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Delta League Championships Results

FOLSOM, Calif. – The St. Francis cross country team placed six among the top 10 led by senior Sydney Vandegrift in second and junior Sophie DeBenedetti in fourth to win their first league title since 2013.

“It shows the strength of the team and what they have been doing over the last two seasons running cross country and track,” said Head Coach Aaron Rios. “They work together and train hard. It showed out there today.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Four St. Francis golfers were named to the All-Delta League for their overall performance in league dual and center matches over the course of the season. Players accrue points based on their individual finishes in each event with a Most Valuable Player and top 10 players honored.

Doubles Pairs Earn All-Delta League Honors

ELK GROVE, Calif. – Senior sisters Kyla and Kiya Jackson won their third consecutive Delta League Doubles Championship, earning the automatic berth to the Sac-Joaquin Section tournament. The Jacksons defeated Jaylynn Tan and Hallie Wilson of Franklin in the championship match 6-1, 7-5 to win their fourth match of the day.

ELK GROVE, Calif. – Junior Myra Anwar and sophomore Adithi Benush advanced to the third-place consolation match at the Delta League Singles Championships Monday at Laguna Creek Racquet Club. They will play on Wednesday for the berth in the Sac-Joaquin Section tournament.

Benush opened with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Danielle Beningfield of Elk Grove and advanced to the semifinals with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Nancy Avoce of Davis. She lost to top-seed Jacquie Tan of Franklin 6-0, 6-1.

Chloe King is in her third season with the varsity water polo team and fourth year in the program. She is helping the coaches on the bench during game keeping statistics while her knee heals. She hopes major in public health or biology with the goal of medical school. She is a retreat leader with campus ministry. She has two dogs, a Neapolitan Mastiff and a Great Dane.

Hailey Malone is a returning letter winner with the varsity team. She also is a member of the St. Francis swimming team and swims for Arden Hills Rec team. She took up swimming in the sixth grade. She is a Campus Service Leader. She is the co-coordinator of WellSpring and the Pink Ladies for Breast Cancer.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Malia Arnott scored the go ahead goal to cap a big comeback as the St. Francis water polo team escaped with a 10-9 win over Granite Bay on Thursday.

“The biggest thing tonight was to remind them to fall back on the work they do in practice,” said Head Coach Heather Moody. “They work really hard and put a ton of energy into training. They should get confidence from that and build it into a game. They found that tonight.”

Troubies Remain Undefeated on the Season

ELK GROVE, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team moved one match closer to a perfect regular season with an 8-1 win over Franklin on Tuesday at Laguna Creek Racquet Club.

St. Francis improved to 14-0 and 11-0 in the Delta League by winning five of six singles matches and sweeping the doubles. Adithi Benush won the only three-set match of the day, defeating Franklin’s Jaylynn Tan 6-4, 4-6, 1-0, while the Troubadours got straight set wins by Alisha Anwar, Kyla Jackson, Marisa Fat and Kiya Jackson.

New Scoreboards Shine in Gym

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis Catholic High School gymnasium features a new state-of-the-art scoreboard made possible by a generous donation from Big Hairy Dog, a local company owned by parents Sandy and Mick Malaney.

Golf Sweeps Season Dual Schedule

ELK GROVE, Calif. – Sophomore Nashla Aguero shot a three-over par 36 (par 33) at Emerald Lakes Golf Course as St. Francis defeated Franklin 195-250 Thursday afternoon.

Aguero finished second on the team with her 36. Junior Patricia Sweeney was the medalist for the fourth consecutive match with a two-over par 35. Lauren Allen signed for a 39 and Chase Saca carded a 41. Olivia Alcoran and Ceci Fletcher each had rounds of 44.

Houck Scores Four Goals in Win

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sophomore Kendall Houck scored four goals and had seven steals to help the St. Francis water polo team to an 11-5 win over Woodcreek on Thursday.

“She played great,” said Head Coach Heather Moody. “Last year she struggled with the physicality against Woodcreek. This year she really took a deep breath and kept her composure. It really helped us throughput the game to get those four goals.”

