BOYS VOLLEYBALL OPEN GYM - Come to our last open gym this month for all boys interested in playing volleyball at M-A next spring:  Monday, April 28 from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. in the NEW gym. Students should come dressed to play. No prior experience is necessary. If you have any questions, please contact Vicki Knapp at vknapp@gmail.com.

 THE 9th ANNUAL BIG BEAR RUN IS SUNDAY, MAY 4 - To register for the race, print an entry form and mail it in. You may also register online through Active.com. Over 1,200 runners are expected this year. There will be a drawing with prizes, including an iPad mini, Beats headphones, and valuable gift cards. M-A Bears decals will be awarded to M-A students completing the race in 45 minutes or less. Also, the fastest M-A Bear, boy and girl, will be recognized along with other age group winners. All athletes are encouraged to participate. Registration for M-A coaches, teachers, and staff is free, but requires entry form. 

Volunteers are needed to help on race day. Volunteer jobs include tent setup, food, finish line, course monitors, registration, water table, and so on. You can volunteer early and still run in the race. If you can help, please contact Maryellen McCabe at ccmccabe2@aol.com. For any questions about the race, contact Dana Hayse at dana_hayse@me.com or Diana Holliday at dianaholliday@me.com. 

 GIRLS SOFTBALL - On Wednesday the Bears lost to San Mateo 11-1. San Mateo used an efficient and methodical attack, getting timely hits and taking advantage of walks and 5 Bear errors to score 3 runs in the first, 5 runs in the second, 2 runs in the fourth, and 1 run in the fifth, despite totaling only 6 hits for the game. The Bears managed only 3 hits in the game, scoring in the first inning on a single by Emily Katz, a walk to Erin Goode, and a run-scoring single by Sarah Tiemann. The teams only other hit came in the fifth inning, a triple by Alice Coleman, but the Bears couldn't bring her home.

The Bear offense came alive against Summit on Saturday, with 11 different players reaching base in a 16-4 win. The attack was lead by Katz with 2 hits and 3 RBI and leadoff hitter Tiemann, who reached base 4 times, scoring 3 runs and driving in 2 runs with 2 hits. Maddie Zamora had 2 hits and drove in a run, and Tanya Lazaro had 2 hits, including a double, and drove in a run. Monika Gutierrez and Taylor Conrad also had run-scoring hits. 3 Bear pitchers combined for the win. Katz had 6 strikeouts in two innings, Conrad went two innings with 4 strikeouts, and Victoria Sanie pitched a scoreless inning.

SWIMMING -  On a cool Thursday afternoon, the M-A swimming Bears traveled to Aragon in San Mateo. It was a great afternoon for the Bears who shut out the Dons, making this the second week in a row that all 4 M-A teams ruled the day. The girls Varsity team is now 5-0 in PAL, while the boys Varsity is 4-1 in PAL and our JV swimmers are undefeated at 5-0 PAL. This week the Bears take on the Burlingame Panthers in their home pool on Thursday, May 1 at 3:30 p.m.

 TRACK & FIELD -  The Bears fought through a tough week of practice, windy conditions, and solid competition for some impressive performances. The Lady Bears dominated the competition and won the Serra Invitational for the second straight year. The girls' team scored 98.5 points, 35 more than the second place team. Below are some of the best performances:  

• Zach Plante won the boys 400m race and finished second in the 200m.
• The boys 4x100 team of Diego Urena, Deverick Meacham, Joel Reynada and Plante finished second place overall.
• Tony Filiai placed fourth in the shot put.
• Kathryn Mohr won the pole vault and finished third in the 100m.
• Jordan Olesen finished second in the 400, running one of her best races of the season. Her time moves her to 10th place in school history.
• Miranda Simes placed fourth in both the 100m and 200m races.
• Kalina Zanelli won the Varsity high jump as a freshman and moved herself into eighth place in school history with a jump of 4'10".
• Annalisa Crowe won the 800m and placed second in the 1600m.
• Megan Kurtz placed second in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump.
• Isis Lemus finished fifth in the 100m hurdles.
• The girls 4x100 team of Olesen, Mohr, Simes and Annie Harrier finished second in the event. 
• The girls 4x400 team of Harrier, Simes, Olesen and Crowe had an impressive second place finish.

It was a great day for the Bears with lots of medals. This week the team heads to Terra Nova for the final dual meet on Thursday, May 1. With a win, all 4 teams would finish the season undefeated in PAL meets.

BADMINTON - The Bears had 3 victories back to back last week. On Tuesday, M-A defeated Capuchino 9-6 at home. The winning matches were: #1 boys singles, Emmett Lee;  #2 boys singles, Jonathan Lam; #3 girls singles, Erin Sanchez; #1 boys doubles, Arash Afsarifard/Matthew Vollrath; #2 boys doubles, Christopher Tam/Alfonzo Yap; #3 boys doubles, Brian Snyder/Gabriel Saldiva; #1 girls doubles, Ashley Utz/Misato Muraoka;  #2 girls doubles, Niki Kohdai/Annabel Yau; and #3 girls doubles, Jill Galbraith/Anna Dailey. 

