Athletic News
Cross Country Interview on RunningSpace.com
St Francis High School Track and Field and Cross Country - Sacramento, CA – Videos – Sydney Vandegrift, Isabella Fauria, Sophie Debenedetti, Emma Hollenbach, Haley Silva, Allie Lourim, Alana Reyna of St. Francis Sacramento 2nd, 6th, 11th, 15th, 17th, 24th, 31st Girls Division 2 – Sac-Joaquin Section XC Championships 2016 – DyeStatCAL
Volleyball No. 6 Seed in NorCal Bracket
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team is the No. 6 seed in the Division II bracket for the CIF State Girls Volleyball Championships. The Troubadours will host No. 11 Windsor at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at St. Francis.
“We have a lot of volleyball left,” said Alynn Wright to her team after the section semifinals. “The Whitney coaches complemented the team on the outstanding defense we played. We can still play better defense.”
Alumnae Post Top Performances at NCAA West Regional
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis alumnae Lauren LaRocco ‘14 and Peyton Bilo ‘15 had successful returns to Sacramento at the NCAA West Regional on Friday morning.
“It was really fun because there were people lining the course everywhere,” said Portland junior Lauren LaRocco. “I was really surprised by the turnout and I felt like I had a lot of support running in my hometown.”
Tennis Advances to NorCals with Win over McClatchy
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Freshman Adithi Benush provided the clinching point in a 6-3 win over McClatchy Thursday at Rio del Oro racquet Club, earning the St. Francis tennis team a berth in the upcoming CIF State NorCal Championships.
“I am beyond proud of the team,” said Head Coach Kristi Spector. “We were tired and so was McClatchy. But, I told them before the matches started that I knew we were tired mentally and physically but we can do this. We had to dig down deep and when you think you can’t go any further, yes you can! That was my motto.”
Athletics News – 11/11/16
This Week in Troubie Sports…
Playoff postseason continues for the tennis and volleyball teams in the NorCal Championships, while cross country will be off this week to train for the state championships over the Thanksgiving weekend. Several teams will host their end-of-season banquets this week, celebrating the outstanding team and individual accomplishments of the Fall season. The basketball and soccer teams will complete tryouts and start preparation for the upcoming season.
Tennis Finishes Second in Section; Will Play for NorCal Berth
FOLSOM, Calif. – Oak Ridge defeated St. Francis 7-2 to win the Sac-Joaquin Section title and the automatic berth into the NorCal Tennis Championships next week at Broadstone Racquet Club.
“I am feeling really good but these girls are really tired,” said Head Coach Kristi Spector. “They have had some long matches. But I am really proud of the girls. Oak Ridge is the No. 1 team in the Sierra Foothill League and No. 1 seed in the playoff bracket. We had a couple matches that could have gone either way. Regardless, I hoping we can pull off the win and advance to NorCals.”
Three Seniors Ink Commitments to Play in College
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Three St. Francis seniors participated in the NLI/College Commitment Celebration hosted on the St. Francis campus Wednesday morning. Volleyball’s Claire Barbe (Gonzaga) and lacrosse standout Sarah Westover (University of Southern California) joined classmate Grace Reginato (Rowing, San Diego State) in participating in the event.
Tennis Advances to Section Finals
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – After three hours and 12 minutes, senior Annie Gianulias prevailed at No. 6 singles with a three-set win over Alora Jorgensen to clinch the match 5-4 for the St. Francis tennis team over Del Oro and earn the Troubadours a berth in the Sac-Joaquin Section finals on Wednesday.
“It feels, honestly, awesome,” said Gianulias. “It was a tough match to pull out. Assistant coach Todd Stanley told us these are the matches you will remember and they are one you have to fight for.”
St. Francis Finishes Tied for Seventh at NorCals
SALINAS, Calif. – The St. Francis golf team finished tied for seventh at the 2016 NCGA/CIF NorCal Championship Monday at The Club at Crazy Horse Ranch. It was the first NorCal appearance since 2013.
“I am proud of us making it this far and we did really well this season,” said sophomore Patricia Sweeney.
St. Francis shot a 425 team score to tie with Alameda. Saint Francis Mountainview was the overall team leader at 382 with Dougherty Valley at 387 and Carondelet at 388. All three advanced to the CIF State Championships next week.
Tennis Advances to Section Semis
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team won four three-set matches to propel the Troubadours into the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals with a 7-2 win over Rocklin Monday afternoon at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club.
St. Francis opened the match with a pair of 6-0, 6-0 wins at No. 5 and No. 6 singles by Marisa Fat and Annie Gianulias, respectively. In doubles, senior Abby Benvenuti and Sabrina Voeller gave SF the 3-2 lead with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 at the top spot. But the match was decided by four matches that went three sets, including two singles and two doubles.
