Track and Field:
Despite not having a functioning track, the SAS PX APAC track team went into APAC ready to fight for gold. This year, APAC Track and Field was hosted by SAS PD, with participating schools consisting of SASPX, CISS, SASPD, ISB, WAB, Brent, and HKIS.
As the defending champions of the last three APACs, all eyes were on the girls APAC team to snag another championship title for a triumphant 4-peat. And, deliver they did. After astounding performances right from the get go, the girls managed to not only win the championship title once again, but also break 13 school records in the span of three days (for specifics check athletic.net)! Notable performances include Ashley Tang placing 2nd in the 100, 200, and 400; Kailee Mott placing 2nd in the 800/400m hurdles and 3rd in the 1500; Evian Chai placing 2nd in the 3000; Samantha Tsai placing 3rd in the 100m hurdles; Sarah Markmann placing 2nd in discus, javelin and high jump; Miranda Mo placing 3rd in discus; Karina Kaypaghian placing 3rd in long jump and high jump; and Sarah Chan placing 2nd in Long Jump. The relay teams also did very well, with the SMR, DMR, and 4x100 winning 2nd while the 4x400 placed 3rd. As stated by co-captain Ashley Tang, “this tournament showed us the depth in our team, and I’m sure that’ll continue on and help us win next year”. The girls track team has had a truly impressive season, and will surely continue to work for even more school records in the seasons to come.
The boys went into the tournament as the underdogs, having placed 4th in APAC last year. However, the boys rose up to the challenge to prove everyone wrong and managed to place 2nd, breaking the school’s DMR record in the process. Highlights include Stuart Tsao placing 2nd in the 400m; Chan Woo Kim placing 3rd in the 400m; Hanson Xia placing 3rd in the 1500m and 3k; David Zhou placing 2nd in the 100m hurdles and 1st in the 400m hurdles; Robert Tang placing 2nd in the javelin, James Yu placing 1st in the long jump; the 4x400 placing 1st; the 4x100 and SMR placing 3rd, and the DMR placing 2nd. Cocaptian Hanson Xia remarks that a highlight of the event was definitely how “we were all rooting for each other so much because of our circumstances this season”, adding that it was the “most fun team I’ve been a part of”. He also believes that “next year with a track you guys [the track team] will be even more prepared to win!” With that in mind, we can look with eagerness to what new accomplishments the track team will bring us next APAC.
Evian Chai
Badminton:
With both the boys and girls badminton teams looking for their respective 4peats and 3peats – an abbreviation for successive APAC titles – this year’s APAC, hosted at ISB, looked to be nothing short of a thriller. While only the boys team managed to retain their status as APAC champions, the girls, by a narrow margin, achieved second.
“Our boys team dominated the whole tournament from day 1,” comments the team’s coach Terry Lu. The team was prospected to handily win the event, which they did. By the last day, the second nearest team trailed by nearly half their points. For the singles event, Nic Tuang managed to clinch first for his third year in a row. “I’m just happy I was able to achieve three singles champions in a row,” he says. For the doubles event, it was an all-SASPX finals between the teams of Matthew So and Yanni Sim against Brandon Tang and Charlie Tsai; it was the former who came out victorious. Tuang, who is also a co-captain, was overjoyed to have won this APAC. “I’m really happy for the team, as achieving a 4peat is not an easy job. In order to win a championship, everyone has to do their part, and every single team member stepped up to the challenge.”
The girls team, beset by a string of difficulties, did not manage to attain their presaged APAC title. After the first day, half the team was hamstringed with various forms of sickness, including the hospitalization of their top seed Joy Li. “It was super frustrating,” grumbles co-captain Rebecca Shao, “I knew we had a very solid chance of getting first place, especially after winning China Cup.” Against the same schools they had beat convincingly only three weeks before, the team fell short at the final crux. Despite the hindrances, however, they valiantly placed second, and came close to defeating SASPD, the champions, severely handicapped. Some notable finishes: Chu Chuan Wu came third for singles, and the co-captain duo, Rebecca Shao and Amy Kwan, managed to win the doubles event. Shao, while disgruntled, still believed the team “performed very well considering more than half the players were sick.” On a lighter note, it was Joy Li’s birthday on the day of the finals, and the whole team sang her a surprise birthday song. “Overall,” Shao remarks, “I am just incredibly proud for the team for supporting each other and persevering through the adversities.” The positive attitude and young talent on the team sets a precedent for success in the coming years, and while unable to achieve a 3peat, there is little doubt that the team will continue to accomplish wonders.
