Crossroads News
All-CIF Honors Roll in for Crossroads Girls Volleyball
Roadrunners claim Division 6 awards after standout season.
Coach Aaron Wexler’s motto for the Crossroads varsity girls volleyball team was, “Get 1 percent better every day,” and his players took it to heart. In a record-setting season, the Roadrunners won a CIF Southern Section championship and a state regional title, reaching the state finals for the first time in program history.
This week, the section honored several of the key team members who guided Crossroads to new heights.
Senior setter Grace Rose was named Division 6 Player of the Year. She coordinated Crossroads’ offense while also leading the team in aces and giving the squad a sense of composure throughout its postseason run.
“She was our quarterback,” her coach said. “She did a lot for us.”
Fellow seniors Harper Graves and Olympia Nagel-Caland received all-CIF recognition. Grace and Harper will remain teammates as they continue their careers at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, while Olympia will join the team at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
Aaron, in his fourth year at the helm of the program, was named the section’s Coach of the Year in Division 6. He said the team’s success would not have been possible without a staff that also included Travis Schoonover, Jade Morning, Lauren “Lala” Joseph, Tyler Reutgen, Krista Baldrica and Casey Cochrane.
“I’ve never really been more all-in with a team than I was this year,” Aaron said. “It was the best team I’ve ever had, and I knew that. To receive the award feels so good. It’s a reflection of my all-star staff. I leaned on them so hard.”
Although Crossroads ended up on the losing end of a five-set thriller in the state finals, the coach said it was a successful year on and off the court.
“We’re all proud of what we did and how we showed up, proud of the fight that we gave,” he said. “We did it all together. It was the process, it was the journey, it was the moments we shared together that we’re all very proud of. ... I so appreciate the support from the School and the community for what we did and how we did it.”