Again at home on Wednesday, M-A defeated Crystal Springs 9-6. The winners were #1 boys singles, Lee; #2 boys singles, Lam; #3 boys singles, Trenton Hall; #3 girls singles, Sanchez;  #2 boys doubles, Tam/Yap; #1 girls doubles, Utz/Muraoka; #2 girls doubles, Kimberly Klustnes/Elizabeth Ocon; #3 girls doubles, Galbraith/Dailey; and #2 mixed doubles, Andreas Ralston/Sabrina Kinney. 

In the last match of the week, M-A defeated Jefferson 11-4 on the road. The winners were #1 boys singles, Afsarifard; #2 boys singles, Vollrath; #3 boys singles, Hall; #1 girls singles, Sanchez; #3 girls singles, Jorja Kahn; #3 boys doubles, Snyder/Saldivar; #1 girls doubles, Utz/Muraoka; #2 girls doubles, Klustner/Ocon; #3 girls doubles, Celina Chow /Camilla Calmasini; #2 mixed doubles, Jonathan Lam/Katy Bailon; and #3 mixed doubles Justin Verbo/Amara Trabosh.

GIRLS VARSITY LACROSSE- The team won 2 home league games last week. On Tuesday, M-A defeated Burlingame, 15-7. The Bears jumped out to a 3-1 lead with a goal from Grace Tully who had 2 goals on the day. Burlingame scored 3 straight goals to take the lead 4-3. M-A came back with 2 goals including 1 from junior Cathrine Petersen, who had 2 goals and a 1 assist in the game, to retake the lead at halftime, 5-4. The second half was a different story as M-A shook off its post spring break rust and began to dominate. Junior Amanda Wiseman scored 4 of her 6 goals and freshman Izzy Regonini scored 3 goals and added 2 assists. The Bears dominated the draw with key ground ball wins by Paige Muschott and strong midfield transition from Kelly Woods.Sydney Frame and Hannah Wilson each made 3 defensive stops. Sally Carlson added 1 goal, 2 assists and 4 interceptions. M-A goalkeeper Allie Bayne had 5 saves. 

On Friday the Bears defeated Castilleja 7-4 in a defensive battle. With both teams playing excellent team defense it was 19 minutes before the game's second goal, a free position shot by the Bears' Wiseman to tie the score 1-1. In the final 2 minutes of the half, Regonini and Castilleja both scored keeping the game tied at 2. In the second half the Gators' scored off the opening draw, but the Bears offense got going and went on a 4-0 run. Freshman Emma Easton scored and Wiseman broke a 12 minute defensive stand with her second goal.  A minute later she assisted sophomore Carlson. After Easton got her second goal on a free position shot, the Bears were up 6-3. The Gators scored again to come within 2. On the next possession, M-A freshman defender Hannah Martin won the race to the loose ball at the restraining line and adroitly flipped the ball to Carlson who snapped the back of the net with a blistering shot from the 12 meter line, drawing a loud reaction from the sizable crowd. M-A ran out the remaining 7 minutes to secure the win. Wilson had four defensive stops. This week the Bears play on Tuesday, April 29 at 4 p.m. at Sacred Heart and on Friday, May 2 at 4 p.m. at Archbishop Mitty.

GIRLS JV LACROSSE - The team remains undefeated in league play after 2 big wins last week. The Bears first took on Burlingame on Tuesday and earned their first shutout of the season with a 17-0 win. Goals from M-A came from Lauren McGinnis (5), Julia Geaghan-Breiner (3), Katelyn Wiseman (2), Jen Kelly (2), and Elizabeth McColloch (2), and a goal apiece from Mckenna Drevno, Kate Krammer, and Madison Nelson. The defense played a tough game by not allowing any penalty shots and 6 great saves from goalie Samantha Gomez. Friday night the team defeated Castilleja for a second time with a 20-2 win. The Bears came out strong, scoring the first 8 goals. Krammer led the Bears with 5 goals and 1 assist, followed by McGinnis and Wiseman, each with 4 goals. Geaghan-Breiner contributed 3 goals, and Claire Connell, Nelson, Jen Kelly, and McColloch added 1 goal apiece. Healey Montague-Allamin led the team in ground balls. Goalie Gomez had 4 saves. The team now leads the league with 6 wins and 0 losses (11-2 overall). This week the Bears head to Sacred Heart on Tuesday, April 29 for a 5:30 p.m. start.

BOYS VARSITY TENNIS - The team wrapped its sixth straight league title, winning its 3 league matches last week. The Bears ended with a perfect 14-0 record and had a dominant 93-5 individual match record in PAL play. Their overall record is 17-4, including a shutout of Sacred Heart, 7-0, just before spring break. In that match, the Bears did not drop a set. The league title means an automatic berth in the CCS playoffs that begin in May.  This week in the PAL individual tournament, seniors Nick Fratt, Drew Mathews, Saul Menjivar, and Scott Morris, plus sophomores Reed Fratt and Axel Brenner, will represent M-A.