As one sports season ends, another one begins. The fall season produced two league champions in girls tennis and boys water polo. Each won their fourth consecutive league title and made remarkable runs in the CIF playoffs. Meanwhile, the Malibu High winter sports teams began their respective seasons, with the boys and girls basketball teams showing early promise.
Last week two talented young Malibu athletes, runner Caroline Pietrzyk and tennis player Lauren Louks, saw their individual seasons come to a close after exiting with grace and humility.
Girls Cross Country
CIF champion and State runner-up Caroline Pietrzyk completed an outstanding season Saturday, going up against some of the top runners in the entire western United States. With a top-10 finish promising a trip to the national final, Pietrzyk missed out by the slimmest of margins when she finished 11th at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships West Regional at Mount San Antonio College in Balboa Park. She finished less than one second behind the 9th- and 10th-place finishers.
Pietrzyk clocked in a time of 19:14.1, which trailed Abby Hong of Mira Costa and Maddie Criscione of Park City, Utah, for ninth in 19:13.4. In wet, muddy and slippery conditions, she beat nine other runners who finished ahead of her in the previous week’s State races.
Despite the heartbreaking result, Pietrzyk reflected upon what a special year it has been for her.
“To me this season was just incredible,”
Pietrzyk said. “I loved being with my team because they always inspire me, but I also enjoyed competing on my own so I could really push myself. To accomplish everything I did is amazing and I look forward to still improving next year.”
Girls Tennis
Lauren Louks capped off her senior season by advancing to the round of 16 at the CIF Girls Individuals Tennis Championships last week at the Seal Beach Tennis Club. Going up against Alexis Pereira of Campbell High in Studio City, Louks came up short in a 6-2, 6-3 match. The loss marked the end of a highly successful prep career for Louks.
“She is a great player but even so it was a great match,” Louks said. “I did better in CIF Individuals than I expected to do, so I am happy about that.”
Louks made a tremendous run through the CIF Individuals. After earning a bye in the first round, Louks defeated Carpinteria’s Odessa Stork 6-1, 6-0 and Naomie Rosenberg of Buckley 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the prestigious round of 32. She proceeded to knock out A.J. Gomer of Dana Hills 7-5, 6-4 to reach the Sweet 16 of all the best ladies in the entire Southern Section.
“It was a great season and a great four years,” said Louks, who was a part of four consecutive league titles for the Sharks. “I’m excited because now I can go on to play college tennis for another four years. It was a great experience and we had such a great team with amazing people this year.”
Boys Basketball
After suffering a disappointing 64-45 loss to St. Monica on opening night, the Sharks rebounded with a strong performance at the Providence Tournament last week, winning three of four contests to take fifth place.
Malibu (3-2) defeated Hoover, 67-62, in the first round before succumbing to Salesian, 76-40, in the quarterfinals. The Sharks finished off the tournament with wins against San Marino, 52-49, and Los Angeles, 49-41.
“Going 3-1 in the tournament was a good outcome. I had a goal of coming out 2-2, so 3-1 is a success,”
Coach Bobby Tenorio said. “We played teams that pressured full-court, so it was a great experience for us to get ready for the next couple of weeks. We can battle with teams if we play our game.”
Senior center Justin Holmes averaged 22 points and nine rebounds over the four games. Sophomore guard Cordell Newton is averaging 8.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game through the team’s first five contests.
Girls Basketball
The Lady Sharks (3-2) have already won more games than they did a year ago. At the Viewpoint Tournament, Malibu lost two of three games. A 42-35 win versus Viewpoint was sandwiched around losses to Village Christian, 37-18, and St. Genevieve, 45-18.
A brief one-night trip to Solvang last weekend reaped benefits as MHS defeated Dunn, 32-12, and Midland, 42-18.
“It was a very successful weekend of basketball,” Coach Andy Meyer said. “The girls had a great time spending a night in Solvang and enjoying themselves away from the basketball court.”
Highlights included a visit to Ostrichland and the Miniature Horse Farm at Quicksilver Ranch.