WINTER-SPRING 2025

Athletics Seasons in Review

IMAGE: Menlo School senior, Landon Pretre, finished 10th at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational 3200m in 8:49.30, less than a second off his school record, was the fastest time in the state and the 10th fastest time in the country.

ATHLETICS REVIEW

The 2024-25 winter and spring athletics seasons were exceptionally successful, marked by historic achievements, numerous personal bests, and deep playoff runs. The spring season extended into late May and early June, with track and field and boys’ tennis competing in the state championships and baseball embarking on an unprecedented journey to become NorCal champions.

Across the winter and spring seasons, 89 student-athletes were named to all-league teams, and eight were recognized as Most Valuable Athletes:

Girls’ Soccer: Bianca Putanec ’26 and Roya Rezaee ’25

Boys’ Soccer: Carter Techel ’25

Girls’ Lacrosse: Devon Schaefer ’25

Tennis: Cooper Han ’25

Boys’ Track: Landon Pretre ’25

Baseball: Jackson Flanagan ’26 and Jack Freehill ’26, plus Baseball Coach of the Year: David Trujillo

In addition, six spring teams—baseball, boys’ golf, boys’ lacrosse, girls’ lacrosse, boys’ tennis, and girls’ track & field—were named Central Coast Section Scholastic Top 5, awarded to teams for having the highest collective GPA in their respective sports.

Boys’ Basketball

Playing in the Punahou Invitational, the Knights shared a memorable trip to Honolulu and finished 3-1 to take the consolation championship. They entered the tournament with a 5-2 mark and finished the season 15-11 after advancing to the Central Coast Section (CCS) quarterfinals.

Boys’ Soccer

Despite graduating a cadre of players last year, the Knights charged to a 12-1-1 record and took home the WBAL Championship for the second year in a row. Menlo returned to the CCS playoffs, where its postseason run included close victories over Palo Alto (winning on penalty kicks) in the quarterfinals and Carlmont (1-0) in the semifinals. The Knights advanced to the championship game, ultimately falling in penalty kicks.

Girls’ Soccer

The girls’ soccer team won its first CCS crown in four years—Menlo’s ninth CCS championship in program history and the third under Coach Ross Ireland. The Knights advanced to the program’s first regional semifinal in the seven-year history of NorCals. Menlo (17-5-3) fell to the eventual NorCal Div. III champion in a narrow loss decided by penalty kicks. The team secured its CCS title by defeating Mountain View High School 2-1 in a hard-fought final.

Girls’ Basketball

The Knights won a fourth consecutive CCS Championship—their longest streak since 2013-2015. Menlo advanced to the second round of NorCals, falling only to the eventual state champion. Karen Xin ’25 and Ruiqi Liu ’25 joined Menlo’s 1,000-point club while also breaking into the record books: Xin for three-point goals made and total points and Liu for rebounds and total points.

Baseball

It was a banner season for the Knights, who won the NorCal Div. IV title—the first regional championship in program history. With a talented mix of players from all grades, freshmen to seniors, Menlo (24-8) won back-to-back Central Coast Section (CCS) titles—this time Div. V—and clinched the Peninsula Athletic League-Ocean title outright, its first league crown since 2019.

The path to the NorCal Championship included a hard-fought 15-11 victory over Woodland Christian in the semifinals—an extra-inning game spanning two days. In the final, Menlo defeated Santa Clara 2-1, getting all the runs it would need in the fourth. Jackson Flanagan ’26 (11-3) picked up the win and Ben Salama ’25 got the save.

In the CCS playoffs, the team defeated Soledad 4-3 in the quarterfinals and Piedmont Hills 7-5 in the semifinals. Menlo won 21 of its last 22 games and has come away with the win in one-run games 14-1.

Boys’ Tennis

The Knights wrote a new chapter in Menlo boys’ tennis history, winning their 12th NorCal final to earn a bid to the program’s first CIF State Championship. At state, the Knights faced a highly anticipated rematch against University High of Irvine—their only previous loss of the season. In a heart-pounding match, the Knights ultimately fell just short, losing 4-3.

This remarkable season was Menlo’s winningest since its undefeated 29-0 run in 2018. Under first-year coach Francis Sargeant, the Knights finished the season with an impressive 29-2 record and earned a bid to the state final, which included NorCal competition for the first time last season. The Knights were unstoppable in league play, clinching their 30th consecutive league title—and 36th overall. Their postseason run was equally impressive, as they powered through to secure their 18th Central Coast Section (CCS) Championship, defeating Harker 6-1.

