Girls’ Tennis at Breck has won several state titles in the past 35 years. With its competitive yet healthy learning environment, Breck Girls Tennis (BGT) fosters positive tennis players with excellent sportsmanship. I had the delight of interviewing one of the Varsity captains for this year, Witt Mehbod ‘24. Witt talks about her excitement for the remainder of the season. As a 2021 Class A State champion, Witt shares fond memories of going to state with her team. “It was an amazing experience. We know that shouldn’t be taken for granted. We worked for it and not every team can experience that. I’d say it’s important to cherish every moment,” she said. I asked Witt if BGT has any specific goals for the season and their future matches. Witt says, “Just putting it all out there; playing our best each match. Anything can happen, so we’re not going to go into it automatically thinking we’ll win. Our toughest competition would be St. Paul Academy, which is ranked as the second seed.” As of October 10th, 2022, BGT is headed to the State Championships after a successful win at their Section match. And as of October 13th, 2022, Isabelle Einess, Petra Lyon & Witt Mehbod are Section 4A Individual Champions! (Matea Homan)

Another Breck Athletics team that has exemplified wonderful teamwork is Breck Girls Volleyball (BGVB). BGVB has five seniors this year: Noelle Murray, Sydney McDaniel, Vivian O’Brien, Andi Hernandez, and Laura Logan. I spoke with Noelle, Sydney, Andi, and Vivian to get the inside scoop on their season thus far. If they had to describe their team in one word, the three of them each chose, “family,” “loving,” and “passionate.” Andi explains how the season has been very enjoyable so far, especially because their team happens to all be close friends. The three girls collectively decided that their favorite match from this season was a home game against Minnehaha Academy. Breck took a big win in this game. “They’re number one in our conference right now. The fact that they were #1 made us play better. We also had a good student section,” Andi said. When I asked these three if they had any words of wisdom for their team after this year’s seniors graduate, Vivian offered the following advice: “Having a positive mindset and encouraging others. And building the team up by giving each other confidence.” Noelle adds, “keep loving each other on and off the court! Keep that friendship up on and off the court.” They all agreed that the team is definitely at its best when they communicate on the court. (By Matea Homan)

Third, a very well-known and community-orientated team at Breck – Breck Boys Football. With a 3-5 record so far this season, Breck Football has faced some tough teams but held a sense of fair play and a good attitude through it all. We sat down with Captains Waziri Lawal ‘23 and Will Walker III ‘23 to catch up on the season thus far. When we asked them about the season, Will said “Overall, I think we have a good sense of brotherhood and everyone’s been cool. We can’t finish out games. In the fourth quarter, we get tired, or we lose the passion we have in the first 3 quarters. We’re looking at changing that at sections.” The two of them agreed that one of the most important things the team could do as of right now is keeping the energy up toward the end of their games. “Enjoy every moment and every game you play – don’t take the time for granted,” Will said. A goal that Waziri has for the future of the season would be: “Winning our section again. We know all the teams in our section so I’d say that’s the biggest goal for me at least.” Will agreed. These two players plan to wrap up their season by putting in 100% effort and continuing to build a bond with their team. Their most anticipated game this year has been the Providence rival game. This was a big deal for both teams. Typically, daily practice starts at 3:45. The team lifts every other day, practices either offense or defense every other day, and some days after practice they watch film. On top of that, they regularly scrimmage at practices. Maintaining a positive attitude is key to end off the season in the best way possible. (Matea Homan) 

Despite the colors of the leaves changing and the chilly fall afternoons beginning here at Breck School, Breck Cross Country continues to work hard and strive for excellence as they train to hopefully make their way to State this year. After sitting down with Samantha Dvorak ‘25, one of the captains of Cross Country this year, it’s safe to say that this sport is not for the weak. Samantha explains how her team participates in various drills and warm-ups at their daily practices. “We usually start with a quick half-mile warmup. We do some dynamic warm-ups! And then it depends on what kind of work. Sometimes it’s speed-based on the track, or sometimes a distance-type thing. Sometimes we’ll have that and the weight room. We will go do ‘special K’s’ at the park.” As a Sophomore captain, Samantha demonstrates great responsibility and support for her fellow teammates. She talks about her excitement for Alden Keller ‘23 and his commitment to run for Duke University. “I love hanging out with my teammates because it’s a really fun dynamic. We’re all complaining a lot sometimes, and cross-country meets are super fun because we spend a lot of time as a team.” Samantha also offered some advice to her younger teammates: “Branch out to your teammates on the team. It’s a great community of people that I’ve been able to build and have space for myself. Take advantage of the fact that you have such a supportive community.” When I asked Samantha what her hopes were for the rest of the season, she replied with, “I really hope the boys can make it to State because that would be super cool. I want to see Esme Gulbransen (‘25) go to State this year. She’s been working really hard and breaking some personal records. I also want to see Alden get back out there because he’s been gone. The dynamic has been really great.” She’s looking forward to a great finish to the season. (Matea Homan) 

