Profile: Poly Golfer Maddy Kwei

This article was originally published in the Pasadena Independent.

Maddy Kwei loves golfing. The Polytechnic junior has golfed for nearly a decade, and she’s only 15 years old.

Kwei began playing golf at seven. Her mom enrolled her in a class and she instantly loved the sport and decided to stick with it. She started competing at 10-years-old.

During the school year, Kwei competes for Poly and in two other tours, the Southern California Professional Golfer’s Association (SCPGA) Junior Tour and the Future Champions Tour. She plays a tournament or two per month for the other tours during the school year, but the competition load ramps up immensely during the summer. Last week alone, she played in five tournaments.

Although it’s very time consuming, Kwei enjoys the tournaments.

“Golf is really great because unlike any other sport, you really get to know these people you play with for five or six hours every single tournament. Since you’re stuck with them the whole day, you kind of have to get to know them, talk to them,” Kwei said. “I know people from all around the world on a more personal level. That’s not something you find in any other sport.”

Most of the tournaments are within an hour’s distance, but some are farther. Kwei recently qualified for a three-day tournament in Palm Springs.

Kwei played in all 10 tournaments with Poly’s team last year, averaging a score of 38 on a nine-hole course. Although she did well, the team struggled at times.

“I definitely improved from last year,” Kwei said. “This year we lost a senior who was a big part of getting our scores, so that was different for our team. We had just enough players to play. But I’m glad the girls on the team are dedicated to high school golf. I think the team did pretty well considering we only had five players, so all of us had to always be there.”

This year, Kwei plans on recruiting a lot of freshman, so the team has more than five players.

Kwei plans on playing collegiate golf, although she doesn’t know where yet.

“California has great weather for golf, so I would love to stay here, but moving to the East Coast or the Northwest would be great too,” she said.

Kwei is interested in many fields, including international relations, communications, science and French. She isn’t sure which one she is going to major in yet, but she aims to minor in French because she loves French culture.

When she’s not golfing or at school, Kwei enjoys spending time with family and friends. She also loves to volunteer. Kwei volunteers at Fuller’s Family Daycare, where she has helped out over the summer since she was in seventh grade. Kwei also serves as the assistant lifestyle editor for Poly’s newspaper, Pawprint.

“People don’t know how hard working I am,” Kwei said. “I have goals and I’ll do anything it takes to reach them.”

Athlete Profile: MHD DB/WR Gaylen Wilson

This article originally appeared in the Monrovia Weekly.

Gaylen Wilson has been playing football for more than half his life. The Monrovia High School senior defensive back/wide receiver used his experience of playing since he was six to earn a spot of the varsity team during his sophomore year.

Wilson became inspired to play at such an early age after watching former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick play.

“I loved watching Michael Vick. Even though I’m a 49ers fan, I wanted to be like him,” Wilson said.

While Wilson sticks to DB/WR now, he has also played quarterback, running back, and other skilled positions over the years. He said he likes DB/WR the best, so he’s sticking to them. He doesn’t know which he will play yet in college, but  he does plan to play in college. He has been in conversation with a few coaches from NCAA Division I schools, but he is still waiting on a formal offer.

Wilson had more than 20 catches and 40 tackles last year, with an interception and two punt return touchdowns as well. He even had a kickoff return for more than 90 yards. He does it all.

“I love scoring touchdowns and dominating other people,” Wilson said.

This year, Wilson has set an even higher bar. He wants to have more than 10 touchdowns and five or more interceptions. Wilson compared his playing style to Oakland Raiders receiver Antonio Brown for his good routes and speed and Los Angeles Rams cornerback Marcus Peters for his ball hawking skills, always being around the ball.

A big factor in this will be Wilson’s speed. He is also a sprinter on the track team, running the 100-meter dash in under 11 seconds and the 200-meter dash in under 23 seconds.

Wherever he ends up in college, Wilson plans on studying law or science because the fields have strong job security.

“There’s a big need for them and they make a lot of money. I’m not sure which specific ones yet, but I want to end up in those fields,” Wilson said.

Although Wilson is not a huge player at 5-feet-10 and 170 pounds, he said he thinks a lot of people think he’s mean because of the way he walks around campus.

“Before they meet me, most people probably think I’m mean,” Wilson said. “But once you get to know me, I’m pretty nice.”

Zoey and Ella Mao Look to Continue Polytechnic Volleyball Success

This article was originally published in the Pasadena Independent.

Polytechnic’s girl’s volleyball team is led by a pair of star players who have built their chemistry on the court for more than seven years. Identical twin sisters Ella and Zoey Mao enter their senior year with high expectations for the team and for themselves.

The sisters, originally from Los Angeles, began playing volleyball in fourth grade and never looked back. Zoey said they tried a few other sports before, including soccer and swimming, but they both fell in love with volleyball. They started playing club volleyball one year later with the San Gabriel Valley Elite Volleyball Club, where they still play in Poly’s offseason.

