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Boys Volleyball Bounce-Back Playoff Run Ends in Semifinals
After back-to-back winless seasons and a 28-match losing streak, any sort of playoff run was a resounding success for the Dana Hills boys volleyball team. While the Dolphins were playing their best volleyball of the season in the Division 4 playoffs, Dana Hills’ resurgent run ended on Saturday, May 6.
Dana Hills went on the road for the first time in the CIF-SS playoffs, and the Dolphins were swept by Hart of Newhall, 25-18, 26-24, 25-20, in the Division 4 semifinals. Dana Hills was looking to advance to its first CIF-SS Final since its 1986 CIF-SS championship.
In the playoffs, Dana Hills (25-14) had swept El Rancho, defeated Diamond Ranch in five sets and swept Crossroads of Santa Monica, all in home matches. The Dolphins finished second in the Sea View League and won 25 matches for the first time since 2015. Dana Hills was in its first season under head coach Spencer Andrews.
Dana Hills has seven players who will play college volleyball, including one Division 1 scholarship athlete in Seamus Flynn, who will play at Long Island University.
Track and Field Qualifies 11 Entries to CIF-SS Finals
Dana Hills’ distance running teams once again took the spotlight, as the Dolphins qualified six girls entries and five boys entries to the CIF-SS Finals with Division 2 preliminaries performances last Saturday, May 6, at Ventura High School.
CIF-SS Finals will be run at Moorpark High School on Saturday, May 13.
On the girls side, five athletes qualified, with senior Allura Markow qualifying in two events—the 800-meter and 1,600-meter runs. Markow won the 1,600 preliminary heat with a time of 4:57.05 and finished sixth in the 800 with a time of 2:15.71.
Three Dana Hills runners qualified in the girls 1,600, with sophomore Annie Ivarsson (5:12.88) and junior Quinci Lott (5:17.07) joining Markow. Cooper Murphy, a junior, qualified sixth in the 3,200-meters with a time of 11:22.06.
In the field events, sophomore Sydni Harden qualified third in the girls pole vault with a clearance of 10 feet, 9 inches. Sophomore Gabriella Salinas just missed qualification in the triple jump and long jump by 2.5 inches and 3.25 inches, respectively.
On the boys side, both sophomore Evan Noonan and junior Garrett Woodruff double qualified in the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs. Noonan was second in the 1,600 (4:14.71) and first in the 3,200 (9:10.02). Woodruff was fifth in the 1,600 (4:17.89) and seventh in the 3,200 (9:22.49).
Also qualifying for the boys was senior Josh Chernekoff, who edged his way into the 800-meter field. Chernekoff grabbed the ninth and final qualifying spot by just 0.13 seconds.
The boys 4×100-meter relay team just missed qualification by 0.18 seconds.
The top nine performances at the CIF-SS Finals regardless of division will qualify for the CIF-SS Masters Meet on May 20 back at Moorpark High School.
Swimmers Miss State Qualification at CIF-SS Finals
Five Dana Hills entries posted state consideration times at the CIF-SS Division 2 Finals on Friday, May 5, at Riverside City College, but no Dolphins will be headed to the CIF State Championships this week.
Senior Brandon Saeedi posted consideration times in a fifth-place 200-yard individual medley (1:52.51) and a seventh-place 100-yard backstroke (51.79 seconds), and senior Jack Hayes did the same in a fifth-place 100-yard freestyle (46.66 seconds) and consolation final-winning 200-yard freestyle (1:42.74).
Saeedi and Hayes both swam legs of the 200-yard freestyle relay with seniors Jonah Vander Veen and Jason Honey for a consolation final win and a state consideration time of 1:28.67. The same relay team finished second in the 400-yard freestyle relay consolation final.
On the girls side, Dana Hills’ top swimmer, senior Sadie Riester, had an unfortunate false start in the 100-yard freestyle to be disqualified. Junior Julia Gordon finished eighth in the 100-yard breaststroke.
The Dana Hills girls won their first-ever team league championship this season.
Davis Brown Qualifies for CIF-SS Individual Golf Finals
Dana Hills boys golf will have one player teeing off in the CIF-SS Finals, as Davis Brown carded a 1-under-par 73 to tie for 16th and advanced after a one-hole playoff at the CIF-SS Southern Individual Regional at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino on Tuesday, May 9.
Brown moves on to the CIF-SS Individual Championship on Thursday, May 18, at River Ridge Golf Course in Oxnard. Dana Hills will also compete in the CIF-SS Division 1 Team Championships on Monday, May 15, at CrossCreek Golf Club in Temecula.
Dana Hills had four golfers in the regional on Tuesday. Matthew Davis just finished outside the qualification and playoff field with an even-par 74, Alex Pain shot a 3-over-par 76, and Nick Fry shot a 3-over-par 77.
12 Student-Athletes Honored in Signing Day Ceremony
Dana Hills High School honored all of its college-signed athletes from the school year in a combined National Signing Day ceremony on May 4.
There were 12 student-athletes signed on to four-year colleges and universities:
Ethan Brougham (Rice, Football), Seamus Flynn (Long Island University, Volleyball), Zoie Fuentes (Menlo College, Golf), Jack Hayes (Long Beach State, Water Polo), Allura Markow (Oregon, Cross Country), Taylor Nemeth (Austin College, Volleyball), Andrew Nesson (Holy Cross, Baseball), Sadie Riester (Loyola Marymount, Water Polo), Chase Rodgers (Lafayette College, Baseball), Brandon Saeedi (Denver, Swimming), Avery Sky (Long Beach State, Golf), Jonah Vander Veen (Air Force, Water Polo).
Baseball Falls in First Round at Aliso Niguel
After a hard charge in the final week to the South Coast League’s final playoff spot, the Dolphins’ stay in the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs was short-lived.
Dana Hills came out swinging in the bottom of the first inning, but Aliso Niguel answered back to defeat the Dolphins, 6-4, in a Division 3 first-round game on Thursday, May 4, at Aliso Niguel High School.
Dana Hills (11-18) scored two runs in the first inning, but Aliso Niguel scored three runs in the bottom of the first and another three runs in the second inning to stay on top of the Dolphins.
Luke Flinn, a senior, hit a two-run home run, and junior Grady Faris hit a two-run double. Seniors Chase and Devin Rodgers and Kade Murray all scored runs for Dana Hills.
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