Edwards Posts 20 Kills in Win

DAVIS, Calif. – Sophomore Alexa Edwards had 20 kills while hitting 35 percent with 13 digs to help St. Francis to a 3-1 victory over Davis Wednesday night. The win improved St. Francis to 10-0 in Delta League play with four regular season matches left with a 22-4 overall record.

FRESNO, Calif. – St. Francis placed fifth in the Clovis Invitational Championship race with 248 points. The Troubadours were led by Sydney Vandegrift, who placed 18th overall with a time of 18.12.7.

DAVIS, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team remained undefeated after an 8-1 victory on the road at Davis Thursday afternoon. The Troubadours won five of six singles matches and swept the doubles to clinch the win.

Sam Chavez is in her first season on the varsity and second in the volleyball program. She was a captain for the JV team as a sophomore and has been playing volleyball since the fifth grade. After from school, she likes to hang out with her golden retriever, Tucker. Today she dressed up as a Train Conductor for St. Francis Day.

How does it feel to be on the varsity?
“It feels good to be on varsity. Our year is going pretty good. We are really bonding together well as a team so that is good for the long run.”

Maddie Brown is in her third year with the water polo program and second year with the varsity team. She is a Campus Service Leader (CSL) with the campus ministry department. She has participated in the skit at Homecoming each of the last two years. She is the oldest of four children.

What does it mean to you to be a part of the water polo program?
“I am very honored that I am part of it and glad to be part of the team. I think we have a really great team this year. I am excited to see how we work together to accomplish our goals.”

Duo Heads to Orlando This Weekend with Team NorCal

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior tennis standouts Kiya and Kyla Jackson will travel to Orlando this weekend for the USTA Junior Team Coed Nationals with their team based at Laguna Creek Racquet Club.

“We worked so hard this summer,” said Kyla Jackson. “We are hoping to play against really good people, have fun and represent NorCal.”

ROCKLIN, Calif. – The St. Francis water polo team went 3-1 at the Capital Challenge and finished in ninth place in the two-day tournament held at several high schools across the area.

St. Francis opened with an 8-3 loss to Buchanan Friday morning but rebounded in the second game against Del Oro in their home pool. Sophomore Kendall Houck scored three straight goals as part of a four-goal game. Libby Slater added two goals as the Troubadours went into Saturday with the momentum.

Pacific Tiger Invitational Results

STOCKTON, Calif. – St. Francis won the Varsity and Frosh/Soph titles at the Pacific Tiger Invitational on Saturday in the first of three meets over eight days for Troubadours.

USA Water Polo Academic All-American List

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – Juniors Reagan Garcia (Carmichael), Abbey Berg (Sacramento) and Emalee Lavezzo (Sacramento) were named to the USA Water Polo Academic All-America team announced this month. All three represent American River Water Polo Club.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Ari Miggins made 10 saves in the opening half to help St. Francis to a 9-4 victory over Rio Americano on Tuesday night.

“It feels a lot better than it did last year,” said Miggins. “I definitely have more skill set and am stronger in certain aspects than I was before. It is easier for me to go play the first quarter without seeing how they are playing or shooting. I am lot more confident going in the water.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team swept Davis on Monday to remain undefeated in Delta League play with a 3-0 win over the Blue Devils. The Troubadours won 25-15, 25-19, 25-18.

“Davis played very well tonight and put up a really strong block,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “Their middles did a good job tonight. I was proud of some of the defense we played tonight. I think the defense was what won for us. We were not firing on all cylinders.”

The St. Francis freshman volleyball team defeated Roseville 25-22, 25-9 to take the Carmichael Invitational Volleyball Tournament. The Troubies went 7-0 on Saturday at the CIVT. They opened by winning their pool with wins over Novato, University Prep and Bret Harte. SF then advanced over Napa and Sutter before beating Bishop Manogue in three sets 25-11, 25-27, 15-6 in the semifinals. The Frosh are now 11-0 on the season and take on Davis at 4 p.m. on Monday. 

