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After securing the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) championship last year, Menlo-Atherton High School’s girls water polo team clinched an even bigger achievement this year: going undefeated in the league. The team beat Aragon High School 14-5 to win the championship title on Oct. 23.
The team’s coach, Lauren Lesyna, said that this is the first time the Atherton school’s team has gone undefeated in the league in 11 years. Last year was the team’s first championship win in a decade, after a series of near-misses.
Lesyna has coached the M-A girls team for six seasons, and she said that it is no surprise that the current team, which is made up of seven seniors, seven juniors and three sophomores, nabbed the championship.
“I have seen this year coming for a while,” said Lesyna. “We had a talented and young group that all started together, and now have the experience and time together to really see results.”
In the spring, Lesyna held a meeting with all of the returning varsity players to make sure they were in the right headspace for what she thought could be a team-defining season.
“They (needed) to come in prepared, and I think they took that seriously,” she said.
Lesyna also praised the leadership of team co-captains Lexi Nelson, a senior, and Scarlett Shenk, a junior.
“(They) have done a great job in leading the team this year with their extensive experience, passion for the game, and competitive spirit.”
She also said that the team really knows how to “work hard but also have fun together,” and that they have a ritual pre-game huddle before each game “where they psych each other up.”
The team isn’t stopping here, they have more work ahead of them in the postseason. Lesnya said they are focusing on preparing for a “deep postseason run” in the Central Coast Section. “We haven’t had too much time to celebrate yet,” she said.
The CCS tournament will begin on Nov. 9.
