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Miramonte High School

Miramonte High School
Abby Warren Orinda News

General Clay Kallam, Executive Editor, The Orinda News

Miramonte athletes are gearing up for a spring full of sports

Miramonte athletes are gearing up for a spring full of sports
February 23, 2026
By: Clay Kallam, Executive Editor, The Orinda News

   It may not officially be spring until March 20, but don't tell that to the hundreds of Miramonte athletes who've been practicing for spring sports for most of February.
    If it seems like every square inch of available space in the Miramonte gym and on the Miramonte fields is taken up, well, it pretty much is – and here's a look at what to expect from the Matador spring sports' season.

Baseball
    Steve Hammond may be in his first year as Miramonte's baseball coach, but his work at the youth level means he's familiar with a lot of the talent on the team – and he expects that talent to take a leap forward from last year's 5-5 DAL record.
    Senior Ian Hughes, who will play at Occidental next year, will anchor the infield defense at shortstop, and juniors Tanner Strand and George Gilbert will spark the offense. Juniors Alex Heath and Leyton Brown will look to take charge on the bump, with two more juniors, Jonah Imberg and Graham Jenkins, expected to slot in the outfield.
    Though the Mats are young – just two returning seniors – Hammond, a former pro player, has assembled an experienced coaching staff that will lay the foundation for sustained success at Miramonte. Though Northgate and Las Lomas are strong teams, Hammond has hopes that the Mats will be ready to go toe-to-toe with those DAL powers by the time league season rolls around.

Boys' Lacrosse
    With an experienced roster and an NCS quarterfinal appearance in 2025, the Miramonte boys have their sights set on making a serious run at a DAL title in 2026. To do that, though, they will have to move past rivals Acalanes and Campolindo, both of whom finished ahead of the Mats last year.
    Returning first team all-leaguers Derek Youn and Charlie Hwang, both seniors, will lead the way. Key contributions are expected from an attack group featuring sophomore Tre Murphy III (second team all-DAL), senior James Giquinto, and goalie Bowie Hillstrom (honorable mention).
    Coaches Jake Azevedo and Thomas Duffy, in their fourth year in charge, have upgraded the preseason schedule and expect an improved offense to complement their solid defense.

Boys' Tennis
    With senior Lucca Zamani and sophomore Raunav Agarwal looking to top the ladder, the boys' tennis team is hoping to push past Campolindo and claim a DAL title. Freshmen Riley Byrne and Michael Conway should add depth to the singles' side, while Charlie Richtenburg (senior) and Hayes Westin (freshman) are in line for the top doubles' spot.
    Naturally, staying healthy will be crucial, said coach Andrew Lee, but he feels there's enough talent to challenge for first in the DAL and make a deeper NCS run than last year's quarterfinal appearance.
    "Strong leadership from experienced seniors Zamani and Richtenburg is essential," said Lee. "Hopefully, our mixture of experienced seniors with a strong incoming freshman class will lead to a successful season."

Softball
    Led by pitcher Abby Warren and a host of returners from the 2025 NCS Division 5 champion, O.C. Schott is looking to compete for a league and section title again in 2026.
    As always in softball, it starts with pitching, and Warren – who was honored by Cal-Hi Sports on last year's Class of 2026 team – will be the focal point. Of course a quality pitcher requires a quality catcher, and Talia Kardon is excellent behind the plate.
    Other standouts are center fielder Maddie McKim and first baseman Lucy Daoust as the Mats look to build on the momentum from their NCS title.
    "We have several players coming back from the 2025 NCS championship team plus some experienced incoming freshman," said Schott. "With that said, nothing is guaranteed as the games are always very competitive and a play or two, or a ball bouncing a certain way, can decide the outcome of any game."

Stunt
    "We're really continuing to grow as a program," said fourth-year coach Courtney Gosney about her stunt team. "We have a lot of returning athletes this year, and you can see them gaining confidence."
    That confidence will hopefully allow Miramonte to add Level 3 and 4 routines this year, and to compete with Acalanes, Campolindo and Las Lomas on a more equal basis. The key to making the jump, though, is to improve tumbling and jumping skills.
    Gosney is relying on seniors Jadyne Sorenson (main base), Audrey Spears (backspot) and Emme Gerhard (flyer and tumbler) to continue to encourage and lead.
    "Our seniors have put so much heart into this sport and have really developed a passion for stunt," she says. "Their positive attitude has a huge impact, especially for our newer athletes.

Track and Field
    There are more than 1,400 high schools in California, and only 12 girls from those 1,400 schools qualify for the state finals in discus. Milla Ohrbach has done it twice.
    She will return for her senior season, and once again be the face of Miramonte track – though a trio of sprinters will be pushing her hard. Seniors Ryan Chan, James Rodgers and Andrew Bjornson are the heart of the 400 relay, and after posting a top-ten all-time Miramonte clocking last year, they're set on setting a brand new standard in 2026.
    Logan Letulle, another senior, will be a force in the 3,200 and both Isabel Mickel and Sasha Bevacqua plan to build on solid 2025 seasons in distance races.

Boys' Volleyball
    Third-year coach Aria Jahangiri makes it simple: "This is the must-win-now season."
    Jahangiri has spent the last two seasons building up the boys' volleyball program, and with seniors Ryan Balonick and Mercer Erhorn-Lung leading the way, he's looking for a leap forward in 2026.
    "We're a little more skilled," said Jahangiri, and he's planning on upgrading the defensive and offensive schemes to take advantage of those improved skills.
    "The block is one of our strengths," he said, and pointed to junior James Zhu as key to improved defense at the net.

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Players Mentioned

Talia Kardon

#1 Talia Kardon

Junior
Lucy Daoust

#9 Lucy Daoust

Sophomore
Abby Warren

#12 Abby Warren

Senior
Maddie McKim

#15 Maddie McKim

Junior
James Zhu

#7 James Zhu

MH
Junior
Ryan Balonick

#12 Ryan Balonick

OH, OPP, S
Senior
Emme Gerhard

Emme Gerhard

Senior
Jadyne Sorenson

Jadyne Sorenson

Senior
Audrey Spears

Audrey Spears

Senior
Graham Jenkins

#4 Graham Jenkins

CF, LF
Junior
George Gilbert

#5 George Gilbert

2B, 3B, SS
Junior
Tanner Strand

#12 Tanner Strand

1B, P
Junior

Players Mentioned

Talia Kardon

#1 Talia Kardon

Junior
Lucy Daoust

#9 Lucy Daoust

Sophomore
Abby Warren

#12 Abby Warren

Senior
Maddie McKim

#15 Maddie McKim

Junior
James Zhu

#7 James Zhu

Junior
MH
Ryan Balonick

#12 Ryan Balonick

Senior
OH, OPP, S
Emme Gerhard

Emme Gerhard

Senior
Jadyne Sorenson

Jadyne Sorenson

Senior
Audrey Spears

Audrey Spears

Senior
Graham Jenkins

#4 Graham Jenkins

Junior
CF, LF
George Gilbert

#5 George Gilbert

Junior
2B, 3B, SS
Tanner Strand

#12 Tanner Strand

Junior
1B, P

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