With the 2024 spring athletics season at Berkeley High School coming to a close, many BHS spring sports teams have experienced yet another successful season. The girls lacrosse team pulled out a win against Bishop O’Dowd for the first time in almost 15 years, in addition to qualifying for North Coast Section playoffs this year.
Kate Imen, a BHS junior on the girls lacrosse team, attributes this year’s success to the work that players put in during the offseason. “I’d say, overall our team is better. We have more people (this year) that have been playing lacrosse, people that are on travel teams or have played on Skyline and Berkeley Lacrosse,” Imen said. Skyline and Berkeley Lacrosse are both common club lacrosse teams.
Similarly, the boys lacrosse team had a season full of impressive wins. Owen Rieger, a BHS senior on the boys lacrosse team, said, “We beat O’Dowd both times we played them. We beat Piedmont the one time we played them. And we are the West Alameda Contra Costa (WACC) Division Champions.” Rieger continued to share how the team advanced in the technical aspects of the game as well. The boys lacrosse team is 15th in the North Coast Section Rankings.
The swim team had some memorable moments this season as well. One achievement was when the team won the WACC league for the third time in a row.
On the other hand, BHS womens’ swim team had a season filled with team building and connectivity, according to Phoebe Jasper Hwang, a BHS junior and member of the swim team. “I think we really bonded over all of us really wanting to win for the third time in a row, so we all pulled through … even though it was hard,” Jasper Hwang said. “We’ve done three bonding events … We did a pasta feed and then we did a shave down.” The “shave down” is a swim team ritual that involves girls and boys lathering themselves in shaving cream. Then, their friends shave their legs and arms, in hopes of to improving their swim time. The pasta feed occurs before a big event, and its purpose is to give the swimmers fuel before the an important meet.
The BHS boys baseball team had a solid season with a 12-11 record and a high-scoring win against Bishop O’Dowd. On Sunday, May 5, 2024, the team beat Piedmont 8-6. The team currently stands at fifth place in the West Alameda County Foothill League.
The BHS softball team placed fourth in the West Alameda County Shoreline League, and their season playoffs haven’t yet finished.
The BHS boys tennis team has had a successful season, with BHS junior Yanir Charney-Weintraubin in the number one singles seat with one win and zero losses.
The boys volleyball team also had major success this season with a record of 17-5. The team is number one in the Shoreline League and is 14th in the North Coast Section Rankings.