Xavier is known for its challenging academics and athletic success. The close of the fall sports season ended with great triumph and three state titles for Volleyball, Cross Country, and Golf. Swim and Dive took runner-up in State and the Badminton and Mountain Biking teams had strong finishes to their seasons as well.

Badminton had a 4th place finish in state in which they competed in Division I against 29 schools. The birdie-beaters went 11-3 during the season and secured a 2nd place spot in the Division I Premier Region.

On Nov. 10, Xavier Cross Country won the 6A State Championship by placing 7 runners in the top 20 girls that competed. The cross country team, coached by Dave Vansickle, proved that they were the most prepared for the 5K race that Saturday morning. Sophomore Jamie Stelnik says that “the team was more than motivated for this state race because they wanted to redeem themselves after 4 consecutive years of winning the runner-up title.” Some other highlights of this Cross Country season include multiple first-place finishes at The Peaks Invite, Ojo Rojo Invite, and Sectionals.

The golf team did not disappoint either, placing 1st in state for a record 36th year in a row. The golfers had a score of 588 at their state match, which was an impressive 33 points ahead of runner-up Pinnacle. Junior Ashley Menne won the individual state title for the 3rd year in a row and the whole team placed in the top ten individually.

The mountain biking team made Xavier history with finishing top 3 at the McDowell Mountain Region park on Oct. 21. They continued to show their talent at Pioneer Park in Prescott, placing 4th, and Fort Tuthill County Park, where they placed 7th.

Finishing runner-up at the 6A State Championship on Nov. 4, Xavier Swim and Dive had a successful season all across the board. Sophomore Mia Rankin claimed an automatic All-American time in her 500 Freestyle and freshwoman Gracie Munk finished 2nd in the 100 backstroke. The XCP Divers were lead by senior Aly Largay, junior Maddy Sewell, and freshwoman Samantha Klein who all placed in the top 15 at State.

For the 2nd time in a row and 13th time in Xavier history, Xavier Volleyball beat Corona del Sol in a hard-fought match to win the 6A State title. The Gators had an outstanding 13-4 season lead by coach Lamar-Renee Bryant. An additional congratulations to seniors Shannon Shields and Ashley Yeung for being nominated for AVCA’s Under Armour High School All-American Award.