Path to the Title – St. Francis (7-0)

Novato 25-2, 25-6

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team remained undefeated at home with a 3-0 victory over Pleasant Grove to improve to 2-0 in Delta League play.

“I am really proud of the kids starting off strong against Pleasant Grove,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “They are a good team, well coached and have a lot of weapons. We seemed to take them out of their game. We served pretty aggressive tonight and our defense played really well.”

Kim Johnson-Marble ‘08 was interviewed by ABC 10’s France Wang ’10 on why she was inspired to join military after 9/11. 

“I wanted to be a part of giving back, showing how strong we are as a country,” Johnson-Marble said. “I told my parents ‘I’m going to be in the army.’

Johnson-Marble said when she was giving her oath, she had that same gut feeling again in her stomach that she had during 9/11. 

ATHERTON, Calif. – Junior Emalee Lavezzo scored the game-winning goal in the fourth quarter to help St. Francis defeat Los Altos 8-7 on Saturday at the St. Francis Autumn Invitational. The win advanced the Troubadours to the consolation championship.

“We came out really strong,” said Lavezzo. “We had our battles but we came back. Scoring the game-winning goal gave us the momentum to block the last goal in the final 30 seconds. It was a really cool and everyone is excited.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team swept its opening Delta League match against Pleasant Grove, posting a 9-0 victory in the league opener for both teams.

“The team is really excited to get on the court for the first time,” said senior Marisa Fat. “It was the first league match and we were really happy to come out with a bang. Everyone finished and supported everyone on the court.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sophomore Alexa Edwards had 10 kills and 19 digs as St. Francis posted a 3-0 win over Oak Ridge in the season opener for both squads Wednesday night.

“We feel really accomplished even though it is the beginning of the season,” said Edwards. “We have been putting in the work at practice. But just because we won the first two games (Foundation vs. Roseville), we still have to put in the work. We are really excited to see what we do this season.”

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (SMU/AAC) – SMU junior goalkeeper Catie Brown, a ‘15 alumna of St. Francis, was named the American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Week, and freshman midfielder Isabelle Nashmi earned a spot on the AAC weekly honor roll, the league announced Monday.

ROCKLIN, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team captured the B.O.S.S. Tournament title with wins over Granite Bay in the semifinals and McClatchy in the finals on Saturday to complete the opening weekend with a perfect 3-0 record.

“It is a great way to start off the season,” said freshman Alisha Anwar. “Everyone has started off really well and it has helped everyone’s confidence.”

Anwar, who was playing her first prep matches, went 3-0 in her first matches. She won her match in the finals with a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis volleyball player Aiyu Aimufua will play volleyball at the University of Pennsylvania next fall after committing to the Ivy League program this spring.

Rising junior Janae DeFazio was named to the NSCAA High School All-West Region team announced by the organization. She was one of just five sophomores on the region team.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Rising junior Janae DeFazio was named to the NSCAA High School All-West Region team announced by the organization. She was one of just five sophomores on the region team.

The National Soccer Coaches Association has recently been rebranded as the United Soccer Coaches.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Recent graduate Sarah Brust ’17 will play lacrosse for Puget Sound this fall.

Brust, who will study exercise science, was contacted by the Puget Sound coach after being accepted to the school. She had reached out originally earlier in her career but had decided to hang up her stick in college. As her high school career came to end this spring, she started having doubts.

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. – Alumna Lauren LaRocco ‘14 finished 13th in the 10,000 meters with a time of 33:41.08 at the USATF Championships on Thursday at Sacramento State.

“My goal was to start really conservative,” said LaRocco. “I did not know how I would feel coming down from altitude. I really tried to run my own race and slowly pick off girls. I think I did a pretty good job of it and I was close to one of them at the end.”

• The St. Francis varsity placed sixth overall at the Sac-Joaquin Section Swimming Championships held at Tokay High School. Davis won the varsity title with 273 points to edge Granite Bay 273-268.5 followed by Rio Americano (261), Lodi (141) and Oak Ridge (124) ahead of St.

