Fall sports roundup: SLO County teams excel in cross country, volleyball and water polo

With the fall sports season concluded, several San Luis Obispo County teams and athletes notched outstanding performances, including impressive finishes in regional and state competition.

Here’s a look at some of the top performers.

Templeton cross country

Josh Bell and Frannie Perry, both of Templeton High, earned CIF Division 3 CIF-Central Section titles in boys and girls cross country, respectively.

They then moved on to compete at the CIF State Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno on Nov. 25, Templeton Cross Country Coach Rosalie Smith said.

At state, Perry ran a personal best 18:51 and came in 23rd in Division 3.

Bell came in second place in Division 3, behind champion Evan Noonan of Dana Hills, and finished sixth overall with a 14:52 time, qualifying him for the Nike Cross National Championship Meet on Saturday, Dec. 9, in Portland, Oregon.

“This has been a personal goal for him this season and our coaching staff and team are all so proud that he’s made it,” Smith said. “For both, it was a true testament to the time they’ve dedicated and the level of commitment they have to performing at their best. They were a lot of fun to watch this season. Both are incredibly motivated and truly love the sport of running.”

Smith said the boys team came in fourth at the Central Section meet, just 10 points from qualifying for the state meet.

“They were disappointed but motivated to work for it next year,” Smith said.

SLO girls volleyball

The Tigers finished 29-5 overall and for the first time ever were the champions of the SLO Town Tournament, which the school has hosted for 37 years, SLO Coach Kennedy Meanie said.

The Tigers went undefeated in league with a 12-0 record and also were undefeated in sets (36-0), marking 44 consecutive league wins.

In the CIF-Central Section Division 1 playoffs, SLO was the runner-up and was a state Division 1 semifinalist.

Standout players included Laela Burgess (junior setter), who’s committed on a full ride at UC Davis, posted 902 assists on the season and earned Ocean League MVP, and Ava Van Brasch (junior outside hitter), who led the team with 375 kills and was first team all-league.

Middle hitter Tea Aebischer, a senior, committed to play beach volleyball at UC Davis and had above a 0.333 hitting percentage (highest on team), earning first team all Ocean League.

Other standouts included Katelyn Krueckel (senior libero) with 387 digs (first team all-league); Nina Moutafov and Lyla Merk (second team all league).

“This was a really special team that played with a lot of heart and grit,” Meanie said. “They believed in themselves and each other and played together as one cohesive group. Our athletes may not be huge or flashy, but they are athletic, scrappy, and had great energy, which made them a really fun team to watch.”

Meanie added: “They worked so hard every day on the court, over summer, during pre-season, and throughout league play. That hard work paid off with deep CIF and state runs. Our motto is ‘All In,’ and I can confidently say these girls lived it all season. It was a season everyone will remember, and I couldn’t be more proud of these 16 awesome girls.”

SLO boys water polo

The Tigers (24-8, 11-1 Ocean League) were league champions and went on a deep run in the CIF-Central Section playoffs.

SLO knocked off Clovis North in a thrilling triple overtime 14-13 win in the first round of the Division 1 CIF-Central Section postseason. Bobby Tietge fired the game-winning shot, sneaking a right-handed dart past the goalie to avenge a loss to the same team in last year’s playoffs.

The Tigers went on to beat Clovis West 10-8 before falling in the final to Buchanan by a score of 13-5.

SLO Coach Grant Evans delighted in the berth in the state postseason tournament, saying after the first round win: “This is our first Division 1 win at our school for Central Section, so it makes us eligible for state regionals for the first time. That’s pretty cool.”

At state, SLO beat Redwood 12-9 and then fell to Campolindo of Moraga, 14-4.

SLO boys cross country

The SLO boys cross country team continued to dominate local competition in the 2023 season. The Tigers finished first in six local meets, which included the SLO County Championships for the fourth time in a row and the Central Coast Athletic Association Mountain League Championship for the fifth time in a row.

The team was led by seniors Weston Greenelsh and Nolan Roemmich, along with sophomore Ethan Feeser.

Greenelsh set a personal best of 15:30.5 at the CCAA Mountain and Ocean League Finals. Roemmich’s best meet came at the CCAA Mountain and Ocean League mid-season meet, where he ran three miles in 15:25.6.

Feeser set a personal record of 15:48.4 at the CCAA Mountain and Ocean League Finals.

The Tigers moved on to the Division 1 Finals for the CIF-Central Section where the team finished third overall. At the state meet, six of the team’s seven runners set personal records and finished 13th out of 21 teams in a “loaded division with schools twice our size,” Head Coach Jimmie Johnson said.

SLO girls golf

SLO girls golf found success individually and as a team in the 2023 season.

The Tigers sent sophomore Sofia Pierson and junior Zan McGovern to the CIF Southern California Championship for the second straight year.

Pierson, McGovern and senior Siena Boscaro earned first team all-league selections while Ainsley Stephens made the second team.

As a unit, the team finished second in the Mountain League and qualified for the Division 1 CIF Central Section Tournament.

The team graduates seven seniors in Boscaro, Stephens, Payton Pinkert, Becca McKee, Holly Sullivan, Lea Moffitt and Shear Mercer.

Head Coach Wes McKee said, “The future is in the hands of the younger players to build on a solid foundation of kindness and integrity.”

SLO girls tennis

The Tigers finished the 2023 season 17-0 overall with a 12-0 undefeated record in league play and secured the CIF Division 1 Central Section Championship in Head Coach Michelle Heidbrink’s first season.

Although an individual sport, Heidbrink wanted to see her team come together. “I asked them to show up for each other and play for something bigger than themselves,” Heidbrink said. “I really wanted to have a team that respected each other no matter what and didn’t find value in wins or losses.

During the season, the Tigers hosted the “Together We Fight” match where the team dedicated the match to the father of two player’s on the team who lost his battle to cancer.

“It was really amazing to see the team come together for a cause bigger than them,” Heidbrink said.

The team decorated the courts with the name of people they wanted to dedicate the day to, and the program raised $5,000 toward the American Cancer Foundation.

According to Heidbrink, the team was led in singles and doubles by the sister pairing of Marley and Audrey Conover. Natalia Hson and Sedona Bitler secured the league doubles individual tournament.