Menlo News June 04, 2019

Thirty student-athletes commit to play collegiate sports

New graduates will be competing in 15 sports at 27 schools nationwide
Class of 2019

 

Class of 2019 Credit: P. McKenney

 

Thirty Menlo School student-athletes will be continuing their studies and athletic careers in college. The 30 will be headed to 27 schools around the nation and representing 15 sports.

Seven athletes signed national letters of intent in the fall, and 16 additional athletes announced their early-decision commitment, as reported earlier this year. The number of athletes going on to play collegiate sports is the highest since 34 committed in 2009.

All of these Class of 2019 athletes not only showed exceptional skill and hard work on the playing field, but also demonstrated excellence in the classroom as 14 teams were named CCS Scholastic Team top five.

Justin Nam (Johns Hopkins baseball) was a four-year varsity player who helped Knights baseball to two CCS Championships in 2016 and 2017. Named PAL-Bay MVP, he led the Knights to the CCS semifinals and PAL-Bay titles this past season when he held a 6-4 record  with a 3.36 ERA and batted a team-leading .432.

Kevin Chen (Pomona football), Mafi Latu (Luther football) and Aidan Pak (Carleton football) were alll key contributors on both sides of the ball. Receivers/defensive backs Chen and Pak, and offensive and defensive lineman Latu helped the Knights to a PAL-Ocean title and to the Central Coast Section Div. V championship game as juniors. The trio led the Knights through the top-tier PAL-Bay Division as seniors.

Sianna Houghton (Washington volleyball), Grace King (Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo) and Selina Xu (Stanford) then-sophomores all helped the Knights make history in landing its first state championship in 2016. During their time, Menlo has been selected for the highest level of CCS since the inception of the Open Division in 2016. West Bay Athletic League MVP King, Houghton and Xu have also lifted the Knights to three league championships in the past four seasons, and a perfect league record of 10-0 in 2018.

Nicolas Hernandez (Claremont McKenna),  Maxwell Patterson (Brown), three-time league MVP Sam Untrecht (UC Berkeley) guided the Knights boys’ water polo team back to the top-level CCS Open Division, and to a berth in the inaugural NorCal playoffs, which were later cancelled due to the wildfires. The league champion Knights won the PAL and St. Francis tournaments in 2018 and landed back-to-back Roche Tournament  titles in 2017 and 2018.

Three-year varsity defender Catie Cassani (Middlebury)  helped the Knights girls’ soccer team to CCS and WBAL-Foothill championships in 2016 as a sophomore and 2019 as a senior. The Knights recorded 15 shutout victories this season, and Cassani picked up six goals. Sophie Jones (Duke) made her only season playing for Menlo a remarkable one. Jones, who spent most of her high school seasons playing for U.S. Soccer Development Academy teams,  finished with 18 goals and 16 assists lifting the Knights to a 20-2-2 record and a CCS Championship this season.

Andrei Volgin (UC-Davis) and John Kim (Caltech), who played the Nos. 1 and 2 singles spots as seniors, made sure that Menlo boys’ tennis returned to the CCS and NorCals, a year after winning both. The four-year starters paved the way for the Knights, who have not lost a league match in 23 seasons. In their junior year, Menlo recorded the program’s winningest single season as it went 29-0 and took the prestigious National Invitational Tournament as well as NorCal and CCS titles.

Four-year starter Taylor Gould (Villanova) boosted girls’ tennis to its 25th consecutive league championship. Gould, who played in the top singles spots throughout her high school career, won her No. 3 singles match as a freshman in the CCS final for Menlo’s ninth section title in school history.

Mia Rosenblatt (George Washington) was a four-year varsity player, who closed out her senior season by guiding the Knights girls’ water polo team to its first CCS title in 12 years. After the Knights won a PAL-Ocean title her freshman season, Menlo moved to the top-tier Bay Division and continued its climb reaching the first NorCal playoffs.

League MVP Charlie Hsieh (New York University) and Seth Pope (Pomona College) made significant contributions to the 2018 Knights golf team’s impressive third-place finish in the state championships, the program’s first trip to state in school history. Menlo then followed up with back-to-back league titles this past season.

Conor McCusker (Bucknell) and Jack Pimlott (Hamilton), who also played big roles for Knights football, will be lining up for their college lacrosse teams. The senior captains directed the team to the West Catholic Athletic League semifinals for back-to-back seasons.

