Despite all the changes made to the 2020-21 school year and the postponement of many fall events, our school’s winter sports teams did get to compete in their respective seasons. With several deep playoff runs and championships won, the winter sports season has come to a successful end.
The Yorktown Swim & Dive Team had a fantastic season, with the girl’s team winning the Virginia High School Sports League (VHSL) Class 6 State Championship, and senior Torri Huske having a record-breaking meet. Huske broke several national records, breaking 50 seconds in the 100m fly and setting a national record in the 200m individual medley (IM) race, as well as breaking state records for the 50m and 100m freestyle.
In her last meet as a Patriot, Huske racked up 120 of her team’s total 236 points, and led the group to victory in the championship meet after coming up short for the past three years. On top of this triumph, Stanford-bound Huske will also be trying out for the Olympics this summer with the Olympic Trials taking place this June.
Moving from the pool to the court, our school’s basketball season has also come to a close. The reigning Liberty District Champion boys varsity team ended its season with a respectable 10-6 record as well as a trip to the 6D North Region Boys Basketball Tournament, where they went 2-1 in a campaign to the semifinals.
The team garnered some impressive victories during their journey in the tournament, including one 80-78 victory by the skin of their teeth against Chantilly High School on February 8. They went on to beat Wakefield 64-52 in the quarterfinals, eventually being bested in the next round by Centreville. The loss was not in vain though, as this was the first time in 11 years that the Patriots had made the semifinals in the Regional Tournament.
For the All District teams this year, Yorktown had four members of their squad make the cut, with John Sondheim making the All Liberty District First Team, Brandon Warner and Steven Lincoln making the Second Team and Mason Cunningham making the All District Defensive Team.
For the girls varsity team, Ana Bournigal and Grace Maria made the All District First Team, Malina Goodwin and Taylor Chase made the Second Team. Maria also joined the All District Defensive Team, and their coach, Devaun Drayton, won the prestigious Coach of the Year award.
On top of their all-star roster, the girls varsity team also had an admirable season, going 7-6 under the circumstances the coronavirus had placed upon them. The impressive group of underclassmen that the team has will no doubt have another fantastic season next year, and hopefully a brigade of fans to cheer them on as well.
Our school’s track & field team also sported a successful year, as they worked towards competing in the regional track & field meet on February 17. The team showcased its talented Juniors, with Alma de Miguel Evuna Eki getting 2nd in the 55m race, Owen McArdle getting 2nd in the 3200 race, with both of them setting school records. Jackson Birdseye also placed second in the 55m race. All the relay teams qualified for the regional meet as well.
The Gymnastics team, despite only having a few practices before the regular season and a large group of incoming freshmen, also had a respectable season. They won one of their regular season meets, but finished runner-up in most of their other competitions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only one team in their division was allowed to compete in the Regional competition, and, unfortunately, they came up short at the District competition.
Finally, the varsity Hockey Team, who got their season in last year right before the pandemic, had another fantastic season with an impressive playoff run. The Patriots went 8-2 in the regular season, and were able to make it to the semifinals in their impressive stint, going 2-1 and beating formidable opponents such as Chantilly and McLean. The squad will certainly have another chance at the championship in the coming years, as the team seems to continue to improve with every new competitive year.
With the winter sports season coming to a very close, the Patriots who competed this season not only showed off their impressive skills, but also their resilience in dealing with a pandemic, sports season and academic school year all at the same time. All the teams should be proud of how they competed, and all of the sports fans should begin gearing up for the spring sports season.
