Volleyball: With a strong winning record and solid team dynamic, volleyball’s outstanding performance in the second Ballard game showed the great amount of chemistry and energy the girls have. Even if one person always forgets to wear the right jersey color, there’s no doubt that they’ve “gotten [their] groove of bouncing back from Covid,” senior Ani Schepman said. Even though they’ve had some ups and downs, such as the Chief Sealth and Ingraham games, “the future of Garfield volleyball looks good…[the underclassmen] are so good and they are such a strong foundation [for the future of Garfield Volleyball],” senior Faith Bomet and Imogene Ostrom said.

With a strong winning record and solid team dynamic, volleyball’s outstanding season has shown the great amount of energy and chemistry these girls have. Senior Ani Schepman spoke on the importance of team communication and morale. “If you aren’t vibing, [if] you’re not on the same wavelength, then things can get a little wonky and hard,” she said. Even though they’ve had some ups and downs, such as losses to Chief Sealth and Ingraham, the team stays positive. “The future of Garfield volleyball looks good,” said senior Faith Bomet. Senior Imogene Ostrom agrees. “[Our underclassmen] are so good, they are such a strong foundation, and they are so spirited.” Coming off of a 13-4-0 season, the future of Garfield volleyball looks bright.

Crosscountry:    Another thriving sport this fall was cross country, who had their girls’ team make it to districts and their boys’ team make it both to districts and state for the first time since 2016. Despite their head coach leaving suddenly prior to the season, assistant coaches, captains and team members have stepped up and succeeded on their own. “Everyone communicates [outside of] practice, figuring out when to meet, workout times, and it worked out pretty well for the teams,” Junior Kamil Zeribi said. Their pasta feeds and team building activities have created “close friendships and [a] really positive, encouraging community,” Junior Ella Nestigen said. 

Get ready for more competitive races next fall. 

Football:  Through beating Lake Stevens, the number one team in state, being ranked first in state, and falling short to three teams in a row before Metro playoffs, this season has been a rollercoaster. But no matter the setbacks, “the community and the love that the student’s give especially in the student section [is uplifting],” senior Yemoni Howell said. Senior Uriah Givens feels similarly about the environment surrounding the team, “The best part of being on a team is just being with my brothers, building bonds that cannot be broken, and just having fun,” Uriah said. The future of the football team remains strong, and underclassmen like EJ Caminong and Reggie Witherspoon are ready to bring Garfield football to a whole new level.

Girls Soccer:

Garfield Girls Soccer has had a turbulent season full of highs and lows. Despite carrying an experienced varsity roster with 11 seniors, the team lost six of its first eight games. According to Noelle Neal, senior captain, one issue was team communication. “Especially coming from different clubs, skills, and commitment levels, it takes a second to get in the groove of things. We play completely differently than what the score line shows,” Neal said. But gameday spirit days, team dinners, and karaoke events helped the on-field chemistry finally click on. A three-game regular season winning streak led the girls to upset Ballard 2-0 in the first-round of playoffs. Neal believes next year’s team is set to dominate.

Golf:

With winning records, district qualifications, and high match scores, both the girls and the boys golf teams had smashing showings this fall. Senior girls golf captain Seneca Jessee spoke on their experiences this season. “We pushed through really tough conditions and awful weather…like pouring down rain [when] your hands are slipping off the grips…playing the harder private school teams was also difficult,” Jessee said. But the team stayed positive through it all. “We do lots of team bonding with both the boys and girls…one time we got Dicks burgers after a match at Jackson…there’s just not that many of us in general (about 20), so it’s easy to be a very tight knit group,” Jessee said.

Girls Swim:

Garfield Girls had a fantastic season, winning six of nine meets. Senior captain Sofia Ruiz-Murphy believes that the swim community is what sets them apart. “At Metros, we won the team sportsmanship award, which you win by coaches from other teams voting for you,” Ruiz-Murphy said. “We also do team dinners and team lunches before our meets.” With 6:45am practices, swimming requires dedication. “Having morning practice every single day is really hard, but it also bonds us together,” Ruiz-Murphy said. However, the team has had an ongoing issue, for years now, with transportation — their buses did not show up prior to several meets. Girls captain Shay Camplin has been working continuously with Dr. Hart to resolve this issue. But the future of the team looks bright with this year’s beloved new coaches Brennon and Maddie planning to return to the program.