The Athletic Department will not be hanging any CIF Championship banners in Taper Gymnasium following the conclusion of the winter sports season, just as after the fall.

While no team went all the way, all six of the winter sports teams were represented in CIF playoffs.

Girls’ soccer:
Despite being the top ranked school for its size, the varsity girls’ soccer team was unsuccessful in their bid for a spot in CIF sectionals.
The team lost in CIF semifinals to Chaminade, a team it had already beaten and tied during the regular season. The Wolverines were unable to hold a late 1-0 lead in regulation and eventually lost 3-2 on penalty kicks.
“I’m extremely devastated,” Lichtenstein said. “Getting knocked out in penalty kicks two years in a row is heartbreaking. Especially this year, it feels like we choked.”
Despite the loss, the team believed that with its record, rank and the fact that it lost in penalty kicks would get them a bid in sectionals.
“Nine out of 10 times we beat Chaminade when we play them,” Lichtenstein said. “We were the better team and anyone that was at the game, including the Chaminade girls, knows that.”

Boys’ soccer:
Boys’ soccer fell in the second round of Division I playoffs to top seeded San Clemente by a score of 2-1 after a 3-0 win over Dana Hills in the first round.
Though the Wolverines played with a man down for most of the game against San Clemente after Akosa Ibekwe ’13 was sent off in the first half with a red card, they still came within a goal of the eventual champions in the division.
The Wolverines finished second behind rival Loyola in league standings, falling four wins short of a CIF championship.
“I feel like we lost to the best team,” Ty Gilhuly ’13 said. “We don’t feel like we fizzled out. The guys on the team were really close and I think we had a really good time.”

Girls’ water polo:
The only defending CIF champions, girls’ water polo fell two wins shy of a third straight CIF banner.
After winning CIF championships the previous two years in Division IV, the Wolverines were promoted to Division III.
Facing a tougher competition in the later rounds of playoffs, the Wolverines lost 12-7 to Palos Verdes.
The Wolverines won the Mission League championship for the 17th straight year.
The team will lose starters Morgan Hallock ’13 and Kassie Shannon ’13.
“It’s really going to be hard [replacing Hallock and Shannon],” Sydney Cheong ’14 said.” I think it’s going to take a lot of time playing together and trying to get as much experience as we can learning to work with each other and learning to operate.”

Girls’ basketball:
Girls’ basketball beat Notre Dame Academy in the first round of Division IV AA playoffs but was knocked out by Bishop Montgomery in the second round by a score of 57-42.
The Wolverines finished in third place in league standings and fell four wins short of a CIF championship.
“We played hard and fought to the very end with both Notre Dame Academy and Bishop Montgomery,” Natalie Florescu ’13 said. “The game against NDA was exciting and came down to the last second, Alixx [Lucas ’13] really showed her experience and stepped up for us, capitalizing at the end and hitting the game winning shot. The Bishop game was definitely much tougher, but we battled hard and gave our best effort.”
Boys’ basketball:
Boys’ basketball fell in the third round of Division IV AA CIF playoffs to eventual champions Bishop Montgomery by a score of 78-58.
The Wolverines beat Templeton 77-46 in the first round and Laguna Hills 73-60 in the second round but fell three wins short of the ultimate prize.
The team finished in fourth place in league standings.
“My teammates especially the seniors were great and fought hard the whole time,” Michael Sheng ’14 said. “It was a disappointing ending but ultimately a great season.”

Wrestling:
While individuals Charlie Nelson ’13 and Henry Schlossberg ’13 advanced to CIF Masters, the team as a whole did not make playoffs and finished in last place in league.
“We haven’t had two guys in the Masters meet for a really long time, and next year we should have a few more,” team captain Henry Schlossberg ’13 said, referencing the fact that he and co-captain Chuck Nelson ’13 advanced to the CIF Masters tournament.

Additional reporting by Aaron Lyons, Lucy Putnam, Patrick Ryan, Sam Sachs, and Lizzy Thomas.