Spring Sports Recap

The Upper School Spring Sports season concluded with awards banquets and ceremonies recognizing our athletes for their personal contributions and exciting accomplishments. There was good reason for celebration because it was a season full of impressive team and significant individual achievements and milestones.

Boys Volleyball

Varsity 

The Boys Varsity Volleyball Team was on fire this season. They qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and won their first playoff game ever in Milken history. Joey Cavallo ’18 was selected to the All-CIF Southern Section Division 5 Volleyball Team, making him the first Milken male athlete to earn a spot on the team. There were many exciting matches during the season, notably one against Oakwood, a top 10 team in a division above them. In a must-win, nail-biter, Milken beat them to make the playoffs. Coach Javy Martinez revealed that success came for the 11 member team only after they began working together as a cohesive unit. Victories came swiftly and the team finished with a 16-8 record. Next year will be a rebuilding year as the team loses seven players.

JV 
 
The team kicked off the season winning five matches in a row. They worked hard throughout the season, finishing with a record of 5-3 in league play and 9-6 overall. Consistently playing three hits: bump, set, and spike, the team continued to work on maintaining the attacking drive and not letting up. For next season, Coach Al Noel Sansolis says he will work on conditioning, speed, and timing.
 
Boys Volleyball Awards

Varsity
MVP: Joey Cavallo ’18
MIP: Matthew Makabeh ’20
Spirit Award: Jordan Farahnik ’18
Coach’s Award: Jack Behar ’21

JV
MVP: Jeremy Wizman ’19
Coach’s Award: Eli Hiekali ’20
MIP: Jacob Schreiber ’20

Boys Varsity Golf

The Boys Varsity Golf Team coached by Dan Brink and Alison Howard Smith had another strong showing this season. The team placed second in the CIF after winning the league title two years in a row. Griffin Feldman '20, who won last year’s Liberty League Title and was the league’s MVP, once again earned a spot on the All-Liberty League Team, placed third in the Liberty League Finals, and qualified for the CIF Individuals. The team finished 8-4 overall and 6-4 in the league. The outlook for next year’s team is promising as all of the players are returning.
 
Boys Varsity Golf Awards
MVP: Griffin Feldman ’20
Coach’s Award: Ryan Spivak ’19
MIP: Adam Binder ’21


Swimming

The swim team wrapped up their season with a strong showing in the CIF championship meet at UCLA. John Levy ’21 won the 100 free and 2nd place in the 50 free. Nathan Gilardian ’21 came in3rd in the 50 and 100 free. All of the swimmers dropped seconds off their times. Coach Jacki Hirsty was impressed with all of the athletes’ performances. "All in all, these swims were just rewards for the dedication and commitment of these athletes,” she remarked. “They can expect to see much more of the same next year.”

Swimming Award
Coach’s Award: Alex Gabbay ’21


Boys Varsity Tennis

The Boys Varsity Tennis Team had an amazing season, capturing the CIF Division 5 Championship with a victory over Oakwood. The triumph was made even sweeter by the fact they had lost to Oakwood twice in the regular season. Coach Omar Morgades noted the most challenging aspect of coaching is finding the right chemistry between players in doubles pairings, and he hit the jackpot when he paired his best singles players Ben Hochman ’21 and Zack Eisen ’20 together. They responded by winning the Liberty League Division 5 Championship in doubles and were named MVP. The team has youth on its side as the incoming players are either freshmen or sophomores and they only lose two seniors. Their future looks bright as they hope to add even more depth with the incoming players.

Tennis Awards
Coach’s Award: Zack Eisen ’20
Rookie of the Year: Ben Hochman ’21
Sportsmanship Award: Jake Spivak ’19
4 year award: Ben Bricker ’18


Boys Varsity Baseball

Righting the ship, the Boys Varsity Baseball Team stepped up from last year’s disappointing season. This year they improved to a record of 10-8 overall and 4-4 in league play. A major highlight of the year according to Coach Mike Schultz was Daniel Schulman ’19 pitching the entire game against the Division 6 #1 ranked Faith Baptist and winning. Five days later Schulman came back to beat de Toledo, the #1 ranked team in Division 7. The team loses two seniors Jordan Pardo and Jordan Kalman who were dedicated team leaders and helped spearhead the team’s turnaround this season. “I’m looking for bigger and better things from this group next year,” said Coach Schultz.

Boys Varsity Baseball Awards
MVP: Daniel Schulman ’19
Silver Slugger: Jaden Pressman ’19
Most Dedicated: Jordan Pardo ’18


Track and Field
 
While the team didn’t win any of their meets this year, the athletes saw dramatic improvements in their performances. Many of them were able to break their personal bests. After facing a major injury last year, Noah Safer-Brickman ’19, one of the team’s strongest runners was back in peak condition by the end of the season. He mentored Jake Thomas ’21 in the high jump and Jake was able to equal Noah’s heights, fostering a friendly competition between them, according to Coach Elliott Turner. Coach Turner was pleased that this was the first time that the track team had a significant presence and impact in both the sprint and field events. Excited for the senior leadership and the young talent next season he remarked. “We are most likely going to be in the top three finishers in all of the sprinting and field events.”
 
 
Track and Field Awards
Athlete of the Year: Emily Farshi ’19
Athlete of the Year: Noah Safer-Brickman ’19
Most Improved Runner: Hannah Safer-Brickman ’19
Most Dedicated: Jordan Feldman ’20
Leadership Award: Sasha Hakimi ’19



 



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