This spring season, countless Mills student athletes have reached personal goals, earned recognition and found success in their respective sports, however two stand out in particular — a sophomore that broke a long-lasting track record, and a junior that received not one, but two awards for softball. Throughout their seasons, both have shown immense perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication.
Sophia Lee (10) has had an extremely successful season as a hurdler for the Mills track and field team. “My goals for this season were to place in as many meets as possible in the top three for all my events, the 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles, 4×400-meter relay, and improve my form and technique over the hurdles,” she said.
Lee’s hard work, consistent attendance and motivated mindset allowed her to accomplish these goals and much more. Although only in her second year on the team, she has already broken the 100-meter hurdles records for both freshmen and sophomores that had been held previously by Sophie Hohmann in 2023 and Zahra Ganem in 2017. Lee recalled the moment she found out, saying, “As someone who stalks athletic.net a lot, as soon as I saw my time, I knew I broke the record.” She then added how she celebrated with boba that her coach promised her.
“I felt really proud of myself and grateful for everyone who helped me, [especially] Coach Peter for [his] training and amazing coaching,” she said. Lee added, “[I’d also shout out] Danael Na for getting me into hurdles, Emily Wong, Siena Landucci and Vanessa Gutierrez for always supporting me and giving me tips, [along with] Coach Larry for providing me with opportunities and advice when running.”
For student athletes hoping to accomplish similar track success, she advised to “stay committed, go to practice and take every opportunity to run.”
As for softball center fielder Lucy Esquivel (11), on April 14 and April 24, she received two Athlete of the Week awards, one being from The Daily Journal and the other from the Mills Boosters.
“I felt honored and grateful,” she explained. “I found out through online announcements, newspapers and people congratulating me, and my immediate reaction was surprise followed by appreciation.”
Her performance, positive attitude on and off the field and contributions to her team’s success played a big role in winning the awards. This season, Esquivel focused on consistency while putting in hours and effort and staying mentally locked in. This ultimately led to her Athlete of the Week accomplishments. These efforts were reflected during games, one of which was watched by a Daily Journal reporter. She elaborated, “I was given the award based on my performance during games, including my stats and overall impact on the field,” Esquivel continued, “At the end of our game against Aragon, a reporter from The Daily Journal interviewed me about my performance during the game.”
Esquivel’s path to success was heavily influenced by her work ethic and determined mindset. Her advice for student athletes hoping for athletic success is to “stay consistent, work hard even when no one is watching and keep a positive mindset.” Stressing the importance of being driven by passion and community rather than reaching for awards, she recommended, “Surround yourself with people who support you and push you to improve. Most importantly, play for your team, not just for recognition and always keep pushing yourself to be better.”
Congratulations to both Lee and Esquivel for their accomplishments this spring. The Thunderbolt wishes both these outstanding athletes good luck and a successful athletic career for years to come.
