FALL 2024

Athletics Season in Review

Menlo Knights vs. Sacred Heart Prep at Valparaiso Bowl XXII

ATHLETICS REVIEW

In a banner year, Menlo’s fall sports teams jumped onto the national scene, rewrote the record books, made long playoff runs, and set the tone for an outstanding school year.

The boys’ cross country team blazed trails, earning a coveted bid to the Nike Cross Nationals meet in Oregon after setting records on its way to securing a Central Coast Section championship and clinching the state championship. Both cross country teams, flag football, and girls’ tennis came away with league crowns, and boys’ water polo won a NorCal title.

Five athletes were named League Most Valuable Athletes: Ava Allen (flag football), Elise Chen (tennis), Jack Freehill (football), Jamie Forese (football), and Landon Pretre (cross country). In total, 61 Knights earned spots on fall all-league teams.

Girls’ Cross Country

The Menlo girls’ cross country team had an outstanding finish, taking seventh at the state meet. Veronica Taira ’25 was a medalist, and Ariya Kaushek ’26 was the Knights’ second finisher among a field of nearly 200 of the state’s best runners.

Amelie Giomi ’25, Halle Blanchard ’26, Bella Ewers ’28, Anya Ramani ’26, and Emily Dong ’28 rounded out the state team.

Flag Football

Menlo’s team completed a perfect season, ending with a 20-6 victory over host Sacred Heart Prep in the girls’ first Flag Valpo Bowl. The Knights finished the season undefeated at 17-0, led by League Player of the Year Ava Allen ’27, and extended their unbeaten streak to 32, dating back to September 27, 2023. They won the West Bay Athletic League’s first championship and fielded two teams with 45 players in the program.

Girls’ Golf

The Knights finished in the middle of the West Bay Athletic League despite losing three starters to graduation. Menlo defeated Mercy-Burlingame by a stroke and then came back later in the season to win by eight. The Knights swept Sacred Heart Prep, Notre Dame-San Jose, and Mercy. Once again, Menlo featured a large team with a wide range of experience, from novices to tournament players.

Boys’ Cross Country

In a historic season, the Menlo boys received the School’s first bid to the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) and finished 15th overall. The seven runners who make up the team had just come off a grueling win at the state championship—another Menlo first—and were set to race on prep cross country’s biggest stage under the name Menlo Park. Menlo School was the smallest school by far among the thousands of teams that hoped for a shot at NXN. Landon Pretre ’25 was the team’s first finisher, followed by Will Hauser ’25, Henry Hauser ’27, Oliver Olbekson ’28, Jared Saal ’25, Amay Srinivasan ’26, and Jonah Block ’27.

Football

The Knights finished the season with an 8-4 mark and went 3-3 in the top-tier Peninsula Athletic League-Bay Division. To get to the semifinal, No. 6 seed Menlo knocked off No. 3 Christopher and then fell by a lone point to No. 7 Palma, which had just upset the No. 2 seed. Menlo was led by two League Players of the Year: versatile quarterback Jack Freehill (Offensive Back) and receiver/linebacker Jamie Forese (Utility).

“The season was absolutely amazing–coming out to the field with the boys every day was so fun; I looked forward to it every single day,” Brett Frauenhofer ’25 said.

Girls’ Tennis

The Knights were a step away from returning to the state championship and laid it all on the line in a NorCal matchup for the ages. Playing to an edge-of-your-seat finish, the Menlo girls dropped a heartbreaking 4-3 decision to Los Altos. Still, the team delivered a gritty performance, including WBAL Player of the Year Elise Chen’s upset win over the Eagles’ top seed. Menlo finished the season with a 9-1 mark, claiming its 37th league championship in program history under new coach Francis Sargeant.

“It hurts to end the season on such a nail-biting finish, but looking back, I’m so proud of everyone’s growth on the court. Francis emphasized spirit and team camaraderie, and I think that definitely came through in our matches, especially at NorCals,” Kate Hsia ’25 said.

Volleyball

Knights volleyball swept its opening round match of the CCS Div. IV playoffs against Harker before falling in a five-set heartbreaker to top-seed Harbor. The Knights finished the season 15-15 and also went .500 in league play. After taking sixth at the 32-team Spikefest, Menlo traveled to San Diego and went 5-1 in the SoCal Invitational.

Boys’ Water Polo

The Knights boys’ water polo program hung its first NorCal championship banner after a commanding 12-6 victory over Clovis in the Div. II title game.

The team finished the season with a 22-10 mark after coming into the NorCals as a No. 2 seed and knocking off Righetti-Santa Maria 17-9 and then Rocklin 11-10. Menlo finished in the finals of the Roche Invitational, third at the Coronado Invitational, and fourth in the powerful eight-team West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL).

Girls’ Water Polo

With a 5-1 record, the Knights finished second in the formidable West Catholic Athletic League and took silver in the regular-season-ending tournament. Once again, Menlo earned a bid to the top-tier Central Coast Section Open Division. They launched their season with a finalist finish at the Knights’ own Amanda MacDonald Invitational, in which they peeled off three straight wins and took second overall, falling only to North Coast Section power Acalanes.