Both sisters are committed to play at the University of Chicago next year. They accepted offers from the school earlier this year, although that wasn’t always the plan.

“I definitely didn’t want to go to the same college at first,” Zoey said. “I wanted to branch out, be more independent, but I’m excited now. I’m sure we’re going to have a great four years together.”

Zoey said the swinging factor was that both of their parents went to the University of Chicago, so they already had strong attachments to the school.

Both Ella and Zoey said they are very excited for the new season to begin. Poly’s team made it to the CIF-SS Division 4 finals last year, where they lost to Garces Memorial.

“We only lost two seniors, so the team is pretty much the same,” Ella said. “But we also moved up a division, so I know it’s going to be tougher. I want to win our division and win the Prep League.”

Although these are high expectations, Ella and Zoey are the two players most equipped to take the team deep into the CIF postseason again. Both have been stars on Poly’s varsity team since their freshman year. Both have played club volleyball for the better part of a decade. 

“We don’t really know anything different,” Ella said. “We’ve played together for so long and we’ll continue this year and for another four years after.”

Mario Minor Wants to Bring Success to MHS Football

This article was originally published in the Monrovia Weekly.

Mario Minor is not a typical cornerback.

The 6-foot-1 defensive back/wide receiver from Monrovia High School doesn’t like to boast about his speed or skills. He likes to let his play do the talking. “I feel like I’m a pretty humble person,” Minor said. “I just want to succeed but I don’t want to brag about it like that.”

Minor transferred from Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga last year. After playing his freshman and sophomore years at Etiwanda, he helped Monrovia to a strong season where they made it to the first round of the CIF-SS Division Nine tournament. Minor said the transition went well.

“I made a lot of good friends. Everybody here is really welcoming. Nobody acted weird or anything,” Minor said. “They welcomed me in with open arms and were willing to be my friend.”

Minor said he enjoyed the season last year. “It was good. We started off good, but I saw our offense grow a lot. We started to get the plays better and click more and run faster,” he said. “The whole season was a good memory.”

However, Minor said the season ended disappointingly. He wants the team to go deeper in the playoffs this year.

“We’ve got a really good team this year. I know it. Our coaches know it,” Minor said. “Our goal this year is to win a championship, win CIF. The way it’s looking right now, it’s within arm’s reach. That’s the main goal, going undefeated and getting a ring.”

Minor also has personal goals on the field. He wants to notch 10 receiving touchdowns, 1,000 yards receiving, and at least six interceptions. These numbers represent big jumps from last year, but he has been putting in the work in the offseason to make them attainable, practicing with quarterback Nick Hernandez.

“We practice a lot together,” Minor said. “I call him Aaron Rodgers. We have a good chemistry. He puts the football where its supposed to be.” 

For his own pro comparison, Minor said he was similar to Jalen Ramsey as a defensive back and Jarvis Landry as a receiver.

Although he hasn’t received any official offers from colleges yet, Minor has been in contact with a couple schools. He is confident he will play for a college team next year.

In college, Minor said he wants to study business because he aspires to open his own business one day. “If football doesn’t work out, if I don’t make it to the NFL, I want to start my own training business, a training facility,” he said. “I want to train kids for football.”

For now, Minor said he is excited for the season to begin. Monrovia’s first game is on Aug. 16 at Northview.

Sean Zheng Looks To Continue Polytechnic Water Polo Success

This article originally appeared in the Pasadena Independent.

Polytechnic junior Sean Zheng has high expectations for the water polo team this season. Although the team lost several seniors, he thinks they will have a good chance to get back to the CIF-SS Division Five playoffs.

Zheng will be a leader on the squad, after earning team MVP both his freshman and sophomore years. He aims to earn first-team all CIF again, after earning it freshman year, but only getting second-team last year. Zheng thinks this was because he switched positions during the season.

“I’m excited for this season. We did lose a lot of players but we kept a lot of key underclassmen so it will be interesting to see how they step up,” Zheng said. “We also have a new head coach. He’s pretty hard core and professional, so I’m interested to see what changes he’ll make.”

Although this is his third year on the high school team, Zheng has played water polo for nearly six years. He used to swim but grew tired of it.

“It wasn’t really interesting for me. It was just back and forth, back and forth. It didn’t seem like there was any thinking involved in it,” Zheng said. “Water polo incorporated my swimming skills but it’s not as one dimensional as swimming.”

When the high school season ends, Zheng plays club water polo.

“The competition level in high school is a lot different than in club water polo. It’s a lot more competitive in club,” he said. “On my club team, I’m an average player, maybe a little better than average. On my high school team, I’m one of the best players.”

Although he likes playing club more for the competition, Zheng said he loves the camaraderie on Poly’s team.