Swimming & Diving

The Menlo swimming and diving teams had a successful season, with both individual and relay achievements—including early postseason qualifications—and a strong showing at the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships.

Eden Chuang ’25 qualified for CCS in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke, and the 200 free relay of Eden Chuang, Zoe Chuang ’28, Sofia Flierl ’25, and Leila Kao ’28 reached the CCS consolation final. The boys’ 400 free relay of Kai Chung ’27, Eitan Litsur ’27, Lincoln Bott ’28, and Calvin Barad ’26 blew away their league time, swimming a 3:21.81 at CCS for 20th place out of 46. Chung was the WBAL champion in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly and also qualified for CCS in the 200 medley relay. Eden Chuang was league champion in the 200 individual medley.

In his high school diving debut, freshman Nate Lee placed ninth for a podium finish at the CIF State Diving Championships after winning silver at the CCS Finals. Ella Litsur ’25 capped her high school career with a 22nd-place finish at the CCS Championships.

Track & Field

From the start of the season to the finish at state, Menlo School had a powerful showing. At the CIF State Championships, a senior trio took huge strides: Landon Pretre won silver in the boys’ 3,200-meter race, Will Hauser was 12th in the 1,600 meters, and Veronica Taira placed 19th in the girls’ 3,200 meters.

Pretre’s 3,200 time at CCS (8:48.57) was first in state and 14th in the nation, and he also ranked second in California in the mile and sixth in the 1,600. Taira and Pretre became CCS 3,200-meter champions after Menlo School sent six athletes in seven events to the finals: seniors Taira (1,600, 3,200), Will Hauser (1,600, 3,200), Pretre (3,200), and Sofia Faris (long jump), junior Braden Rock (high jump), and freshman Tres Onyejekwe (300 hurdles). Taira, Pretre, Rock, sophomore Henry Hauser (800), and the boys’ 4 x 100 and 4 x 800 relays were league champions. The Knights featured a strong team with competitors in all disciplines.

Boys’ Golf

Menlo competed in the highly competitive West Bay Athletic League (WBAL), finishing with a 6-6 record and securing fourth place at the WBAL Championship. The team rebounded from a 2-3 start to win back-to-back matches, improving to a solid 4-3 midseason record. In the CCS postseason, William Edwards ’25 and William Beesley ’26 represented Menlo, receiving bids to the CCS qualifying tournament.

Boys’ Lacrosse

The Knights picked up several notable victories, including a 15-3 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral, a Senior Day win against Priory, and a close win over Mitty. In the WCAL playoffs, Menlo advanced past Sacred Heart Cathedral but fell to St. Francis 13-10 in the quarterfinals. Menlo earned a bid to the CCS Div. I playoffs, where they fell to St. Ignatius. The Knights also took their game on the road, playing two San Diego teams on an all-Menlo lacrosse trip, which featured a scavenger hunt with the girls’ team.

Girls’ Lacrosse

Menlo School advanced to the CCS Div. I semifinals. The Knights’ playoff journey included a decisive 23-7 victory in the opener, though they ultimately fell to St. Ignatius in the semifinals.

Early season, Menlo played two Southern California powers during a San Diego trip, and the Knights closed West Bay Athletic League play with a win, avenging an earlier loss to St. Francis.

Class of 2025 student-athletes committed to play at the collegiate level

College Athlete Commitments

Menlo School is proud to celebrate the achievements of our Class of 2025 student-athletes who have officially committed to continuing their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level.

The 17 student-athletes represent 16 sports and head to 15 schools from Palo Alto to Winston-Salem to Chicago to Long Island.

Joshua Benyo Baker, Grinnell, cross country/track

Angelica Chou, University of Washington, soccer

Eden Chuang, West Point, swimming

Sofia Flierl, Brown, water polo

Isha Gupta, Columbia, squash

Cooper Han, Northwestern, tennis

Will Hauser Cornell, cross country/track

Brady Kagan, Pomona-Pitzer, football

Lily Kautai, Redlands, volleyball

Ella Litsur, Univ. of Chicago, diving

Ruiqi Liu, Univ. of Chicago, basketball