Archer School Sports Sprint into Spring

The Archer School for Girls sports teams have shook off the cold of winter and come out of the gate with force during the spring.

Leading the way are the middle and upper school track teams, both of whom have dominated in the early part of the season. The Archer varsity softball team has picked up three big victories heading into the spring break, while the swimming and equestrian teams have moved forward as well. Finally, the Archer beach volleyball team opened season on the new sport at the school with a strong performance day one of high school beach volleyball.  

In true spirit of the fun that athletics provide, virtually all of the students participating in the Spring are multi-sport athletes enjoying the excitement of competing and the pride it brings to their school.

TRACK

The Archer track program has steadily risen over the past three years, and this year, despite being without the services of two-time Delphic MVP sprinter senior Krysia Sikora, the girls have performed with great results through two meets.

The varsity squad 4x400-meter relay team finished first both times they competed, while athletes in several other races have racked top finishes. It gives confidence for future success is the performance of the Archer middle school track team, which has won its first two meets of the year in the Pacific Basin League (PBL). Varsity track is looking for the school's first ever Delphic League Track Championship with solid performances at the league preliminaries on April 25 and the league final son May 2. Both competitions will take place at West Los Angeles College.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

The Archer volleyball program made a huge stride forward with their entry into the Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League (IBVL). It is hard not to notice the growth of the sport, witness the sellout crowds and amount of programming the beach game receives at the Olympic Games. There are new beach volleyball facilities being built on college campuses (check out the USC facility on Jefferson) as more colleges embrace the largest growing sport in the NCAA.

Now witness the growth of high school beach volleyball. The IBVL was a cozy eight-team league in 2012, but in 2013 it has accelerated to a sport with 30 schools throughout southern California competing and another 25 schools on a waiting list. Most of the schools participating have large enrollments with volleyball traditions. There are, however, several examples of schools that are looking to get involved in the sport with the now-universally accepted knowledge that beach volleyball improves players indoor volleyball game.

Now, with the Spring IBVL and the Summer AAU Beach Tour, a volleyball athlete can improve their overall volleyball skills without having to commit thousands of dollars and countless hours to the over extended and watered-down indoor club volleyball scene, where generating revenue and not volleyball development has become the goal.

The Archer team, featuring all but one of the 2012 fall indoor varsity volleyball team that won the Delphic League Championship, also has rising upper school volleyball players training with the squad. The team practices at the Annenberg Community beach courts and plays every other Saturday at Dockweiler Beach in El Segundo.

Three two-person teams from Archer match up against counterparts from opposing schools. The 30-team IBVL is divided into two conferences, each with three divisions. Archer plays in the Westside division of the Southern Conference and battled tough but lost to Oaks Christian (Westlake) and Huntington Beach on opening day. The top team features senior Ciena Lennon and eighth grade sensation Alyssa Slagerman. The next league competition is March 30. The IBVL playoffs take place May 8 through 11. 

SOFTBALL

A year after winning the Delphic League championship and advancing to the CIF quarterfinals, the Archer varsity team has been promoted to the powerhouse Alpha League, which begins play after the break. So far in non-league play, the team is 3-3, with big wins over Marymount, Sierra Canyon and Campbell Hall.

Top players include pitcher Carolyn Zaccaro (11th), shortstop Shavonne Higgins (11th), thirdbase Claire Kristoff (10th) and centerfielder Rebecca Samuelson (12th). Archer will play nine of its 14 remaining games at home, and is aiming for a CIF playoff berth out of one of the toughest leagues in the CIF. CIF playoffs begin on May 14.

SWIMMING

Thirty-one swimmers make up the Archer swimming team, an all-time high for the rising program. After having qualified more swimmers than ever for the CIF preliminaries a year ago and on the heels of back to back middle school PBL championships, Archer is on the verge of becoming a swimming power. The 2013 team has increased their training regimen to highest level to date. The team has finished in second at first two meets, JV finishing in first at one meet.

Top swimmers include Kate Heck (11th grade), Liv Hogan (10th grade) and Camilla Gascon (10th grade). League finals are May 2.

EQUESTRIAN

Year in and year out, the Archer equestrian program has ranked among the elite in Interscholastic Equestrian League (IEL). Archer currently ranks fifth place with 330 points in the 70-school IEL. Caroline Bersch (7th grade) has 76 total points riding in the Freshman division. Bella Pendergast (11th grade) has 87 points riding in the JV division. The final show of the year is scheduled for April 14.   

ARCHER WINS PRESTIGIOUS SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD

CIF-SS Commissioner of Athletics Rob Wigod announced Archer as a winner of the "Kenny Fagan Shake for Sportsmanship" award. It provides recognition for schools singled out by a vote of their peers for outstanding sportsmanship displayed throughout the season. Criteria includes behavior at home and away games, enthusiasm and treatment of opponents and officials. An Archer representative from the athletic department and a selected athlete will be honored on the field at Dodger Stadium prior to the Dodger-Padres game on April 16.

ARCHER SUMMER SPORTS PROGRAMS

The Archer athletic department has made its best efforts to develop an off-season program for athletes that fits into the plans of our busy community.

It has come as no surprise to our coaches that the players who participate in the summer programs enjoy the most improvement and make the biggest impact on their teams.

For more information, visit the Summer Beach Club Facebook page at www.facebook.com/summerbeachclub or contact Archer athletic director Denny Lennon.  

ARCHER SCORECARD NOTES

Mark your calendars, the Archer Athletics Sports Award Night is May 20th, 6:00 p.m. at the Olympic Collection. This celebration of upper school sports will be formally announced after Spring Break...Maia Barnett's record breaking varsity basketball season garnered the junior with an All-CIF selection for the 4A division. Barnett averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds against the toughest and most competitive schedule in school history. This is the third year in a row Barnett has been named All-CIF...Tough basketball schedule may be an understatement, considering that the Alpha League Archer competed in for the Winter basketball season had two teams that will be PLAYING FOR THE STATE TITLE this coming weekend in Sacramento. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) will play for the division 5 title while the #1 ranked team in the country, yes, the #1 TEAM IN THE COUNTRY Windward School (Mar Vista) will play for the CIF State Open championship. Not exactly a league that Archer belongs in. Archer is moving from the defunct Gold Coast Athletic Conference and into the Liberty League beginning next school year. Thanks for having us, but we want our Liberty!...Archer 7th grade softball standout Mia Parker dominates batters as a fireball pitcher, but it was her batting that gained attention recently as she slugged the longest homerun in Harvard-Westlake middle school field history.

The two-run blast not only cleared the outfield fence but traveled ten feet beyond the previously longest homer. Parker is only the 16th player in the fields 20 plus year history to clear the fence...The Archer middle school softball team reached the semifinals of the PBL a year ago behind the pitching of Parker and is looking to extend take their playoff run further this season. If so, the team would play the PBL championship game on campus. Archer Assistant Athletic Director Kristen Benjamin put together a proposal that has won the necessary votes for Archer to host the PBL championship game.

A VIP seating sky box will be available for the game on May 10th.

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