The Best of Mills Athletics in 2011

What were the most memorable accomplishments of Mills High School’s teams and athletes in 2011? We’re glad you asked.

Here is a look at the Vikings’ top difference makers of the past year:

1. Sabrina Mendoza – Girls Track and Field: Mendoza’s breakout sophomore season stood out among Mills’ athletic feats. The thrower became the Peninsula Athletic League champion in both the shot put and discus. Mendoza then advanced to the Central Coast Section finals in both events and finished sixth in the shot put at 37 feet, 5 inches and eighth in the discus (109-0).

2. Girls Basketball: Viking teams had precious little success in 2011 when competing in the PAL’s top-tier Bay Division, which makes the girls basketball team’s strong showing stand out. Anchored by senior post Lexi Chierici and a young backcourt of Kristen Lastofka and Bryana Sui, Mills (19-9 overall) finished second in the league at 7-3, took second in the PAL tournament and advanced to the CCS Division III quarterfinals.

3. Boys Basketball: The balanced Vikings finished in a three-way tie atop the PAL’s mid-level Ocean Division with Jefferson and Carlmont at 7-3. Seniors Arakel Aristakessian and Marcus Chew received All-PAL Ocean first-team honors for a team that went 17-10 overall and won its CCS Division III playoff opener.

4. Grant Murphy – Boys Cross Country and Track and Field: An emerging distance runner, the junior qualified for the California Interscholastic Federation state cross country meet by placing fourth in CCS Division III in 16 minutes, 23 seconds. In his sophomore track season, Murphy took fifth at CCS in the 1,600-meter race in 4:23.42 on the heels of his second-place PAL finish.

5. Marcus Chew – Boys Track and Field: Chew wrapped up his three-sport high school career with an impressive track postseason. He won the PAL championship in the high jump by clearing 5-11¼, and followed that by taking ninth in the CCS semifinals at 6-0, narrowly missing a spot in the finals.

6. Cross Country: The Viking boys enjoyed a solid performance at the CCS championships, taking fifth in the Division III race as Kevin Durney (14th, in 16:53) provided a strong complement to Murphy. Paced by Jessica Lam (20th, in 20:08), the Mills girls placed eighth. Ty Harames edged teammate Tiffany Chen for 33rd place.

7. Girls Soccer: Mills engaged in a season-long battle for the PAL Ocean Division title with Capuchino before falling just short of its rival with a 10-1-3 league record. Olivia Mullins earned PAL Ocean Midfielder of the Year honors as a sophomore, and Jazmin Cazares and Heidi Jansen landed first-team recognition.

8. Steven Smith – Boys Swimming: In his senior season, Smith took second in the 100-yard breaststroke at the PAL Bay Division championships in 1:01.19. He earned a trip to the CCS preliminaries and was named to the All-PAL Bay first team.

9. Boys Golf: Paced by junior Andrew Leung, the Vikings earned a co-championship in the PAL Ocean Division.