Lauren Washburn hit a team-best .519 during her senior season over 26 games with 16 runs scored with 28 RBI. She was third overall in the league in hitting, earning Delta League first-team honors.

Sophomore Chloe Smith was also named to the All-Delta League team, hitting .448 with a team-best four triples and three home runs.

Sophomore Catie Caldwell led the team with eight wins in the circle with a 4.17 ERA over 20 appearances.

• Junior Molly Wilson was 10th at the CIF State Diving Championships at the Clovis Olympic Complex with a personal-0best 464.75. She is the highest finisher at the state meet in school history in the sport and made her second consecutive appearance at the state meet (2016, 16th).
• Wilson has named to the 2016-17 NISCA/Speedo Girls 1-Meter All-America Diving team, joining a select group including just 10 girls from the state of California.

• The St. Francis softball team went 14-14 overall and 7-7 in the Delta League to finish fifth overall in the standings.
• The Troubadours advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs as the No. 13 seed. St. Francis lost to No. 3 Vacaville 13-3 in the opening round.
• Lauren Washburn hit a team-best .519 during her senior season over 26 games with 16 runs scored with 28 RBI.

St. Francis went 10-7 on the season under Head Coach Julia Southard, advancing to the North Coast Section playoffs. SF was defeated by 17-3 in the first round by California.

ELK GROVE, Calif. – Sophomore Isabelle Grassel has been flying far lately, resulting in a berth in the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters meet. But she almost never started taking off.

“I was not jumping what I wanted to earlier in the season,’ said Grassel. “I was thinking about quitting (jumping). I finally got what I wanted at Delta and made it to sections. You have to never give up. When your season is not going as you wanted it to, you can’t give up. You have to keep going because it could change.”

ELK GROVE, CALIF. – The St. Francis Troubadours will run in five individual events and the 4×100-meter relay on Friday seeking berths in the CIF State Track and Field Championships after qualifying at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters on Thursday.

This Week in Troubie Sports…

Track and Field completes the 2017-18 season with the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters and the CIF State Championships. For a complete list of Athletic Events, click here.

St. Francis Sports Physical Night — Wednesday, June 1, 2017 6-8 p.m.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis water polo and swimmer Kayla Wehner has been selected as the school’s valedictorian and will address her class Thursday night at the graduation ceremony at Memorial Auditorium.

“It was really exciting for me,” said Wehner of her honor. “As a freshman I could not have imagined being the valedictorian. Seeing that working really hard in all my classes and things outside of school was able to pay off, it was really cool.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis had 30 Troubadours represented on the 2016-17 SportStars River Cats All-City teams announced before Sunday’s game with against the Nashville Sounds. Overall, SportStars Magazine celebrated 500 athletes at the eighth annual event.

FRESNO, Calif. – St. Francis junior Molly Wilson finished tied for 10th at the 2017 CIF State Diving Championships on Friday, posting a personal-best 464.75 for her 11 dives.

Wilson is the second Troubadour to represent St. Francis at the State meet and the first to qualify in consecutive seasons. She won the Sac-Joaquin Section title for the second consecutive season to earn her spot.

She scored 6.5 points for her team, insuring them a place among the final rankings at the state championships.

This Week in Troubie Sports…

Diving was represented at the CIF State Championships by Molly Wilson on Friday and softball was eliminated from the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. Track and Field continues the three-week qualification process for the state championships with the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters trials and finals. For a complete list of Athletic Events, click here.

LODI, Calif. – With a roster dominated with youthful standouts, the St. Francis swimming team competed at the Sac-Joaquin Section Trials on Thursday looking to make history and give a glimpse of a strong future.

“I could not be prouder of my whole team,” said Head Coach Richard Levin. “How exciting for the Frosh/Soph group and how exciting is it to be coaching them the next three years. Seeing them in action today when it matters, they all stepped up. The group includes a lot of talented freshmen and Hannah Parulan, a sophomore, who is definitely the leader.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sophomore Chloe Smith went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI with a double and home run to pace St. Francis to an 11-7 win versus Franklin Monday.

