Dragon swimmers excel, Tomola sets records; 16 Sonoma athletes all-leaguers in five sports
By Steven Serafini
Sonoma Valley Sun Sports Editor
(Editor’s Note: The following wrap-up of SVHS athletic teams has been delayed due to space limitations in the printed version of the Sun. Efforts will be made to accommodate it in an upcoming print edition, but for Valley sports fans eager for the final results of the 2025-2026 season, we present Sports Editor Steven Serafini’s comprehensive report here online.)
Following in the wake of highly competitive 2026 spring seasons, here are the wraps for seven Sonoma Valley High School (SVHS) varsity sports teams.
SONOMA’S SWIM SQUADS, directed by head coach Hannah Martin and assistant coach Sierra Pine, completed a series of standout individual and relay results, highlighted by new school and league records being set, and five Dragon swimmers qualifying for the prestigious North Coast Section (NCS) championships.
Leading the Dragon boys’ team was junior Marcus Tomola, who at the Vine Valley Athletic League (VVAL) finals captured two titles while setting new SVHS and VVAL individual records in both the 100 and 200-yard freestyle events, with times of 46.68 seconds, and 1 minute, 43.91 seconds, respectively.
Tomola added another new SVHS record, his third of the day, by finishing a VVAL second-place in the 100 backstroke, with a time of 50.93. He also posted two automatic NCS qualifying times in the 100 back and 100 free and after reaching the sectional finals placed, respectively, eighth and 12th.
Sonoma sophomore Colter Martin won both the VVAL boys’ titles in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley (IM), with personal-best times of 54.68 and 1:59.18, respectively, with the latter time qualifying him for the 200 IM at the NCS event.
Also turning in strong efforts and personal-best times at the VVAL championships was sophomore John Rounkle, who claimed a 100 backstroke second-place in 1:01.64, and a 500 free third-place in 5:19.59.
Tomola, Martin and Rounkle were joined by freshman teammate Lucian Porrino in forming the Dragon boys’ relay team that, at the VVAL championships, won the 200 medley title in 1:42.46 and placed second in the 200 free in 1:32.57. All four Dragons were also VVAL first-team all-leaguers – while qualifying for NCS in both events.
For the Lady Dragons’ swim team, sophomore Charlotte King-Thomas earned second-place finishes at the VVAL championships in the 200 and 500 free events, with times of 2:03.01 and 5:30.09, respectively, and was an NCS individual qualifier for the latter event.
The Sonoma boy swimmers consisted of juniors Tomola and Alexander Gosselin; sophomores Martin, Rounkle, Madison Afterman, Julian Romero and Judah White; and frosh Porrino, Ryder Behan and Henry Lennox.
Comprising the Lady Dragon swimmers were sophomores King-Thomas, Ryane Jensen, Audrey Nava, Mahie Sharma, Josephine Shirk and Leonora Spencer; and frosh Nevaeh Garren.
SONOMA’S TRACK AND FIELD teams, directed by longtime head coach John Litzenberg and his assistant coaches Gustavo Aaron Beiza and Leonela Armenta, highlighted their 2026 season at the VVAL Championships, where 11 Dragons posted standout efforts and qualified for the Redwood Area Meet (RAM).
Leading the Lady Dragons with RAM qualifying at the VVAL championship finals, where the top-three finishers in each event earned medals, were sophomores Capri Delorefice and Jade Johnson, who each doubled with impressive second-place outings.
Delorefice – who won the 800 and 1600 meter contests, along with the 3,200-meter races against every team during the regular league meets – captured second place in both distance events. Her 1,600 time was 5:36, and her 3,200 time was 12:15 putting her eighth on SVHS’s fastest girls’ all-time list in the event. Her regular season 5 minute, 28 seconds 1,600 put her 10th on SVHS’s fastest all-time list in the event.
Johnson earned second-place league finishes in both the long and triple-jump events, with personal-best leaps of 17 feet, 1 inch and 34.0, respectively.
The Lady Dragons 1,600-meter relay team of senior Tilly Francis and juniors Mia Perez, Solis Schnabel and Helen Palacio, took home a VVAL third-place effort in a time of 4:22.71, as anchor-leg runner Palacio turned in a strong stretch run that secured the top-three finish.
Also qualifying for RAM for the Sonoma girls were the 400 meter relay team of Francis, Johnson, Palacio and sophomore Natalia Gonzalez, with a time of 53.88; Palacio in the 200 dash event, with a personal-best time of 27.21; and Schnabel’s 300 hurdles time of 54.51.
The Dragon boys who qualified for the RAM event were freshman Thurston Smith, who claimed a third-place medal in the 1,600 at 4:33; and the 1,600 relay team of Smith, senior Walter Hofstetter, junior Brayan Vasques and sophomore Weston Brown, with a time of 3:52.92.