For mixed doubles, Nick Tan and Carole Liang finished first, and Niven Lim and Elaine Su held onto third.
Leonard Lee
Softball:
After losing eight seniors last year, many viewed this year’s APAC softball team as the underdogs who, as stated by junior Jenny Errico, “completely had to rebuild our team”. However, the girls did not let this deter them and managed to place 4th out of 8 teams-a remarkable result given the situation. The girls team fought hard throughout the tournament to achieve the results they did, with Errico remarking that “our defense was amazing and improved throughout the tournament, which helped us succeed in APAC.” The team did encounter challenges throughout the tournament such as team communication and hitting the ball with consistent power. However, they worked through them and came out a stronger team at the end of the three days, missing the entrance into the championship game by just one point. At the end of APAC, the scores were 1:6 Pudong (loss), 9:10 HKIS (loss), 17:2 Concordia (win), 19:8 Brent (win), (5:4) HKIS (loss), and 18:10 Pudong (loss).
However, for the team, APAC meant so much more than just their results. Errico remarks that “we started off having almost no chemistry [as a team] and ended with being inseparable”. The bonds created between the girls throughout the season allowed them to support and cheer for each other as a team, and push each other to achieve their full potential. With the unwavering support of each other and a strong passion for their sport, the APAC softball team will surely continue to surpass expectations and bring pride to SAS PX in the years to come.
Evian Chai
Soccer:
Though the Boys’ and Girls’ SASPX Soccer team parted ways for APAC, their spirit was united as they headed to APAC. The boys departing to Western Academy of Beijing and girls to Canadian Academy respectively, they faced Brent, CA, WAB, ISB, and SAS PD in a fight for the championship.
The girls began the season with three goals in mind: to get to the finals of Shanghai Cup, China Cup, and APAC. Having reached the finals for both Shanghai and China Cup, the girls went into APAC with confidence and readiness to show off their way of playing. “With strong new talent on the team,” said Sofie Fella, the co-captain of the soccer team, “we knew that we would be strong and that we could do it.” APAC was off to a strong start for the girls’ team, beating WAB with a score of 2-0 and ISB with a score of 8-0. However, on the morning of day 2, the team received news that one of their key players would be injured for the rest of APAC. Despite the injury, the team was still able to step up and, with rigorous hard work, make it to the APAC finals with a win against CA (1-0), a draw against SAS PD (0-0), and a loss against Brent (0-1). In the finals, SAS played against Brent, both teams engaged in a full 70-minute battle. Unfortunately, SAS PX conceded 1 goal in overtime, narrowly losing the game against Brent. “Bittersweet is the way to describe it,” said Fella, “from the happiness we felt on the first day to the heartache of our loss.”
The boys also had similar goals as the girls’ team, as they strove towards being in all four finals relevant to the season: SISAC, China Cup, Shanghai Cup, and APAC. They were able to achieve all four goals that they had set out to achieve. “This season in general has seen an amazing improvement in every facet in comparison to last year,” said Miles Dycaico, the captain of the soccer team, “we were able to make it to our first APAC finals since 2015, my freshman year.” APAC began “flawlessly”, as SAS PX won Brent and ISB. Feeling confident and in control, according to the soccer team, they seeded first. On the second day however, they failed to play with the same success; they had succumbed to a loss against Canadian Academy, and narrowly tied with WAB. Seeding third, they played against SAS PD. With a score of 3-2, SAS PX advanced to the finals to play against Canadian Academy for a second time. A hard and grueling game, both teams went into penalties after scoring 2 goals each. With a score of 5-4, Canadian Academy won the game. This brought an end to their APAC, one of “beautiful football, unbreakable unity, and unrivaled passion”.
Despite both losses in the finals, neither team was discouraged. To the girls’ team, whether it was a loss or a win, “it was done together”. And to the boys, while it was a cruel way to end the season, “it was only the beginning of a new era of Puxi football”. Though this season was disappointing and successful at the same time for both teams, for SAS Soccer, the future is bright.
