By Tamsin Hurlbut
Track and field
The middle-school track season came to a close with the state meet on April 30. The team’s season has been a record breaking one at Tempe Prep. Eighth grader Samuel Carter-Easton broke school records in the 100 meter dash, and eighth grader Leah Cady broke the 400 meter dash record. The girl’s sprint medley relay also did really well, and placed first at a few meets with its time of 2:25. “I loved track!” says eighth grader Hazel Hurlbut.
Girls basketball
“Almost everyone has never played before” says eighth grader Avery Diez de Medina. In spite of their inexperience, the girls had a great attitude during the season and had fun no matter if they won or lost. The girls’ basketball team was divided into A and B teams. The A team went to the playoffs. Avery says this is thanks to great coaching. She says, “Our coaches are really great and I want to thank them.”
Boys basketball
This year, the middle-school boys basketball team was also divided into A and B teams. The A team finished sixth in its division, and although the season was tough for both teams, the athletes managed to learn and improve. “It was a super fun season!” says eighth grader Jackson Gulseth. “My favorite play was when the other team’s star shooter ran down the court, with only Alex to block the basket,” says seventh grader Kelson Hogan. “The shooter took a super good shot, but Alex saved it at the very last second, when the buzzer rang. Alex saved the game!”
Swim
The middle-school swim team has been competitive and driven all season, which paid off, because they made it to the state tournament. With help from Coach Maria Zello, both the boys and girls sprint medley relay team went to state, and the boys placed third. “The best part was cheering on our teammates at meets!” says eighth grader Ella Montei. Manny Lee also placed third in his individual event. The team competed against bigger schools like Chandler Prep and Arete Prep and are proud of their accomplishments. “It was a really good season,” says eighth Grader Ethan Rynish.