At the Redwood Area Meet, held at Santa Rosa Junior College, the Lady Dragons were led by double medal-earning Johnson’s triple-jump second-place, at 35-7, and third-place long-jump at 17-6.5 – her long- and triple-jump efforts became the second- and third-best-ever in SVHS girls-event history. Delorefice had a 10th-place overall finish in the 3,200 at 12:41, and was 16th in the 1,600 at 5:29.
In the boys division at the RAM event, the Dragons’ Smith finished the 1,600 in 16th-place at 4:31.6, which was the second-fastest time ever for a Sonoma frosh, and placed him ninth all-time on the SVHS boys list.
The lone Sonoma athlete qualifying for the prestigious North Coast Section Meet of Champions was Johnson, who competed in the long and triple jumps and was among the nine girls who made the finals in both events, where she registered eighth and ninth-place finishes at 17-2.25 and 35-7.25, respectively.
Comprising the Sonoma boys track and field team were seniors Hofstetter and Caleb Armenta; juniors Vasques, Johnny Calderon, Calvin Hofstetter, Kameron Nield, Jose Ramirez and Ethan Strach; sophomores Brown, Alexander Lloyd and Emiliano Bonfiglio Solis; and frosh Smith, Sean Brady, Griffith Dickinson, Wylder Gilardi, Liam Holley, Sydney Johnson and Isaac Ting.
The track and field Lady Dragons consisted of senior Francis; juniors Palacio, Perez, Schnabel, Maddy Gray and Lily Noh; sophomores Delorefice, Gonzalez, Johnson, Chiara Apter, Sadie Chavez, Adelyn Drake, Jacqueline Rivas and Nicol Velma; and frosh Lucy Benavides.
SONOMA’S GIRLS LACROSSE team, directed by head coach Lou Biaggi and assistant coach Geoff Gallo, came through with a stellar season that resulted in a strong league showing and a trip to the postseason.
The Lady Dragons posted an upbeat 13-5 overall record, which included a VVAL third-place 7-3 mark and a spot in the NCS championships, where they posted an impressive 16-1 first-round victory over Athenian. But, in a tough second-round matchup, they were edged 9-7 by an experienced Foothill squad.
Leading the Sonoma lacrosse girls with VVAL first-team all-league honors were senior Alice Turner and junior Izzy Pedersen, while senior Riley Hartnet and junior Mary Miller were second-team all-leaguers.
Comprising the Lady Dragon roster were seniors Hartnet, Turner, Lily Melendy, Lani Delorefice, Charlotte King, Siena Kelly and Violte Cowles; juniors Miller, Pedersen, Maury Lane and Olivia Pinkin; sophomores Stella Albertazi, Maya Borchardt and Gianna Diggens; and freshmen Keaton Abodeely, Teagan Sammarco and Stella White.
SONOMA’S BOYS LACROSSE team, coached by EA Morgan, turned in competitive efforts battling through a tough schedule and finished with a 6-14 overall record which included a 4-5 VVAL fourth-place mark and a spot in postseason.
The Dragons faced a highly ranked and experienced Miramonte squad in the first round of the NCS championships and dropped a 16-5 decision.
Receiving honors for Sonoma were senior Dalan Lopata, who was a VVAL first-team all-league selection, and senior Nicholas Exner, who was a second-team all-leaguer.
The Dragon lacrosse boys’ roster consisted of seniors Lopata, Exner, Grady Barnes, Shambhu Goff, Max Nohl, Alexander Pureco, Jake Ryan, Michael Wangbickler and Ethan Sager; juniors Porter Abodeely, Austin Cheeseman, Charlie Herrschaft and Ethan McLeod; sophomores Trevor Bauer, Nathan Edwards, Jaydon McCabe and Jaden Pisahl; and freshmen Julian Beloz, Jaden Binkley, Samuel Exner, Jack Jensen, Fernando Larios,
Ayden Lucas, Sawyer Pinkin, Scott Stoecker, Leonardo Tudisco, Caleb Watts, Micah Weekes and Maverick White.
SONOMA’S VARSITY BOYS volleyball team, directed by head coach Andy Smith and assistant coach Sean Norris, finished its North Bay League (NBL) season with a third-place 7-5 record, and had an overall 12-13 mark, which included dropping a postseason first-round 3-0 decision to a strong San Leandro squad.
The Dragons were led by senior Alex Perez, who received NBL first-team all-league honors, and senior Damian Aceves and junior Enrique Carmona, who were both NBL second-team all-leaguers.
Also comprising Sonoma’s volleyball boys were juniors Melchor Alcaraz, Enrique Hernandez, Collin Miller, Wyatt Osborn, Leo Pizano and Gian Suastegui.
SONOMA’S BOYS GOLF team, coached by Stephen Spiers, consisted of seniors Austin Croft, David Carillo and Pierce Mauel; juniors Diondre Gonzalez, Max Larbre, Oscar Lazalde, Adrian Molina and Wyatt Reynes; and sophomores Brady Bilberry, Tommy Egney and Willy Perkins.
Photo: The Sonoma boys 200-yard medley relay team that won the VVAL title in the event were (from left) Lucian Porrino, Marcus Tomola, Colter Martin and John Rounkle.
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