“There’s a lot of team spirit. It’s really like a family, like a brotherhood,” he said. “One time the whole team performed a Haka dance, which was really fun. It was kind of embarrassing, but the point was that we did it together, so it was embarrassing for all of us.”

After high school, Zheng said he wants to go to a top college. He said he’s on the fence about playing water polo in college.

“I want to focus more on academics,” Zheng said. “I’m not sure where I’m going to go yet. It might be somewhere really close to here or it might be an Ivy League. The location doesn’t matter to me as much as the school itself.”

This goal is very achievable for Zheng, who has a 3.93 weighted GPA. He isn’t sure what he wants to study in college yet. He said he’s in an online neuroscience course right now that he enjoys but he wants to explore other avenues as well.

Outside of water polo and school, Zheng likes to play video games, watch TV, and play with his cat. He also plays piano.

For now, Zheng is focused on improving the teams record from 15-10 last year and going deeper in the playoffs.

Nick Hernandez Looks To Lead MHS To CIF Championship

This article originally appeared in Monrovia Weekly.

Nick Hernandez had to wait three games last year before getting the chance to start as quarterback for Monrovia High School’s varsity football team, but once he started he never looked back. Hernandez took the team from a 0-3 record to 5-6 at the end of the year, losing in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 9 playoffs.

Along the way to the playoffs, Hernandez tossed for 24 touchdowns, 2,213 yards, and eight interceptions. He completed 68.1 percent of his passes with a 129.7 quarterback rating.

“After three weeks, they decided to give me a shot and it turned out pretty well,” Hernandez said. “That first touchdown pass on varsity is something I’ll never forget. It was special with the crowd and the band on Friday night under the lights.”

Hernandez, 17, looks to improve further this year and lead the team further in the playoffs.

“I think it’s everyone’s goal, but this year I think we can really win our division of CIF. We have great athletes,” he said. “This year feels like it’s going to be something special.”

To achieve this, Hernandez has worked on improving his speed and arm strength in the offseason. He aims to toss for more than 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns this season.

“I want to break records at Monrovia,” he said. “I just want to contribute to the team. I don’t want to let them down at all.”

Outside of football, Hernandez likes to play video games or other sports in his free time. He also plays shooting guard for Monrovia’s basketball team.

A Monrovia native, Hernandez said he wants to play football in college. Although he hasn’t received any official offers yet, he has been in communication with an NCAA Division One program and is hopeful he will get an offer there in the coming months. Hernandez plans on studying engineering in college.

For now, Hernandez is focused on getting ready for this season.

“I’m more of a competitor than people think. I want to win every game we play,” he said. “I’ll do anything for my team.”

Pasadena Spring Sports Recap

This article originally appeared in the Pasadena Independent.

Spring sports have officially come to a close in Pasadena with strong showings by Polytechnic School and John Muir High School.

Poly made it to the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) Division 5 baseball championship, but fell just short, dropping the final game against Xavier College Preparatory High School 0-3 on May 18. Prior to that, Poly had a dominant season, going 19-4 on the year with a +92 run differential.

Muir also had a solid baseball season, going 18-8 on the year before falling to Canyon Springs High School in the second round of the CIF-SS D4 championships. Muir played on and off throughout the season, notching three win streaks of four or more games, with a three game losing streak. They outscored their opponents by 87 runs on the season.

On the women’s side, Poly made it to the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS D6 softball championships before falling to Nordhoff High School. The team went 15-5 on the season with a nearly perfect league record of 9-1. They also put together a 12-game win streak spanning from the end of February until mid-April.

Muir’s varsity softball team struggled this year, piecing together a 5-17-1 season.

Pasadena High School saw similar struggles on the field. Their baseball team went 11-14 and softball went 6-14 on the season.

Off the field, Poly had strong performances from the varsity boys’ tennis and coed badminton team. The tennis squad was a flawless 19-0 on the season, before falling to Calabasas High School I. the CIF-SS D2 finals. They dominated teams all season including three shutouts.

The badminton team posted a 10-4 record but dropped their match against Westminster High School in the first round of the CIF-SS Open Division championships.

Both Poly and Muir’s boys’ volleyball teams struggled, posting 2-13 and 5-16-1 records on the season, respectively.

Poly sent both the girls and boys swimming teams to the CIF-SS finals, finishing 17th and 24th, respectively.

Check back soon for more coverage of Pasadena sports.

Arcadia Spring Sports Recap

This article originally appeared on Arcadia Weekly.

Arcadia High School had lots of strong action through their springs sports teams. Baseball, boys’ tennis, boys’ volleyball, softball and badminton each notched more than 20 wins during the season.

On the diamond, both the baseball and softball teams saw huge numbers from their players.

Baseball went 25-2 on the year, falling in the second round of the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) Division 2 Baseball Championships to El Segundo High School. The squad was nearly perfect at home, going 16-1. Arcadia also notched a +150 run differential throughout the season.

