Article and Photo courtesy of MAYFIELD SENIOR SCHOOL After a serious injury, Madeline Joseph of Mayfield Senior School wondered if she would ever be able to kick a soccer ball again. Hannah Andriuzzo had never run long distance before her freshman year in high school. And Julia Mozilo was a 95-pound freshman and not a […]
Article and Photo courtesy of MAYFIELD SENIOR SCHOOL
After a serious injury, Madeline Joseph of Mayfield Senior School wondered if she would ever be able to kick a soccer ball again. Hannah Andriuzzo had never run long distance before her freshman year in high school. And Julia Mozilo was a 95-pound freshman and not a particularly strong athlete when she jumped into the rough waters of water polo.
So it was particularly poignant this week when these three senior
athletes—surrounded by their cheering coaches, families and classmates—signed a “letter of intent” on National Signing Day, pledging to pursue their passion for sports in college.
“This day is so joyful for us all,” said Athletic Director Lynda Gilbert. “Their
dedication, their sportsmanship and hard work has paid off and we couldn’t be
more proud of our Cubs.”
Mayfield celebrates the skills and determination of Madeline Joseph, who will play soccer at Chico State; Julia Mozilo, who will join the water polo team and the University of Santa Clara; and Hannah Andriuzzo, who will join the cross country and track team at the University of Puget Sound.
Their
stories inspire:
Madeline
Joseph, soccer, Chico State
Two years ago, in January 2015, Joseph was dribbling at a college scouting camp at the University of Virginia. Another player came up close, tried to steal the ball, but instead pushed her.
“I fell to the ground,” Joseph said. “I could feel the pain, I couldn’t get up. I
was confused. I thought I broke something.”
After a cross-country flight home with her right leg swollen and in excruciating pain, Joseph was diagnosed with a serious ACL and meniscus tear and required surgery.
“I was devastated. I thought I would never be able to play the sport I love again,” she said. She suffered through complications after surgery, including nausea and extraordinary pain. “I thought my career was over—it was
horrifying.”
She recalled a pivotal moment in her recovery when her grandfather told her to rely on her faith in God to heal her. Her Mayfield teachers and counselors supported her recovery, adjusting schedules and studies.
“I decided I needed to work through the pain,” despite the dizzying physical
therapy sessions, said Joseph.
“It was the hardest thing, but I knew what I could do, I knew what my potential
could be on the field and I pushed through it.”
Joseph was back on the field for her senior year, a key member of the Varsity team that is battling for the Prep League title. Next year, she promised, she will be even stronger.
Julia
Mozilo, water polo, Santa Clara University
There she stood, a 95-pound freshman who had never jumped into the rough pool of a water polo game.
“The odds were not in my favor,” said Julia Mozilo.
But one of the excellent attributes of the Mayfield Athletic Department is that
young women are encouraged to try something new, to discover and develop skills in the safety of a supportive team environment.
“I knew I was stepping out of my comfort zone,” Mozilo said. “But I knew it would be well worth the gain.”
That freshman year she and her teammates bonded as friends and water polo players.
They were so determined to improve the team that they joined Rose Bowl Aquatics to up their Mayfield game.
“At the end of our freshman year we won our last game—we didn’t expect it,” she said. “Our bond was so strong, we knew we could win and grow stronger with every game.”
This season Julia is part of a strong team that is vying for a CIF-SS play-off berth in 2 weeks.
Mozilo’s love of the sport is only made stronger by the deep bonds she holds with her teammates. “We will be friends for life,” she said.
Hannah
Andriuzzo, cross country and track, University of Puget Sound
Hannah Andriuzzo remembers her middle school years as an athlete, the years she thought that soccer was her sport.
“But I actually wasn’t that great,” she said. “But my coach noticed I was fast on the field and suggested I try track.”
Andriuzzo had never been a distance runner when she showed up for the Mayfield Cross Country team. But in keeping with the Mayfield philosophy of self-discovery in sports, Andriuzzo started running. And running. And running.
“Running is my release, my passion,” she said. ‘I feel great after a run, I feel
energized.”
Coach Eric Sun said that Andriuzzo constantly pushed herself to be better each year and has been part of a team that clicks and works well together.
As the Cubs’ long sprint and relay runner, Andriuzzo has helped lead the team to sixth place in the state and fourth in the CIF Southern Section.
It’s that runner’s high that motivates Andriuzzo, releases anxiety and fuels her
determination.
After a run, she said, “I feel like I can take on anything.”
