Approaching the end of November, Oxford’s student athletes wrapped up the fall sports season, competing at league finals and CIF games. Girls volleyball, tennis, golf, and girls and boys cross country tackled their closing matches and meets, channeling skills honed through consistency, effort, and resilience all season.
After a strong season with an overall 18-8-1 win-loss-tie record, girls volleyball traveled over three hours to play in CIF round one on Oct. 21 against Barstow High School, ultimately losing in a close game with a final score of 2-3.
“It was very nerve-wracking playing in the game, seeing others, and hearing that the team we were going to go against would be ‘the undefeatable team’. But when we played against them, we played our all, and we were really close,” freshman varsity volleyball athlete Alexa Leona Mendez said. “It was still an accomplishment to get there and fight with that team for the spot because at least we didn’t give it up so easily.”
Girls golf similarly had a stellar season-long performance, demonstrated in their league finals, with senior Mindy Dang, junior Millie Kwon, and freshman Niha Goel representing Oxford in Round 1 of League Finals on Oct. 20. Goel returned to the course in Round 2 on Oct. 22, after coming in the top 12 amongst all players in the league during Round 1.
“I think the overall experience of [playing in the finals] was so interesting, because it kind of reminded me of the tournaments that I played outside of school,” Goel said. “I’m so grateful I got to meet new golfers from other schools, and I still keep in touch with them. It was such a nice community.”
Golf wrapped up their season with a final performance in CIF Division V Round 1, where they placed sixth overall.
Girls tennis, likewise, finished their season with an amazing performance, rebounding from a rocky start to the season with consecutive wins at the end for an overall league record of 7-3-0.
“I think at the beginning of every season it can be a little frustrating that you’re not performing as well as you would like to, but just keep on working hard, try to keep a positive mindset and just trust yourself. Put in your best effort in practice and in games, and every opportunity is a new opportunity to learn,” senior varsity tennis captain Allison Troung said.
The team placed fourth overall in league finals, with junior Shay Tiettmeyer placing fourth in singles and junior Claire Choi and Truong placing fourth in doubles. They concluded their season in Round 1 of the Division V CIF match, with a final score of 7-11 against Valencia High School.
Finally, girls and boys cross country celebrated the end of their season with their league finals meet on Nov. 5, where both boys and girls varsity placed third in the 605 league. There were a number of top 10 finishes: Junior Hara Seyoum placed second for varsity boys; senior Trina So and juniors Maya Diaz and Sophie Renta placed third, fifth, and tenth respectively for varsity girls.
“Most of our races were hill-based, hill courses, so we had a lot of training and a lot of work, and we ended up accomplishing a lot this season,” said Seyoum. “My favorite part in cross country is overall running as a team. It’s a lot more fun than running alone, and it’s better for community-wise.”