Luca Lee
Despite not having a functioning track, the SAS PX APAC track team went into APAC ready to fight for gold. This year, APAC Track and Field was hosted by SAS PD, with participating schools consisting of SASPX, CISS, SASPD, ISB, WAB, Brent, and HKIS.
As the defending champions of the last three APACs, all eyes were on the girls APAC team to snag another championship title for a triumphant 4-peat. And, deliver they did. After astounding performances right from the get go, the girls managed to not only win the championship title once again, but also break 13 school records in the span of three days (for specifics check athletic.net)! Notable performances include Ashley Tang placing 2nd in the 100, 200, and 400; Kailee Mott placing 2nd in the 800/400m hurdles and 3rd in the 1500; Evian Chai placing 2nd in the 3000; Samantha Tsai placing 3rd in the 100m hurdles; Sarah Markmann placing 2nd in discus, javelin and high jump; Miranda Mo placing 3rd in discus; Karina Kaypaghian placing 3rd in long jump and high jump; and Sarah Chan placing 2nd in Long Jump. The relay teams also did very well, with the SMR, DMR, and 4x100 winning 2nd while the 4x400 placed 3rd. As stated by co-captain Ashley Tang, “this tournament showed us the depth in our team, and I’m sure that’ll continue on and help us win next year”. The girls track team has had a truly impressive season, and will surely continue to work for even more school records in the seasons to come.
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| (photo courtesy of Activities Council) |
The boys went into the tournament as the underdogs, having placed 4th in APAC last year. However, the boys rose up to the challenge to prove everyone wrong and managed to place 2nd, breaking the school’s DMR record in the process. Highlights include Stuart Tsao placing 2nd in the 400m; Chan Woo Kim placing 3rd in the 400m; Hanson Xia placing 3rd in the 1500m and 3k; David Zhou placing 2nd in the 100m hurdles and 1st in the 400m hurdles; Robert Tang placing 2nd in the javelin, James Yu placing 1st in the long jump; the 4x400 placing 1st; the 4x100 and SMR placing 3rd, and the DMR placing 2nd. Cocaptian Hanson Xia remarks that a highlight of the event was definitely how “we were all rooting for each other so much because of our circumstances this season”, adding that it was the “most fun team I’ve been a part of”. He also believes that “next year with a track you guys [the track team] will be even more prepared to win!” With that in mind, we can look with eagerness to what new accomplishments the track team will bring us next APAC.
Evian Chai
Badminton:
With both the boys and girls badminton teams looking for their respective 4peats and 3peats – an abbreviation for successive APAC titles – this year’s APAC, hosted at ISB, looked to be nothing short of a thriller. While only the boys team managed to retain their status as APAC champions, the girls, by a narrow margin, achieved second.
“Our boys team dominated the whole tournament from day 1,” comments the team’s coach Terry Lu. The team was prospected to handily win the event, which they did. By the last day, the second nearest team trailed by nearly half their points. For the singles event, Nic Tuang managed to clinch first for his third year in a row. “I’m just happy I was able to achieve three singles champions in a row,” he says. For the doubles event, it was an all-SASPX finals between the teams of Matthew So and Yanni Sim against Brandon Tang and Charlie Tsai; it was the former who came out victorious. Tuang, who is also a co-captain, was overjoyed to have won this APAC. “I’m really happy for the team, as achieving a 4peat is not an easy job. In order to win a championship, everyone has to do their part, and every single team member stepped up to the challenge.”
 |
| (photo courtesy of Activities Council) |
The girls team, beset by a string of difficulties, did not manage to attain their presaged APAC title. After the first day, half the team was hamstringed with various forms of sickness, including the hospitalization of their top seed Joy Li. “It was super frustrating,” grumbles co-captain Rebecca Shao, “I knew we had a very solid chance of getting first place, especially after winning China Cup.” Against the same schools they had beat convincingly only three weeks before, the team fell short at the final crux. Despite the hindrances, however, they valiantly placed second, and came close to defeating SASPD, the champions, severely handicapped. Some notable finishes: Chu Chuan Wu came third for singles, and the co-captain duo, Rebecca Shao and Amy Kwan, managed to win the doubles event. Shao, while disgruntled, still believed the team “performed very well considering more than half the players were sick.” On a lighter note, it was Joy Li’s birthday on the day of the finals, and the whole team sang her a surprise birthday song. “Overall,” Shao remarks, “I am just incredibly proud for the team for supporting each other and persevering through the adversities.” The positive attitude and young talent on the team sets a precedent for success in the coming years, and while unable to achieve a 3peat, there is little doubt that the team will continue to accomplish wonders.