To captains Eva Brieland, Georgia LeWin-mills, and Maggie Drawz (all ‘23) of Breck Girls Soccer (BGS), the 2022 season is a memorable one more than anything. The team having, as Georgia puts it, “a really good group of girls,” combined with it being their senior season, ignotes melancholy attitudes for all of the seniors. The end of their time with BGS is sitting in the back of their minds. The captains emphasize that the team’s biggest strength is the trust and confidence that they have in one another, not only on but off the field as well. However, they add that this confidence can easily be turned into cocky attitudes, which has sometimes affected the team’s performance. Another challenge the team has faced is a lack of all-around consistency. From injuries to attitudes and from wins and losses, the team has learned to make it a priority to stay healthy and always bring intensity. Easily the most memorable game of the season was the 3-2 win against Minnehaha Academy that stemmed from the previous year’s state final game where Minnehaha ended the Breck girl’s season. As they approach sections, the girls are hoping to build off the team chemistry to secure success, and also be aware of their mindset to ensure it doesn’t hinder their performance. Maggie Drawz is hoping for not just an easy win, but also to “blow every team out of the water.” (Nora Oberlies)

Throughout the 2022 season, Breck Boys Soccer has built a hardworking, determined team that has learned to utilize challenges to get even better. Captains John Gorman, David Shin, and Danny Sampsell recall highlights from their season, which vary from winning 1-0 over Blake to seeing their coach get a red card at the SPA game, to even their double overtime loss against Orno, which proved to the team that they could play with one of the best teams of the state. In regards to the team dynamic, Danny describes how they have, “fostered an environment where players can feel comfortable joking around as well as being serious.” John adds that this was something that was missing from last season. The new energy has established more trust that the players have in one another and allows them to hold themselves accountable when results don’t go their way. The beginning of the season started off rocky. As David puts it “we had them in the first half not going to lie.” Between injuries and sickness, and also losing two more players in the middle of the season, it was hard for the team to be very successful before recovering from these setbacks. However, the team pulled through and as the season advanced, Breck Boys Soccer established more stability and success. Going into sections, the team is “thirsty for blood,” the captains say. Disappointed from last year’s outcome and fueled with an ambition to prove themselves, Breck Boys Soccer finds themselves ready for the tough opponents and challenging battles that they face in the postseason. (Nora Oberlies)

Shifting the focus to Breck water sports, Breck swim and dive’s historically hard-working team, has had its own fair share of success this season. Swim captains, Ava Roh, Madry Breazeale, Megan Englert, Yvonne Frerichs, Trisha Samba, Amira Sinclair, and dive captain Erin Duggan explain that at the start of the season, divides between grades felt very real. But as the season progressed, the lines blurred, and the team became much more unified. Erin Duggan further stresses these feelings of unity, especially on the dive team, where the small group of three allows for an extremely “tight-knit bond.” This supportive mentality guided the team through three triumphant wins over Blake, upholding the 16-year streak of successful bear hunts. The captains also illustrated how their season is like a mountain. The beginning is focused on working on their technique. Through the weeks, the difficulty increases until about now, which they call “hell week.” This is the peak of the mountain, where practices are the most intense. After “hell week” they begin to prepare for final meets and sections giving their bodies time to rest and recover. Going into sections, the team has in previous years been pretty successful, and the captains emphasize that this season is no different. The team finds themselves excited because they want to fulfill a 10th-decade win, however, nerves are still very present because the only time that would put a swimmer into state is determined solely by their time they get in section finals. Keeping a clear mind to avoid mental blocks is one of the biggest goals for the Swim and Dive team. The support and relationships solidified throughout the season will help play a crucial role in the performance of both swim and dive as their season comes to a close. (Nora Oberlies)