Four are set to play for their women’s lacrosse teams: Lauren Ferguson (Hamilton), Bella Scola (Colorado College), Sophie Scola (Bates College) and Charlotte Swisher (Harvard) - all four-year players - were instrumental in leading the Knights to West Bay Athletic League titles in 2017, 2018 and a WBAL tournament championship this past season.

Lauren Hamilton (Washington-St. Louis) is coming off an historic season after helping Menlo girls’ track & field team land its first section title in program history. In the CCS final, Hamilton ran a leg on the 4x400 team which took second place in a blazing time of 3:56.74. Hamilton, league champion in the 100-meter dash, ran legs on the WBAL champion 4x400 and 4x100 teams.

Alec Vercruysse (Harvey Mudd) advanced to the CCS Swimming Championships in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard freestyle, 400 free relay in 2018 and 2019 as well as the 200 medley relay in 2018. He finished eighth in the state meet in the 100 breaststroke and was 16th in the consolation heat of the 200 free.

Emma Brockman (North Carolina) and Caroline Frantz (Boston College) both raced  for four years with NorCal Crew. Brockman rowed varsity eights and Frantz rowed on the Novice team before racing for the varsity boat the past three seasons.

Jacob Muchnick (Pennsylvania) is a seven-year player for L.A.Galaxy Academy, making the final of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U18 Playoffs and the U16 USSDA final. He then played for the De Anza Force Academy as a starting midfielder. Matthew Westly  (UC Berkeley) played for the USSDA through all four years of high school as well with Silicon Valley Soccer Academy (Juventus). Westly was the starting goalie for his U14, U16, U17 and U19 seasons.

 
Class of 2019 athlete commitments (30)

Emma Brockman (North Carolina rowing)
Catie Cassani (Middlebury soccer)
Kevin Chen (Pomona football)
Lauren Ferguson (Hamilton lacrosse)
Caroline Frantz (Boston College rowing)
Taylor Gould (Villanova tennis)
Lauren Hamilton (Washington-St.Louis track & field)
Nicolas Hernandez (Claremont-McKenna water polo)
Sianna Houghton (Washington volleyball)
Charlie Hsieh (NYU golf)
Sophie Jones (Duke soccer)
John Kim (Caltech tennis)
Grace King (Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo volleyball)
Mafi Latu (Luther football)
Conor McCusker (Bucknell lacrosse)
Jacob Muchnick (Penn soccer)
Justin Nam (Johns Hopkins baseball)
Aidan Pak (Carleton football)
Maxwell Patterson (Brown water polo)
Jack Pimlott (Hamilton lacrosse)
Seth Pope (Pomona golf)
Mia Rosenblatt (George Washington water polo)
Bella Scola (Colorado College lacrosse)
Sophie Scola (Bates lacrosse)
Charlotte Swisher (Harvard lacrosse)
Sam Untrecht (Cal water polo)
Alec Vercruysse (Harvey Mudd swimming)
Andrei Volgin (UC Davis tennis)
Matthew Westly (Cal soccer)
Selina Xu (Stanford volleyball)

 

PHOTO Top row, from left: Andrei Volgin (UC-Davis tennis), John Kim (Caltech tennis), Justin Nam (Johns Hopkins baseball), Alec Vercruysse (Harvey Mudd swimming), Nicolas Hernandez (Claremont McKenna water polo), Seth Pope (Pomona golf), Kevin Chen (Pomona football), Jack Pimlott (Hamilton lacrosse), Charlie Hsieh (NYU golf), Jacob Muchnick (Penn soccer), Matthew Westly (Cal soccer). Bottom row, from left: Sophie Scola (Bates lacrosee), Lauren Hamilton (Washington-St. Louis track), Emma Brockman (Northa Carolina rowing), Grace King (Cal Poly-SLO volleyball), Sianna Houghton (Washington volleyball), Bella Scola (Colorado College lacrosse), Charlotte Swisher (Harvard lacrosse), Caroline Frantz (Boston College rowing), Catie Cassani (Middlebury soccer), Sophie Jones (Duke soccer), Lauren Ferguson (Hamilton lacrosse). Not pictured: Taylor Gould (Villanova tennis), Mafi Latu (Luther football), Conor McCusker (Bucknell lacrosse), Aidan Pak (Carleton football), Maxwell Patterson (Brown water polo), Mia Rosenblatt (George Washington water polo), Sam Untrecht (Cal water polo), Selina Xu (Stanford volleyball)