Louisville's athletic history: past and present

Kelsey Phillip '25

Design Editor

February 23 and 24 marked two momentous days in our school's history. On Friday, we hosted our first Women Who Shaped the World Symposium and our soccer team won the CIF city championship, and on Saturday, our basketball team won their CIF championship and we inducted our first class of athletic hall of famers. With so many Louisville alumna already in town to speak at the symposium, it only seemed right to organize an event to honor them and their remarkable accomplishments before, during and after their time at Louisville. 

Of course, the night started off with calling some attention to Louisville’s thirteenth and fourteenth CIF championships with a special cameo from 3x CIF champion Miye Kodama ‘24. 

The first inductee was former volleyball player Jasmine Burton’13. She was on the All-CIF-Southern Section championship team in 2013 and earned offensive MVP as a junior, as well as team MVP as a senior. Her lasting mark as a Louisville volleyball player was starting our Dig Pink games, which have been instrumental in raising money for breast cancer. 

The next inductee was former track and field runner Elizabeth Olear ‘06, , who is honored in the pavilion with her retired jersey. She is a 7x CIF-SS Champion for the 100m and 200m dash, along with the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. She was accompanied by her family, including her 3-week-old newborn and her toddler. 

Shaluinn Fullove was a part of our 1995 CIF state championship-winning cross country team and was a 1996 track and field champion for the 800m and 1600m events before graduating that spring. Her name is proudly featured on the banner in St. Louis hall next to the scoreboard, along with her retired jersey in the pavilion. Following her high school success, Fullove went on to continue running and attended Stanford University. 

Marinella Cruz from the class of 1986 played for the league championship-winning basketball team and was Louisville’s first League MVP for basketball. Her daughters gave a speech on their moms achievements off the court. Nicolle Aston ’13 also wore the same number as her mom for basketball, and their jersey is retired in the athletic pavilion. 

Next up was Anne Forster ’83, who set the school record for the 100m butterfly. She was also a part of the 4x100 record freestyle relay until it was broken recently by members of our 2023 swim team at the new aquatics center. Forester went on to work in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and received the Secretary’s award in 2008 

The last individual honoree was Pat Baker, who served as longtime cheer coach for the Crespi Cheer program and coached a Louisville team from 1990-1999. She was honored with a speech by her assistant coach and Louisville alumna, Marissa Francino ’94, mother of Bianca Francino ’25. She was accompanied by former cheerleaders and students. 

The last inductees were the members of the 1974-75 championship-winning volleyball team. Although not all of them were able to be present, Ms. Hyman gave the speech in honor of her sister who coached the team. 

The night was filled with many fond memories, adding to the cherished moments that the inductees will hold from their time at Louisville. Congratulations to all of the inductees, and may there be many more to come.