“I was thinking line drive to get something going,” said Smith. “We were making contact with the ball but we were hitting right at people.”

Smith’s third inning home run gave St. Francis a 2-1 lead and sparked a five-run inning to take control of the game.

DAVIS, Calif. – The St. Francis track and field team set the stage for an exciting final next week with strong performances in the Delta League Trials Friday at Davis High School. The Troubies qualified nine athletes in 13 events and scored 11 points in the first three event finals.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.  - Senior Elizabeth Hennessy broke the school record in the 300-meter hurdles Saturday, clocking a 43.91 at the Meet of Champions at American River College. She broke the mark of 44.17 by Amanda Schnabel in 2013, improving on her personal-best of 44.37.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sophomore Olivia Alcoran has been selected one of 24 girls nationwide by The First Tee to participate in the 2017 John Deere Drive Your Future Academy in Atlanta, GA on June 19-22.

She’ll have a chance to win a $5,000 scholarship plus the opportunity to be a VIP guest and pro-am participant at the John Deere Classic in July 2017. The event will take place at East Lake GC, the site of the TOUR Championship and final event of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup series.

• St. Francis finished with a 15-5-4 overall record, losing to No. 14 Folsom in the Sac-Joaquin Section quarterfinals.  The No-6 seeded Troubadours defeated No. 11 Modesto 3-0 in the opening round.
• St. Francis was 10-2-2- in Delta League play, finishing second overall in the team standings. Sophomore Janae DeFazio tied for the Delta League individual lead in goals with 16 and led the league in points.
• St.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Julia Razo was named to the Sacramento Bee All-Metro third team announced by the paper last week.

Razo was named to the Sacramento Bee All-Metro five player third-team selection and was an All-Delta league first team. She averaged a team-best 14.4 points in leading the team to the Delta League title and the NorCal Quarterfinals and Section quarterfinals. She scored a career-high 27 points against both Christian Brothers and Monterey Trail.

CONCORD, Calif. – Freshman Madison Miles finished fifth among four Troubadours with a score of 136.65 in the varsity competition at the DeLaSalle Invitational on Monday. Junior Molly Wilson won the meet with a score of 246.20. Callista Stanley (114.40) and Maddie Covert (113.10) finished sixth and seventh, respectively.

In the JV meet, Claudia Campos (108.200 and Arissa Vallejo (72.65) also competed.

DeLaSalle Varsity Results

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Allie Lourim will attend UC Santa Cruz and run for their cross country and track and field programs next year.

“Running in college was definitely one of my goals,” said Lourim. “I am happy I get to continue doing what I love. This has been the dream to sign with a school.”

She will run for Head Coach Jamey Harris.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior soccer player Savannah Tijerino-Santos has committed to play for American River College and will join the local program to play and attend school next fall.

“I am very excited and I am glad I get to keep playing soccer,” said Tijerino-Santos. “I would have been upset if I had stopped playing after high school. Doing it with one of my best friends, I am super excited.”

Savannah will joins classmate Monet Lopez in joining the ARC program coached by Paul Arellanes.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Sally Ferguson, who scored the winning goal in the section championship match in 2015, will continue her water polo career at Santa Clara next season.

“I am really excited I get to extend my water polo career,” said Ferguson. “I would have been sad if it ended here. I am excited to be part of a team in college. It will definitely be a lot of fun.”

RIO LINDA, Calif.  – Junior Molly Wilson finished second at the Jesuit Invitational with a career-best 441.90 on her 11-dive list.

“I think I did ok,” said Wilson. “I could have done better on a couple of my dives but I am happy with my overall performance. Hopefully I can hit every dive at sections.”