The softball team didn’t have as strong of a regular season, going 19-6. However, they made it one round further in the CIF-SS D4 championships, dropping their quarterfinals matchup against Culver City High School. The team had two eight-game win streaks and posted a +191 run differential on the year.

Even more impressive were the campaigns by the coed badminton and boys’ tennis teams.

The badminton squad was perfect during the season, dropping their only match during the CIF-SS Open Division Championships final against Diamond Bar high school. Prior to the final, the team dominated all season with 21 victories by a margin of 10 or more points.

Boys’ tennis was nearly flawless during the regular season, going 21-1, before dropping the CIF-SS Open Division Championships quarterfinal match against Mira Costa High School. The team notched an incredible 13 shutouts during the season.

Boys’ volleyball also posted a strong season, going 26-5. The squad dropped their CIF-SS D2 Championships match against Alemany High School. Although they didn’t make it as far in the postseason, the squad won six more contests during the regular season, helped by a dominant 11-1 home record.

Finally, in the pool, the boys’ and girls’ swimming and diving teams ended the season on a strong note with 13th and 12th place finishes in the CIF-SS D3 Championships, respectively.

Check back soon for more Arcadia sports news.

Monrovia Spring Sports Recap

This article originally appeared on Monrovia Weekly.

Monrovia High School launched a boys’ volleyball program for the 2019 spring season. However, the squad, along with several other spring sports teams, struggled this year.

The boys’ volleyball team ended their inaugural season with a 7-27-1 record. While the team failed to make the playoffs, they had several bright spots in their first year, including a three game win streak in March.

The baseball team posted a stronger season, although they also failed to make the playoffs, going 16-10 on the year. The Bulldogs posted a solid home record of 11-4 and had a +43 run differential during the season. The team was led by junior Sebastian Sanchez (.396 AVG), sophomore Dominic Teneriello (20 hits, eight doubles) and sophomore Nathan Thompson (21 RBIs, two home runs).

On the girls’ side of the field, the softball team posted a 7-17 record on the season. Although the team struggled, junior Alexis Barroso had a strong campaign, batting .448 with 23 RBIs and 26 hits including eight doubles, two triples and three home runs, all team highs.

Check back soon for more Monrovia sports news.

Cougars crush UCSD in first game of West Super Regional

This article originally appeared on ZU News.

On Thursday, Azusa Pacific routed UC San Diego 13-2 in the first game of a best-of-three West Super Regional series at home. Five cougars clobbered six home runs to back pitcher A.J. Woodall’s knockout performance.

APU got on the board early with a solo homer from third-baseman Osvaldo Tovalin in the bottom of the first. The Cougars added three more runs in the second inning off of back-to-back home runs from center-fielder Casey Dykstra and right-fielder Cole Kleszcz. With the homer today, Kleszcz increased his NCAA leading home run total to 26 on the season.

UCSD struck back with a two-run homer from shortstop Shay Whitcomb in the top of the third, cutting the Cougars lead to 4-2. However, these were the only runs UCSD would score during the game after APU ace Woodall regained his control.

Woodall tossed eight innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out six. He probably would have gone the distance for a complete game if it had not been for two UCSD hitters who chewed up 21 pitches in the top of the eighth inning. Woodall ended the day with a workhorse 114 pitches, lowering his ERA to 3.30 on the season.

Although Woodall pitched dominantly, it proved to be unnecessary as APU poured on the offense. The Cougars failed to score in the third and fourth innings, but scored four more in the bottom of the fifth inning off a double from Tovalin, an RBI single from left-fielder Griffen Herrera, a two-run homer from catcher Justin Gomez and a solo bomb from designated-hitter Joseph Kim.

The Cougars continued their offensive dominance in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four more runs and going through the entire lineup. Dykstra was hit by a pitch to open the inning, then he stole second and scored off an RBI single from Kleszcz. Herrera walked, setting up a three-run homer from Gomez, his second long ball of the day. Four more Cougars reached base in the inning, but APU left the bases loaded with a two-out strikeout.

APU scored one more run in the bottom of the seventh off a double from Tovalin, who was knocked in off an RBI groundout from second-baseman Joe Quire Jr. This would be the final run of the game. Reliever Hayden Jorgenson closed out the game for the Cougars, fanning the final two batters he faced.

The Cougars claimed the first game in the best-of-three West Super Regional by a score of 13-2, improving to 40-13 on the season. APU notched 14 hits on the day, paced by Tovalin with three knocks and Gomez with five RBIs and two home runs. UCSD ended the game with five hits and one error.

APU will face UCSD again tomorrow at 12 p.m. at home and again at 3:30 p.m. if game three is necessary. If APU claims victory again tomorrow, they will head to the NCAA World Series in Cary, North Carolina from June 1-8.