NPHS sports reflect on this year’s successes at CIF
Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, sports teams at Newbury Park High School have helped students develop skills and create new friendships. Several of these teams played a competitive season, leading them to qualify for CIF Championships.
Playing Camarillo, Royal and Ventura, the varsity girls’ beach volleyball team won every game in order to advance to CIF. Although the team lost in CIF playoffs against El Segundo, Taylor Black, sophomore, believes they had an accomplished season due to their undefeated record on the team’s home court. Black highlights the significance of advancing through the tournament for her. “Making CIF was important to me because it proves that we can get to the next level and it showed that all of our hard work during the regular season paid off,” Black said.
During her third season of volleyball, Kylie Beilke, junior, played on the girls’ varsity indoor team as a libero. Beilke is thankful for the season she had, as she believes she was able to enjoy playing with her friends and watch her hard work pay off, despite the team’s loss to Campbell Hall in their last CIF game. “We had a great season with lots of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t change a thing.The last CIF game ended in a tough loss but I am so proud of how far we went,” Beilke said.
Dashing through his final season on the NPHS track team, Nicholas Durbiano, senior, reflects on his personal improvement over the years. His persevering mindset and work on and off the track led him to achieve personal bests in his 100, 200 and 400-meter events this season. He credits his improvement to the dedication of his coaches. “[Freshman year] I fell in love with track, and then I expressed to my coaches that I want to get better, and with that will to get better, they gave that same will back. So through all four years, they’ve been with me side by side, and they’ve got me to where I am today,” Durbiano said.
When Greta Heath, junior, stepped onto the field to play in CIF for her third year on the flag football team, she felt anxious, yet ready, due to her coaches’ rigorous preparation. With over 12 games and various scrimmages held throughout the season, the team was able to qualify for CIF and play against Yorba Linda High School on Oct. 22, resulting in a 21-20 win. “Our first game [of CIF] was at home, and we [thought] were definitely going to lose which was really scary. But then we had to come back and we made it in the last couple minutes,” Heath said.
After facing Royal High School at the CIF Division 2 game with her fellow lacrosse team members, Bea Macdonald, senior, felt a sense of accomplishment despite the loss. “We prepared for our games by scrimmaging practices before and going over our game plays for our attack and defense, but the biggest thing I think we all did to get ready for games was to get hype before and listen to our game day playlist,” Macdonald said. Next year, Macdonald will continue to play lacrosse at Chapman University.
Boys’ volleyball wrapped up their season during CIF playoffs against the Esperanza Aztecs on May 10. Senior Austin Thunell believes their success in the tournament resulted from their relaxed approach. “We weren’t really stressed about getting far in CIF. We [were] playing loosely and [without] stress,” Thunell said. “Then we started winning a few games, and now here we are and we’re actually having a ton of fun.” Though they ultimately did not win the Division 5 title, Thunell remembers their motivation in setting the goal. “[It is] our coach’s last year [after] 20 years, and so he’s retiring after this [season and] we wanted to win [the title] for him,” Thunell said.
From breaking records to winning meets, NPHS’s swim program made a splash this year. Megan Wang, junior, broke her own school records in both the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard backstroke at the CIF Southern Section Division 2 Championship with an All-American qualifying time in the 100. Wang notes the positive memories she has created while swimming at CIF competitions. “I like the environment. I like the really long bus rides because we all get to bond more,” Wang said. Continuing through the championships, Wang’s goals are simple. “I’m just looking to improve myself,” Wang said. “And I mean it’s a lot of people’s last years so I’m trying to make the most [of it].”
Although the program may be used to the spotlight, Newbury Park’s cross country program has continued to achieve success at the CIF level. Micah Dickran, junior, has been a part of the varsity team since his freshman year and is experienced in running at state competitions. “I love CIF for cross country, because as a team, you’ve got to compete against so many [other] teams,” Dickran said. Noting the nature of the sport, Dickran acknowledges the mental aspect of competing at high level races. “You need to really see [as a team] if you are going to bring out the best of each other,” Dickran said. “You never know who’s going to win because it’s just about whoever has the right [mentality] on that day.”
From freshmen to seniors, the close-knit varsity football team has achieved success in building both a strong bond and numerous victories– most notably winning Division 2 championships at CIF. Simon McCary, freshman, worked to contribute to both of these aspects of the team. McCary credits their success at CIF to their team’s connection. “I feel like we have a great brotherhood with our football team. The locker room is always very fun,” McCary said.
As the school year culminates, whether students won CIF or fell short of making it to the Marmonte League Championships, all NPHS sports teams put in their best efforts to achieve their goals while in CIF. All sports teams hope to build on this momentum in the 2025-2026 school year and beyond– improving on many skills fostered during this year’s fall, winter or spring season.