Junior Camille Lutes finished sixth overall with a score of 159.85.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Lindsey Lohan, a phone book and a family rule. St. Francis senior Gabby Zegers definitely came across fencing in a non-traditional way. But eight years later, she is devoted to the sport and is going to Duke to join their nationally-ranked program on scholarship.

This Week in Troubie Sports…

Spring Sports are limited this week with the Easter holiday. Track and Field hosts the Jesuit Invitational and hosts Franklin and Pleasant Grove on April 19. Diving host the Jesuit Invitational on April 8 and travels to the DeLaSalle invitational on April 10. For a complete list of Athletic Events, click here.

Elk GROVE, Calif. – The St. Francis swimming team posted a 125-45 win over Franklin on Wednesday at the Wackford Aquatic Center. The Troubadours swept four of the events and won 10 of the 11 overall to lead the team to victory. Senior Tatum Roepke and freshman Chloe Bebbout each claimed two events.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Lauren Washburn has committed to play softball at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, fulfilling a lifetime dream to play in college.

“It took a lot,” said Washburn of her softball career. “I have been trying to do it (have a chance to play softball in college) since the seventh grade. To finally be able to say, I am going somewhere to play softball is achieving that goal.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – St. Francis’s ariane Arndt, who graduated in 2016, was named the Arcadia Invitational Open Athlete of the Meet a year ago this week. 

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Junior Sydney Vandegrift ran the second-fastest time in school history in the mile, finishing 12th in the mile in 5:03.08 and the Troubadours had several performances in the relays and sprints to wrap up the action at the second day of the Stanford Invitational.

“It is such a great opportunity to run with these fast girls,” said Vandegrift. “We talked about staying in a good position and being a little more ambitious.”

Vandegrift just missed the school record in the event set by Peyton Bilo in 2015 (5:02.21).

CARMICHAEL, Calif. – The St. Francis track and field team defeated Davis 75-60 on Wednesday. The Troubadours recorded several season-best performances in the meet. Senior Meaghan Rogers had personal bests in both the 100 meters (12.49) and 200 meters (26.00), finishing second and third respectively.

Kathryn Kramer and Amanda Roina were the top finishers in the 400m, placing third and fifth. Each recorded a personal-best. Alana Reyna was the top finisher in the 1600 with a personal-best time of 5:33.55.

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – Senior Grace Passantino had four goals and sophomore Jade Borg and junior Juliette Vielhauer each added three goals as the St. Francis lacrosse team posted a 19-2 win over Bella Vista.

The Troubadours recognized their six seniors in a ceremony before the game, including Sarah Brust, Emily Bish, Kismit Gill, Avery Myers, Passantino and Sarah Westover. SF built a 13-1 lead in the first half and cruised to the victory. The Troubies improved to 7-3 and 3-1.

ELK GROVE, Calif. – Senior Meagan Rogers won the 100 meters in 12.63 at the Mark Macres Invitational on Saturday hosted by Monterey Trail High School, highlighting several top times and marks for the Troubadours.

Freshman Isabella Palchek won the Frosh/Soph high jump with a clearance of 5-0, while classmate Meghan Ladd won the Frosh/Soph pole vault by extending her own freshman school record with a 9-6 clearance and also finished second in the high jump (4-8).  Olivia Birmingham finished fifth in the varsity pole vault at 9-6.

This Week in Troubie Sports…

Spring Sports continue play this week. Lacrosse hosts Senior Night against Bella Vista on Tuesday. Softball travels to Davis on Tuesday and hosts Elk Grove on Thursday. Swimming and diving host Monterey Trail on Wednesday. Track and Field will be represented at the Stanford Invitational on Friday and Saturday, while swimming will compete in the NorCal Championships. For a complete list of Athletic Events, click here.

MATHER, Calif. – The St. Francis lacrosse team completed the season sweep with a 15-3 win over Vista del Lago on Tuesday.

“It was a big team effort and we got a lot of people involved,” said Head Coach Julia Southard. “Our offense looked pretty fluid and we were capitalizing on our scoring opportunities.”

Jade Borg, Sarah Westover and Grace Barger each scored three times in the win.