Girls took off their heels and put on their sneakers  – or swim suits in the case of water polo – to help women’s teams at Cal High complete one of their most successful seasons in school history. 

The fall season saw every women’s team reach NCS, and two  teams – cross country and volleyball – advanced to CIF State championship competitions. Cal also boasted an individual NCS champion and a runner up.

Senior Alyssa Brewer won NCS for the cross country team while senior May Zhu took second place in the individual tennis championship. 

Brewer and fellow senior cross country runners Kayla Neumann made an impression during the NCS Division I championships this year by  leading their team to a second place finish and a berth in the CIF State Meet. 

Brewer pushed her way to the top earning the first place title at NCS during her first cross country season. Neumann was not far behind, placing fourth less than a minute behind Brewer. 

This was not Brewer’s first individual title. During the spring track season, Brewer won the 800 meter race at the NCS and CIF State championships.  

Both Neumann and Brewer made their way to state and performed well by placing among the top 100 runners in the state.

Brewer has established herself among the best athletes in school history. She and David Klech, a former national track athlete of the year, should definitely be mentioned in the same breath of this conversation.

Volleyball made a huge impression this season with its 30-5 record. The girls beat their first two opponents in NCS and reached the semifinals. That run helped the girls qualify for their first state championships tournament.

Water polo also made it to NCS and completed with a record of 6-2 in league. During the first round of NCS, Cal beat Las Lomas 13-9 but came short during the quarterfinals against Monte Vista. 

The tennis team also reached the NCS quarterfinals, and Zhu reached the finals in the singles tournament. The team performed well the entire season and ended with a league record of 15-3, including an upset of Monte Vista for the first time in years. 

This trend is not only evident this fall. Last year, the women’s teams in the winter and spring had great successes. The women’s soccer and basketball teams reached NCS, and the lacrosse team followed in their footsteps in the spring by advancing to the NCS championship game. 

With this  positive history in mind, the women’s program has a bright future for the upcoming season.