For mixed doubles, Nick Tan and Carole Liang finished first, and Niven Lim and Elaine Su held onto third.
Leonard Lee
Softball:
After losing eight seniors last year, many viewed this year’s APAC softball team as the underdogs who, as stated by junior Jenny Errico, “completely had to rebuild our team”. However, the girls did not let this deter them and managed to place 4th out of 8 teams-a remarkable result given the situation. The girls team fought hard throughout the tournament to achieve the results they did, with Errico remarking that “our defense was amazing and improved throughout the tournament, which helped us succeed in APAC.” The team did encounter challenges throughout the tournament such as team communication and hitting the ball with consistent power. However, they worked through them and came out a stronger team at the end of the three days, missing the entrance into the championship game by just one point. At the end of APAC, the scores were 1:6 Pudong (loss), 9:10 HKIS (loss), 17:2 Concordia (win), 19:8 Brent (win), (5:4) HKIS (loss), and 18:10 Pudong (loss).
 |
| (photo courtesy of Activities Council) |
However, for the team, APAC meant so much more than just their results. Errico remarks that “we started off having almost no chemistry [as a team] and ended with being inseparable”. The bonds created between the girls throughout the season allowed them to support and cheer for each other as a team, and push each other to achieve their full potential. With the unwavering support of each other and a strong passion for their sport, the APAC softball team will surely continue to surpass expectations and bring pride to SAS PX in the years to come.
Evian Chai
Soccer:
Though the Boys’ and Girls’ SASPX Soccer team parted ways for APAC, their spirit was united as they headed to APAC. The boys departing to Western Academy of Beijing and girls to Canadian Academy respectively, they faced Brent, CA, WAB, ISB, and SAS PD in a fight for the championship.
The girls began the season with three goals in mind: to get to the finals of Shanghai Cup, China Cup, and APAC. Having reached the finals for both Shanghai and China Cup, the girls went into APAC with confidence and readiness to show off their way of playing. “With strong new talent on the team,” said Sofie Fella, the co-captain of the soccer team, “we knew that we would be strong and that we could do it.” APAC was off to a strong start for the girls’ team, beating WAB with a score of 2-0 and ISB with a score of 8-0. However, on the morning of day 2, the team received news that one of their key players would be injured for the rest of APAC. Despite the injury, the team was still able to step up and, with rigorous hard work, make it to the APAC finals with a win against CA (1-0), a draw against SAS PD (0-0), and a loss against Brent (0-1). In the finals, SAS played against Brent, both teams engaged in a full 70-minute battle. Unfortunately, SAS PX conceded 1 goal in overtime, narrowly losing the game against Brent. “Bittersweet is the way to describe it,” said Fella, “from the happiness we felt on the first day to the heartache of our loss.”
 |
| (photo courtesy of Activities Council) |
The boys also had similar goals as the girls’ team, as they strove towards being in all four finals relevant to the season: SISAC, China Cup, Shanghai Cup, and APAC. They were able to achieve all four goals that they had set out to achieve. “This season in general has seen an amazing improvement in every facet in comparison to last year,” said Miles Dycaico, the captain of the soccer team, “we were able to make it to our first APAC finals since 2015, my freshman year.” APAC began “flawlessly”, as SAS PX won Brent and ISB. Feeling confident and in control, according to the soccer team, they seeded first. On the second day however, they failed to play with the same success; they had succumbed to a loss against Canadian Academy, and narrowly tied with WAB. Seeding third, they played against SAS PD. With a score of 3-2, SAS PX advanced to the finals to play against Canadian Academy for a second time. A hard and grueling game, both teams went into penalties after scoring 2 goals each. With a score of 5-4, Canadian Academy won the game. This brought an end to their APAC, one of “beautiful football, unbreakable unity, and unrivaled passion”.
 |
| (photo courtesy of Activities Council) |
Despite both losses in the finals, neither team was discouraged. To the girls’ team, whether it was a loss or a win, “it was done together”. And to the boys, while it was a cruel way to end the season, “it was only the beginning of a new era of Puxi football”. Though this season was disappointing and successful at the same time for both teams, for SAS Soccer, the future is bright.
Luca Lee
