Girls Soccer

The Liberty girls soccer team was faced with a new challenge at the beginning of the year.  They were moved from class 2A to class 3A. 

Rilyn Breinholt, (she/her), 12, the top scorer for the girl’s team, explained how this change went.

“We as a team weren’t really sure what this year would look like as we were moved up from 2A to 3A, but we managed to deal with the new challenge well. We went into sub-state with only one loss in the regular season, which is the first time in the history of our program that that has happened,” Breinholt said.

The girls soccer team played well all season long and had a winning record. They only lost one game before heading into the sub-state matches. 

“By the end of the season, we had hoped to make it to state. With our sub-state pairings, we were listed as the highest seed in our bracket, so we had a good opportunity to make it to state this year,” Breinholt said.

The girls soccer team made it to the second (and final) round of the sub-state games. They put up a well-fought battle but ultimately fell 2-1 to Bettendorf, losing their shot at going to state. 

Boys Soccer

The Liberty boys soccer team has worked together to push through the sub-state finals and make it to the first round of the state tournament.

“Something that the team and I really want to have by the end of the season is a state title,” Conley Sundblad (he/him), 12, said.

Although it hasn’t been easy for the team to get there. They lost a few different games to tough competitors and had one of the players injured for a while.

“Having our best player out (injured) for half the year was really difficult, but we still ended up finishing 10-5-2,” Sundblad said.

Their hard work paid off as they will play the first round of the state tournament against Des Moines Hoover, at the Liberty High soccer stadium on June 2.

Girls Track

The Liberty girls track team started the season with a new head coach, Tashina Steggall. Many of the players got the hang of her coaching style right away as they were placing and winning in many of their events. 

“We had a new coach, so she was figuring out who each of us was as athletes and where we would fit best. Our team was young this year, so it was also a challenge figuring out which underclassmen would best fill the spots that we needed regarding relays and the order of those relays,” Alexi Thigpen, (she/her), 11, said.

The girls made many new records during the regular season. Multiple girls participated at the Drake Relays and the state meet.

“We did really well this season. One team goal I had in mind at the beginning of the season was to win a meet. We didn’t accomplish that goal, however, we had a young team this year with a lot of underclassmen, so they didn’t have as much experience,” Thigpen said. 

The 4×4 relay team, 4×1 relay team, sprint medley relay team, 1600 relay team and long jumper, Thigpen, all qualified for state. Thigpen was the only Liberty girls track member to place in the top five as she placed fourth at state.

Boys Track

The Liberty boys track team also had new coaching changes. They qualified multiple people for both Drake Relays and the state tournament.

Many boys made new personal records (PRs) this season and also had great records. Keegan Decker, 10, held the team record this year for the 800, 1600, and 3200-meter runs. In the 800-meter relay, he ran 1.58. In the 1600 relay, Decker ran a 4.13. And in the 3200, he ran a 9.05. 

Victor Nakihinga, 10, PR’d at the Drake Relays, with a high jump of 6 ‘4. 

Many athletes made it to the state meet. Yet, only Decker and Nakihinga placed. Decker got fifth in the 1600-meter relay and Nakihinga placed sixth in high jump. 

Girls Golf

The Liberty girls golf team has grown since last season, with more players joining. The coach strives to make practices fun for the team while also pushing the girls to grow their skills.

“Playing golf at Liberty is a lot of fun. It is competitive, but the coaches make it a lot of fun. There’s also a lot of girls out so that also makes the environment better,” Lila Bowman, (she/her), 10, said.

Many girls on the team were leaders to Bowman. They gave her the motivation and skills to become the golfer that she was this season. 

“My biggest accomplishment from this season was making it to the state tournament and I owe it to a lot of different people,” Bowman said.

Bowman was the only girls golfer this season to go to the state tournament. She was supported by many Liberty players and students as she took to the course in Pleasant Valley. 

Girls Tennis

The dynamics of the Liberty girls tennis team are very good. Player Vivian Kahler (she/her), 10, hopes to have a positive impact on the team.

“I hope that I was a good captain for the team because creating a team environment is very important to me.  I hope they saw me as someone they can turn to because I want to help them anyway I can, whether that is with tennis skills or just as a friend,” Kahler said. 

Kahler has a great mindset when she is a captain and on the court. Many other players on the team aspire to be like her. 

“My toughest competitor has honestly been myself because tennis is a very mental game, and this year has been especially hard.  It was my first year at number 1, and it was a big learning curve,” Kahler said.

The girls all finished their season well, but Kahler’s record was the best, ending 11-2 at the number one spot. 

Boys Tennis

The Liberty boys tennis team finished their season at the end of May. They had players finish with good records, and they beat some tough competition. Ultimately, the team fell short to higher-level teams like Iowa City West and Iowa City High. 

A highlight of the season was when players Sam Maddhi and Jack Saunders competed at state for doubles.