St. Francis Senior Reginato to Sign with San Diego State
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Grace Reginato started a new sport in the eighth grade. Five years later it part of her daily life and she will sign this week with the San Diego State Aztec Rowing program.
“When I was in the eighth grade, I thought I would do it for high school,” said Reginato of her crew career. “I did not decide until last year I wanted to do it in college. Being a student-athlete sounds so hard but now I could not imagine my life without it. It is the main reason for my day and I look forward to going to practice.”
Cross Country Places First at Subsections
FROGTOWN, Calif. – The St. Francis cross country team won the Sac-Joaquin Subsection Division 2 meet to advance to the sections next week, scoring 67 points to defeat Vacaville (84).
Freshman Isabella Fauria and junior Sydney Vandegrift paced the team, finishing in a virtual tie in eighth overall in 19:22. Sophomore Sophie DeBenedetti was the third Troubadour across the line (19:52) with freshman Haley Silva just four second back. Freshman classmate Emma Hollenbach was 21st overall. Alana Reyna (35th, 20:51) and Allie Lourim (46th, 21:12) closed out the varsity top seven.
Water Polo Loses to Lincoln in Section Quarters
STOCKTON, Calif. – The fifth-seeded St. Francis water polo team lost 7-3 to No. 4 seed Lincoln of Stockton at Stagg High School in the Sac-Joaquin Section quarterfinals Friday.
Athletics News – 11/4/16
This Week in Troubie Sports…
As the Fall playoffs continue, winter sports soccer and basketball begin tryouts this week. All student-athletes must have a physical on file before participating on Monday. Cross Country runs in the Sac-Joaquin Sections on Saturday for the chance to go to the state meet. Tennis, Volleyball and Water Polo look to continue deep playoff runs. The first National Letter of Intent signing celebration will be held on Wednesday, Nov.
Volleyball Upsets Del Oro, Advances to Semis and Earns NorCal Berth
LOOMIS, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team lost in the section quarterfinals a year ago, ending their season uncharacteristically outside of the NorCals. Not this year. The fifth-seeded Troubadours upset the No. 4 seed Del Oro in three sets 25-19, 25-12, 25-12 on the road Thursday. The win puts SF into the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals and earns the team a berth in the NorCals a week later.
“It feels really good and everyone did their part,” said senior captain Claire Barbe. “We came here to win and we did that. Everyone is really determined to do the best this year.”
Jackson Sisters Advance in Section Doubles
ROSEVILLE, Calif. –The third-seeded junior pair of Kiya and Kyla Jackson advanced to the semifinals of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Doubles bracket. The sister duo defeated Emma Canepa and Nikkie Barajas of Lodi 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals after opening with a win over Nikki Patel and Sasha Ehrler of Modesto 6-1, 6-3.
They will face No. 2 seed Ashley and Ali Issac of Del Oro on Friday morning at 11 a.m.at the Johnson Ranch Racquet Club.
Water Polo Advances to Section Quarterfinals
CARMICHAEL, Calif. – Freshman Kendall Houck scored five times and senior Kayla Wehner added four goals as St. Francis posted a 12-5 win over River City in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Tournament.
“Our focus was making sure we were on the same page defensively, establishing our press and knowing where the ball is so we can help out where we need too,” said Head Coach Heather Moody. “We did a really good job with those and only had a couple breakdowns but we came back focused and fighting for the win.”
Volleyball Posts 3-0 Win over Vintage, Advances in Sections
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over Vintage on Tuesday night. The Troubadours advanced by scores of 25-11, 25-7 and 25-20.
“I was really excited about their start,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “They were very focused. We worked really hard on our serving yesterday and it showed. I thought they served extremely well.”
Tennis Opens Section Playoffs with 9-0 Win
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team opened the Sac-Joaquin Section with a 9-0 win over Vacaville. They will advance to the quarterfinals on Monday, Nov. 7 against the winner of Rocklin and Turlock.
“It was a great match for us,” said Spector. “All of our girls played great. Vacaville was a pleasure to play and they were the epitome of sportsmanship and kindness. They were gracious winning or losing.”
St. Francis won all nine matches without dropping a set, sweeping both the singles and doubles.
Water Polo Promotes Three Players to Varsity
SACRAMENTO – The St. Francis Water Polo team promoted three players to the varsity team for the final regular season game and the playoff season, Head Coach Heather Moody announced.
“For those three girls, it shows them it is not that drastically different (from JV) and it is not that hard,” said Moody. “It gives them a confidence boost and is a reward for their season.”
Moody invited goalie Kate Watley and utility players Abigail Berg and Hayley Hoang to the varsity team.