2025 Dana Hills Spring Sports Preview

13

As the winter turns to spring, a slew of spring sports programs at Dana Hills High are getting ready to square off against the rest of the CIF Southern Section.

Distance running star Evan Noonan will attempt to end his high school career on a high note before heading off to Stanford University in the fall, and baseball will look to return to the playoffs for the third year in a row. In addition, the rest of the Dolphins’ spring sports will have their sights set on success. 

Here’s are capsules highlighting some of the spring sports teams at Dana Hills:

Track and Field

Three-time cross country state champion Evan Noonan had a monster year last season after capturing his second consecutive CIF-SS Division titles in the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter races.

He moved on and won the 3,200 meters at the CIF-SS Masters Meet, and then ultimately captured his first state title in the event.

The Stanford commit has solidified himself as one of the top distance runners in the state, and head coach Ryan McHale doesn’t anticipate the senior slowing down. 

“(Noonan’s) looking great as we’re getting ready to start off the season,” McHale said. “Expect big things from him. I think he’s going to try to double all the way through state this year.”

McHale said Noonan sets the standard for the rest of the team.

“He sets a high bar and a pace and something for our freshmen and sophomores to look up to,” McHale said. “And a couple of juniors that want to be competitive, they see what they have to do in order to reach those upper echelons.”

Junior Oliver Hunter will join Noonan as a distance runner. McHale noted that Hunter’s goals are to be invited to the Arcadia Invitational and the state championships.

McHale said the distance team lost some contributors, but will still be competitive due to the talents of Noonan and Hunter.

“We’ll have a very good distance team,” he said. “We don’t have as many guys as we have had in the past, but, still, the top part of the distance (team) is still very elite.”

Other leaders on the boys’ side include throwers Kainoa Clemente and Luka Rios, sprinter Owen Walz, who McHale said has the potential to break 11 seconds this season, and sprinter Archie Mignosa. 

On the girls’ side, senior Annie Ivarsson will lead the way in distance running. Ivarsson placed 11th in the 1,600-meter race at the State Championships with a time of 5:07.79 last season.

McHale said she should make a similar push this season.

“Annie Ivarsson is going to have a very, very good season, pushing her way through state just like she did last season,” McHale said. 

Sydney Freeborn will compete in the pole vault. A person to keep an eye on is sophomore Taylor Burton, a long jumper and high jumper.

“(Burton) seems greatly improved at the start of this year and should make a push toward finals, maybe even Masters this year, if not more,” McHale said. 

McHale said he has been telling the team to set their goals now so they can work toward them.

“(My message) right now is working off what you’ve done before,” he said. “Right now is setting your goals, and then we’re putting together a practice training plan in order to reach your desired goals.”

Baseball

For the second year in a row, the Dana Hills baseball team secured a spot in the CIF-SS playoffs by the narrowest of margins  at the end of the regular season. 

The Dolphins needed to sweep South Coast League foe Capistrano Valley to make it in, and they did. The late-season heroics also gave the Dolphins a share of the league title.

As the team prepares for its 2025 campaign, the Dolphins’ strength is shaping up to be pitching, led by University of Pennsylvania commit Ben Moulin and Regis University commit Ryan Chesser.

Moulin had a 3.36 ERA in five appearances last season and Chesser pitched in eight games with a 4.20 ERA. 

Alongside Moulin and Chesser will be right-hander Evan Daly and sophomore Ryan See. 

A change in league play scheduling, moving Tuesday games to Monday, may prove to help the Dolphins find more success this season.

Head coach Tom Faris said it could be an advantage for the team, as he can schedulehis top starting pitchers more often.

“Well, the assigners moved our Tuesday games to Monday, which makes it a little more interesting, because it gives pitchers that pitch on Monday some more rest, so they might be able to go again on Friday,” Faris said. “So that might change some dynamics of how … you do your pitching depending on game outcomes.”

Leading the offense will be catcher Brody Bateson and outfielder James Leicester.

Bateson batted .263 average in limited action last season, according to MaxPreps.

Faris said the team’s defense and offense aren’t as good as its pitching staff, but the players are working hard to get up to speed. 

“Defensively, we’ve had some scuffling going on and then offensively, we’ve struggled a little bit, so we’re working hard,” Faris said. “We’re getting better, so hopefully we get this kind of figured out prior to league.”

Despite the concerns offensively and defensively, Faris isn’t worried because of the team’s work ethic.

