Athletics
Athletic
Ultimate Frisbee
Ultimate is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, gaining appeal because of its combination of explosive athleticism with limited contact and an emphasis on individual responsibility. The defining quality of ultimate is called “The Spirit of the Game,” which asks each player, coach, and spectator to take an active role in creating a positive sport environment. For example, players are required to call their own fouls and to work out disputed calls with one another on the field. Bellarmine’s club takes this further, asking student leaders of the club to take a role planning club activities and practices, as well as mentoring new players and teams at other schools. We are pleased to see a significant percentage of our team’s alumni playing college ultimate for programs such as USC, UC Davis, Cal Poly, Santa Clara, and Gonzaga, among others.
In a sport that has both men’s and coed divisions, Bellarmine’s team is co-fielded with Notre Dame High School (San Jose), and bears the name of a neutral mascot, the Frisbeasts. The team practices two afternoons per week beginning in August and plays a competitive season that runs February through May. In addition to playing competitively, the team prides itself on supporting developing ultimate programs in our region,
Coming off an undefeated league regular season and a sixth-place finish in the state in 2018, the 2019 team featured a younger roster anchored by seniors Aidan and Declan Bernal and played its way to a finish in the middle of our league. The 2020 team will feature strong sophomore and junior classes as well as a group of seniors –Andres Ibarra, Jadon Gaertner, Austin Cottarel, Marcus Ma, and Luke Wilhelm – who have grown with the team and will provide leadership in a season that we enter with high expectations.
Volleyball
Bellarmine Volleyball has established itself as a leading program, distinguished by its 18 WCAL championships, 14 Central Coast Section (CCS) championships and clinching the Northern California Regional title in 2016. The program offers three distinct levels of competition: Freshman, Junior Varsity (JV), and Varsity, catering to a diverse range of talent and experience.
As a competitive Spring season sport, Bellarmine Volleyball maintains a selection process for its teams, with each level generally accommodating a maximum of 14 players on the roster. Freshman and JV teams play through April and Varsity typically plays into mid to late May.
Each year, Bellarmine hosts the annual Justin Ebner Memorial Tournament where 24 teams compete and honor Justin’s life, his passion for volleyball, and dedication to friends and family #youmatter. #livelikejustin.
Coach Bio
Coach BJ Prudencio, Varsity Head Coach and program director joined the program in 2023 with a 16-year coaching career spanning all levels of volleyball from youth through Junior College and a wealth of experience and expertise honing player skills. His coaching philosophy focuses on players’ growth and development, teamwork, and resilience.
Track
The 2020 Track and Field season once again holds great promise for the Bells, as they look to win an unprecedented 11th straight WCAL title and return to the podium at the CCS Championships. In 2019, the Bells won both the Frosh-Soph and Varsity League titles for a 10th straight year. At CCS, the Bells scored 18 points in the 3200 to vault into 3rd place, marking a record 10th straight year finishing in the top four. Replacing graduated leaders like hurdler/jumper Kijana Hilton and thrower Keanu Lee will be tough, but their legacy of leadership will undoubtedly help a new crop of leaders in this year's campaign.
Bellarmine will be led in large part by a core of returning distance runners: Juniors Colin Peattie—defending CCS champ in the 1600 and 3200—Galen and Nolan Topper, Aiden Theocheung, Casper Aliaga, John Stebbins, Jason Evanchik and Jack Boennighausen will lead many other Juniors and a deep team of Seniors. This year, sprint Coach Joey Colucci will lean heavily on Seniors Matt Fujii, Nick Teresi and Casey Shaheen to once again develop both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays so that they will compete for State Meet spots at the CCS Championships. Coach Leo O'Neill will turn to a young group of hurdlers who will led by Juniors Jaxon Sawyer and Xavier McDaniel.
On the field side, coach Warren Jaques will have Juniors Leo Garcia-Czarkowski leading the vault squad. Coach Derick Bell will once again be in charge of all jumpers. Junior Jackie MacHale will be counted on to lead a strong group of Sophomore jumpers. The throwers will be looking for leadership from a large group of returners, especially Seniors Marcus Mifsud and Justin Lewinski.
In League competition, Serra, St. Francis and Mitty will once again provide a stiff challenge for the Bells, as we seek to complete another season unbeaten in dual meets. At the CCS level, in addition to our two aforementioned WCAL rivals, Santa Theresa, San Benito, Evergreen Valley, and Los Altos will certainly challenge the Bells. Check out the BCP website for this year's schedule and come out on a Wednesday afternoon for a dual meet to see the Bells in action!