2016 was a huge year for sports, both Xavier and nationwide. This includes a wide variety of sports, like soccer, basketball, lacrosse, tennis, softball, swim, track and field, and more. There are some very impressive players on behalf of Xavier and nationwide as well, showcasing their skills in the sport as well as their dedication and sportsmanship. Xavier junior, Alex Perez, said that “the best part about my 2016 swim experience was being a part of such a strong and hardworking team of talented friends who made high school season all the more exciting.”

Xavier sports players clearly proved to make their school proud, especially with regards to their championships and player recognitions. In specific, Xavier won five of six games to capture a softball title in February of 2016. Their 3-2 softball victory over Phoenix Pinnacle in the championship game of the Sunrise Mountain Invitational was quite significant. “The Gators went 5-1 in the tournament and served notice that they will be a force to be reckoned with all season. And first-year coach Carrie Markham’s win over Pinnacle came against Bobby Pena, the man she replaced at Xavier,” according to thexcpfiles.blogspot.

During March of last year, Xavier track and field impressively won the 21-team Rattler Invitational at Phoenix North Canyon. Former senior distance runner, Tessa Weiss, won two events, the 800-meter and 1600-meter runs, which automatically qualified her for the Division I state meet in the longer of the two. Former junior, Annie Grant, was Xavier’s other single winner, in the 100-meter hurdles. Also, she finished 2nd in the 300-meter hurdles. All in all, the Gators track and field team took home an amazing score of 107, being the team to score the highest out of all 21 teams.

In April, the Gators sand volleyball team entered a tournament and ended with success. Xavier, being the state champion in each of sand volleyball’s four seasons in Arizona, went for another championship starting on April 26, 2016. The Gators were 10-0 approaching at the top of Section I and took on Buckeye Verrado, the No. 4 seed from Section II, in a quarterfinal match at the Victory Lane Sports Complex. Lastly, Xavier played Gilbert Mesquite on April 18, winning an incredible victory of 5-0.

Professional nationwide sports were extremely important to the year of 2016 and the sports world first and foremost. These sports, such as basketball, football, and others hold significant events, like the NBA Playoffs, the Super Bowl, and the Olympics.

Paying close attention and recollection to the 2016 NBA playoffs, they consisted of 16 teams, with eight in each conference. They played ‘best-of-seven’ series until the East and the West had their champions.

Speaking of champions, LeBron James and other players brought a championship to Cleveland, which led the Cavaliers to a seven-game win over the strong 73-win Warriors in the NBA finals. “Cleveland beat Golden State in a rematch of the 2015 Finals, and did so after falling behind 3-1 in the series, with road wins in both Game 5 and Game 7. Golden State set an NBA record with 73 regular season wins and fought hard to return to the NBA Finals, overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals,” according to SB Nation. Both teams evidently improved from last year, especially when Golden State took its first NBA championship in 40 years with a six-game win over Cleveland.
Overall, 2016 definitely turned out an equally impressive and thrilling variety of sports events, players, championships, and wins and losses. Stay tuned for anticipating sports news and events, both Xavier and nationwide, in 2017.