“I think the way these guys work, it’s a really good group of kids, they work hard, and they’re a lot of fun to coach,” Faris said. “So good things happen to good people, and they’re grinders, so as long as they keep doing what they’re doing, I’m pretty optimistic about where we’re going to be by the time we get around the league.” 

The Dolphins will open the season at home against Fountain Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 18. 

Boys Volleyball

The boys volleyball team is entering the season with a new voice to lead the pack, head coach Aaron Wolfe, after former coach Spencer Andrews left to pursue a career in firefighting. 

Last season did not go well for the Dolphins. The team was winless in league play on its way to a 6-17-1 overall record. 

As a direct result, the boys are going into this season determined to right the ship.

“There’s a lot of passion. These boys really love volleyball,” Wolfe said. “We’ve got some good size as well, two big middle blockers, and we’ve got some good control outside our pins … our outside hitters are going to be pretty good this season for us. So it’s just figuring out how to use all those pieces together.”

The Dolphins’ schedule before league play is difficult, but Wolfe said he did that on purpose. He said he expects league play to be difficult, especially with San Juan Hills expected to excel. 

The first-year head coach said the challenge will help the team realize what they need to do to take a step.

“I’ve kind of given us a difficult schedule because I think we only have four seniors in the program, so I’m looking to get these boys to grind it out this year and trying to show them what it looks like to be an elite group,” Wolfe said. 

The first home match for the team will be against Santa Margarita, the reigning CIF-SS Division 2 champion. He said that will help the team figure out what needs to be done ahead of league play.

“It’ll be a big challenge for us, but it’ll also be early in the season, so we can kind of figure out what it’s supposed to look like,” Wolfe said. 

Wolfe said he is focused on setting a new culture that will lead to success in the future. 

He said he wants to see his team play with effort, because teams that work hard have a chance to win no matter the opponent.

“(I’m) just trying to get these boys to enjoy the moment and play with a lot of heart, a lot of passion and a lot of grit, because even though it’s a tough sport … if you want to work at it and you’re unwilling to let balls drop, then you’re going to have a decent shot no matter what team you’re playing against.”

The boys volleyball team opens its season against Pacifica Christian in a tournament this Saturday, Feb. 15. 

Girls Beach Volleyball

After reaching the CIF-SS playoffs for the first time since launching the program, the beach volleyball team is coming into its fourth season hungry for more. 

“They are (carrying bigger expectations), especially some of the older (players),” said head coach Stephanie Kislig. “They’re really excited about possibly being able to go and compete at the CIF-SS.”

Kislig said she expects at least three of the Dolphins’ top five teams to make it to the CIF-SS playoffs.

The program has ballooned in size since the first year it was an official sport at Dana Hills. The program has 42 players in total, compared to 15 when the program was launched. 

With the increase in the player pool, the team has brought in some talented players.

It is led by Kaity Hoelker, Savannah Curtis and Ally Fausett, all returning players for the Dolphins. An up-and-coming star of the team is sophomore Sawyer Rupe, who played on the varsity squad as a freshman.

Kislig said Rupe being surrounded by veteran leaders has helped in her growth as a player and will help her lead when she heads into her upperclassman seasons. 

“I know (Rupe) plays beach (volleyball) outside of (what) we do, so she’s super familiar with the game and the different rules and everything, but it’s nice to have some of those younger players paired up with some of the older players,” she said. “And they’ll go far and then next season, it’s even more fun for them to kind of fall into that leadership role with some of the younger girls.”

Looking ahead to league play, Kislig has her sights set on defeating Aliso Niguel and Tesoro, two perennially tough opponents.

“We are always trying to beat Aliso (Niguel’s) No. 1 team … so it’d be great if we could do that this season,” Kislig said. “They are definitely a force to be reckoned with. They’re probably our top competition, and Tesoro is always really strong.”

The Dolphins will opem the season against El Toro on Tuesday, March 11. Their first match against Aliso Niguel will take place on Thursday, March 14.  

Boys Golf

The boys golf team heads into the 2025 season with a new head coach and a young, inexperienced roster.

Head coach Mike Brooks said he is glad he was chosen to step in and lead the team. 

“It feels good,” Brooks said. “Dana has a strong tradition here of golf success, so I’m very happy that I was able to step in and assure these young gentlemen had a season to compete in this year and, yeah, we’re ready to get going.”

Brooks introduced himself to the team last week, so he hasn’t been able to see the team on the course yet, but he has identified notable players who will help lead the team throughout the season.

Those players include junior Tyler Daems and sophomore Cohen Van Wyhe.

The team is extremely young, having only two seniors on the roster. 

