By: Sam Hokkanen ’24, Editor of The Crozier, O’Dowd’s online student newsletter.
O’Dowd’s fall sports season was an enjoyable success, with three league wins and five NCS placements. Across the board, Dragon athletes continue to impress, solidifying O’Dowd’s athletic prowess. There is no doubt that this trend will continue in the winter and spring seasons!
Cross Country
Boys Cross Country had a successful season, including securing the WACC championship win. Three Dragons finished in the top 10: Lyle Phillips ’24 (6th), Ethan Gonzalez ’24 (7th), and Ennio Eilenberg ’25 (10th). Girls Cross Country, made up of exclusively 9th and 10th graders, had a strong WACC race as well, with two Dragons finishing in the top 10: Isabella Rodgers ’27 (2nd) and Lucy King ’26 (7th). Moving on to NCS, two dragons qualified for the individual CIF state meet: Lyle Phillps ’24 and Isabella Rodgers ’27. Overall, O’Dowd Cross Country had a successful season across the board!
All-League Honors:
Boys:
1st Team: Lyle Phillips ’24, Ethan Gonzalez ’24
2nd Team: Ennio Eilenberg ’25, Nathaniel Mesfen ’26, Sebastian Taylor ’26
Girls:
1st Team: Isabella Rodgers ’27, Lucy King ’26
Football
After a winning regular season record of 6-4, our football team lost in the NCS quarterfinals to Marin Catholic. Despite the loss, there are many positive aspects of the season to celebrate. Miles Dixon ’24, O’Dowd’s star wide receiver, led the West Alameda County–Foothill League with 13 touchdowns! He was also second in receiving yards, with a total of 694 yards! His accomplishments fall alongside Berlin Lillard ’24, who has committed to Colorado State, and Cole Thome ’24, who has been rated a two-star recruit for his performance throughout high school. Overall, O’Dowd should be proud of their season, and we look forward to seeing them continue their success next year.
All-League Honors:
1st Team: Deji Ajose ’25, Miles Dixon ’24, Berlin Lillard ’24, Declan Killgallen ’24, Ryan O’Neil ’24, Elliot Lewis ’25
2nd Team: Cole Thome ’24, Devin Wilson ’25, Elisha Glenn ’24, John Teti ’25, Kyle Turner ’25
Honorable Mention: King Marr ’26, and Sailou Sow ’25
Girls Golf
Among O’Dowd’s fall sports teams, Girls Golf was one of the most successful. In the WACC Championship, they destroyed the competition, easily taking home the title, while University of Arizona commits Sydney Silva ’25 and Chelsie Chin ’25 tied for the best individual score of the tournament (67). Girls Golf continued their domination, placing 5th overall in the NCS Championship out of 21 other teams competing. Additionally, Silva placed 3rd for best overall individual score (70).
All-League Honors:
Co-Players of the Year: Chelise Chin ’25 and Sydney Silva ’25
1st Team: Chelise Chin ’25, Sydney Silva ’25, Mackenzie Daniel ’26, and Ananya Prem ’26
Honorable Mention: Chloe Blum ’25 and Abigail Yoon ’26
Girls Rugby 7s
Although there are no traditional league playoffs for Girls Rugby, the O’Dowd team placed 4th in the NorCal championships. Taylor Cohen ’24 says, “Our season was amazing. We made history this year by being able to field two teams. We significantly improved from last year and I’m super proud of everyone.” We look forward to the upcoming spring season!
Girls Tennis
Girls Tennis dominated their league this year with an overall team record of 21-4, giving them the number one seed in the NCS playoffs and a WACC championship. Individually, both the WACC singles and doubles championships were won by Dragon athletes. Leyla Akcaoglu ’24 and Ceci Weible ’24 took home the doubles title, and Polina Marakhtanova ’24 took home the singles title. Moving on to NCS, Girls Tennis beat Head-Royce and Marin Academy in the quarters and semis, but ultimately lost to University High School in the NCS Finals. Earning second place in NCS DII is incredibly impressive and there is much to be proud of the team this season. In particular, Polina Marakhtanova ’24 moved on to the NCS Singles Championships and took second place, finishing her tennis high school career with a 44-2 record.
All-League Honors:
Player of the Year: Polina Marakhtanova ’24
Singles: Ceci Weible ’24
Doubles: Leyla Akcaoglu ’24 and Ava Taner ’24
Honorable Mention: Lara Lancaster ’24
Girls Volleyball
This season, Girls Volleyball was fortunate enough to compete in the Nike Tournament of Champions, led by all-league first team inductee Meara Hayes ’24 and second team inductee Mahili McKay ’24. After losing their first 3 matches, the Dragons retaliated and won their last 3 straight to solidify winning bronze in the division championship! Overall, the girls were 11-18 on the season
All-League Honors:
1st Team: Meara Hayes ’24
2nd Team: Mahili McKay ’24
Honorable Mention: Avery Borjon ’24 and Amaya Sutherland ’26
Water Polo
While Boys Water Polo finished with an 11-13 record and 5th place in the WACC, Girls Water Polo capped off an impressive 19-3 regular record with a 3rd place finish in the WACC. Both our team captains, Riley Teixeira ’24 and Hunter Morgan ’24, received first team all-league honors. Girls Water Polo successfully secured a spot in NCS playoffs, before ultimately getting knocked out by Encinal in the quarterfinals.
All-League Honors:
Boys:
1st Team: Hunter Morgan ’24
Honorable Mention: Nolan Hastings ’25, Marc Suarez ’24
Girls:
1st Team: Riley Teixeira ’24, Mia Walsh ’25
2nd Team: Delaney Welch ’25
Honorable Mention: Cooper Graham ’24, Savanna Shannon ’26
The O’Dowd community is immensely proud of the work that our student-athletes put in this season, and we are especially going to miss our Class of 2024 senior leaders. However, we know that our incredibly talented juniors and underclassmen will lead O’Dowd athletics to more success in the near future. Great work this season, Dragons!