Alameda natives accomplished many athletic feats in 2018. Here’s part one of a two-part series looking back at some of the great athletic exploits from Alamedans in 2018.  

January
The 45th annual Alameda Elks Hoop Shoots City finals kicked off 2018 on Jan. 5. Isaiah Croxton and Mia Wong won the boys’ and girls’ eight- to nine-year-old division; Jack Omarra and Isabelle Lu won the boys’ and girls’ 10- to 11-year-old division; and Kaim Hajjem and Jayden Banaria won the boys’ and girls’ 12- to 13-year-old division. 

February
Members of the Major League Soccer team the San Jose Earthquakes went to Hornet Field to unveil the new mini-pitch court at a ceremony on Feb. 11. Then-Mayor Trish Spencer, then-Councilmember Frank Matarrese and Alameda Recreation and Park Director Amy Wooldridge attended the event.

Bay Farm Middle School concluded its first School Olympics Monday, Feb. 26. About 90 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students competed in the event. Events included the 50-meter dash, the 100-meter dash, the 400-meter dash, the mile run, the 400-meter relay, the mile relay and the javelin throw. 

March
The St. Joseph Notre Dame (SJND) women’s basketball team defeated Arcata High, 90-47, to win the North Coast Section (NCS) Div. IV women’s title Saturday, March 3, at Albany High. Then SJND sophomore Malia Mastora scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Pilots over the Tigers. The SJND men’s team lost to St. Patrick-St. Vincent, 63-54, in the NCS Div. IV men’s title game.

Alameda High School’s (AHS) men’s basketball team won the NorCal regional Div. II title after a thrilling 76-66 overtime victory over St. Mary’s of Stockton on March 17. Not only was it the Hornets’ first regional title, the Hornets’ 61-42 win over Oak Ridge on March 7 was its first NorCal playoff win in school history. The Hornets magical ride ended in their 59-53 defeat in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Div. II title game against Crossroads of Santa Monica on March 23, at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

April 
Alameda native Aziz Zarehbin won the silver medal in the mini-cadet division at the 2018 U.S. National Youth Table Tennis Tournament in Davie, Fla., March 29 to April 1. He defeated Nandan Haresh and Aneesh Raghavan, before losing to Ted Li in the final.

Former AHS student-athlete Ramir Smith won the men’s 100-meter dash competition at the Granada Distance and Sprint Festival on April 14, at Granada High in Livermore. The then-senior posted a time of 10.94 in the sprint.

Ryan Grauman won the 91st Alameda Commuters Golf Tournament with a nine-under 275 after four rounds of play on April 22, on the Earl Fry Course. The 2018 Athenian High graduate led after the first weekend, but gave up his lead in round three. He regained the lead and the victory with a four-under 71 in the championship round. 

Gary Vanier won the 32nd annual 55-and-older Commuters Senior Tournament after shooting a two-under par 140 after two rounds of play on April 22.

May
Maggie Lindquist, Phoebe Yu and Chris Alibriandi were the big winners at the Alameda Women’s Golf Club’s 88th Annual Fry Brothers Memorial Match Play on May 17, on the Earl Fry Course. Lindquist won Flight A, Yu won Flight B and Alibraiandi won Flight C.

The NCS track-and-field championships took place May 26 at UC Berkeley. Former AHS sprinter Ramir Smith finished third in men’s 100-meter race, out of eight participants, with a time of 10:96. 

Then SJND sophomore Zavier Annis finished 12th out of 26 participants in the men’s long jump. Annis traveled 20’ 3” on his jump. Then Encinal High School junior Shelby Nelson came in sixth place, out of 12 competitors, in the women’s 1,600-meter race with a time of 4:58.98. 

AHS junior Lauren Lum finished sixth, out of 24 participants, in the women’s 3,200-meter race with a time of 10:56.99. Then SJND junior Emily Perez finished seventh with a time of 10:58.80 in the same race.

June
The SJND softball team won the NCS Div. IV title with a 4-0 shutout over Del Norte of Crescent City, June 1, at St. Mary’s College in Moraga. The AHS baseball team won the NCS Div. II championship with a 4-3 victory over Maria Carrillo of Santa Rosa on June 2, at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill.

The Alameda Intermediate baseball Division All Stars team won the Intermediate 50/70 California District 4 championship with an 8-5 victory over Martinez on June 25.