Brooks said he hopes the team’s situation with having a new coach and inexperienced players will take some pressure off. 

He said he wants the players to set goals for themselves despite it being a team sport. He is striving to give the players a positive environment that fosters growth.

“I think we’ll take whatever the season throws at us and kind of learn from there looking toward next season,” Brooks said. “That being said, it’s a game of golf. Anybody can have a great day, anybody can have a bad day. So you never know. They’re on this team for a reason.  … I’m just trying to give them a good, safe, organized program that’s really structured so they can just go out there and play some golf.”

Brooks said players focusing on improvement will lead to good results for the entire team.

“It is a team sport, but I want them to create some individual goals, and let’s work toward those,” he said. “And by working toward those, it should give us a successful season, whatever that may look (like). It’s not always about wins and losses. Sometimes, it’s about self-growth.” 

Boys Lacrosse

The boys lacrosse team saw a significant improvement last season, going from a two-win team in 2023 to a seven-win team in 2024. 

The team heads into 2025 much more experienced and led by several seniors. Head coach Joe Smith said he sees much more confidence by his squad heading into the new season.

“We had a nice (preseason) scrimmage on (Tuesday) against Esperanza, and you could just tell the boys, not only in the way they played, but in the way they carried themselves throughout, were just much more confident,” Smith said. 

The team’s captains are goalie Zachary Erdosi, defenseman Dylan Jones, midfielder Luke Lambert and captain Nicholas Smith. 

Other prominent seniors include senior midfielders Justin See and Finn Malabon.

Smith said the upperclassmen will set an example for younger players at Dana Hills, where many students come in having never played the sport before. 

“We don’t have a lot of seasoned players coming in as eighth-graders, so I think it’s huge for them … to watch the seniors, watch Luke Lambert, for instance. (Lambert) is one of our juniors, probably one of the most athletic kids I’ve ever seen and one heck of a lacrosse player. To see him play and recognize that he’s only two years older, I think makes a big difference.”

Dana Hills has a much smaller roster than other schools, but Smith doesn’t see that as a detriment. He said knowing the team is the underdog in most matchups puts a chip on everyone’s shoulders. 

“I told the kids in our meeting on (Wednesday) … No. 1, be confident in your abilities. And No. 2, have a chip on your shoulder and be the ones that have to outpunch your weight,” Smith said. 

Smith knows it may be a tough road to a league title, but he has confidence this team can accomplish that goal. 

“As a small school, we get discounted a little bit, but now that we’re heavy on the seniors and we have a lot of guys that have experience that were starting their sophomore years … now we have an opportunity. And I know our goal is to win league this year, and I think all the kids have bought into that,” Smith said. 

The lacrosse team is already seeing success early in the season. The Dolphins dominated Laguna Hills, 14-0, at home this past Monday, Feb. 10. 

The team’s next game is on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Irvine High School. The Dolphins open league play against San Juan Hills on Thursday, March 20.  

Swimming 

Dana Hills swimming enters the season with a larger roster for both girls and boys, which head coach Rod Snyder said is a good sign after lacking a sufficient number of swimmers to stay competitive last season.

“I think if we had the proper numbers that the other teams were coming in at, I think we, percentage-wise, probably would have been a lot more competitive, but we were missing some B-relays,” Snyder said. 

Snyder said the team had the lowest number of boys on the roster compared to any other opponent in its league.

With more swimmers and many key returners, including nine juniors and five seniors, Snyder’s outlook on the season is bright. While winning is the goal, Snyder said he wants the team to mesh well together and work hard toward improving their performances. He said he thinks that will lead to success as a group.

“I’d just like to see the team come together, and even though they all have their own goals, I’d like to see the team have an overreaching goal of success, and the fact that we’re there for each other and that we’re there to work to our potential as a group, and that’s the only expectation I have,” Snyder said. “Placing doesn’t necessarily matter, I think, to me, because if you can get dead-last and everybody is progressing in the right direction, that’s all I would want.”

Softball

With a young squad that has seen gradual improvement over the past two seasons, Dana Hills softball is set to take a step forward this season. 

Key performers from last year’s 9-12 team are returning. 

Junior Hailey Reed led the team with a .431 batting average last season. Pitcher Melissa Reed, who had a 3.04 ERA last season, will also return for the Dolphins. 

Other top returners include catcher Marley Tisdale, junior Katie Erenyi and outfielder Chelsea Day. 

The roster is very young, featuring only three seniors, so the younger and more inexperienced players will need to step up and contribute.

The Dolphins begin the season at El Toro on Tuesday, Feb. 18.