelson, Will Burleigh & Team Manager Ali Ibrahim

Congratulations & thanks are also due to Acalanes’ all-new 2019 Varsity coaching staff: Head Coach Clint Hoover and Assistant Coaches Joe Bettencourt, Connor Hornsby & Rob Ellis

NCS Swim and Dive Championships

May 6, 2019 0Comments

Your Acalanes Dons swimming and diving teams made a splash this weekend at the NCS Championships. The uber competitive meet, held at Cowell Pool in Concord, hosts several of the top recruited swimmer and divers in the country. Leading the team once again were Sophomore stand-out Shelby Suppiger, and Senior star Emily Gebhardt. Shelby finished 3rd in the 200 IM, and 5th in 100 breast with both times earning her All-American consideration. Emily was 4th in the 500 free, and 5th in the 200 free, this one also bettering the All-American consideration time standard. The girls 200 free relay of Gebhardt, Suppiger, Claire Rowell, Jewel Roemer (Trials), and Nicole Edwards (Finals) finished 5th and posted the 2nd fastest relay time in school history.

Jacqueline Samaniego finished 2nd overall for the dive team! Jacqueline, Emily, Shelby and the relay team have qualified to compete again in the CIF State meet championships next weekend. Way to go DONS!

The rest of the Dons top finishers at the meet were:

Jewel Roemer – qualifying 9th in 100 free and 15th in 200 free. Vanessa Watts – 12th in the 100 breast, 25th in the 200 IM. Girls 400 Free relay (Gebhardt, Suppiger, Fellner (Trials), Rowell, Roemer(Trials), Edwards) finished 8th. Girls 200 Medley relay (Kylie Walker, Vanessa Watts, Anna McCarthy, Laurel White) were 17th. Heidi Heffelfinger 200 Free (30th), 500 free (38th), Ava MacKay 100 fly (32nd), Claire Rowell 100 Breast (27th), 50 free (40th), Nicole Edwards 100 Breast (28th), Alex Fellner 200 free (39th).

Dons Advance to NCS Semis, Host Campo on Tuesday

May 3, 2019 0Comments

The reigning NCS champion Acalanes Dons boys volleyball team began their title defense on May 2 when they hosted Washington High of Fremont on May 2. The first game was competitive with the Dons winning 25-19. The Dons coasted the rest of the way winning 25-15 and 25-12 to reach the NCS semifinals.

The Dons will host Campolindo on Tuesday, May 7, at 7:00 p.m. This will be the fourth meeting this season between the two teams. Make it out to support the Dons!