Olivia Okamoto (senior) is currently the lacrosse team’s leading scorer and has been on All-SCIAC teams from 2023–2025. An attacker from Redmond, WA, Okamoto said she is striving to leave an impact on her younger teammates as she prepares to graduate.
“We’re a younger team with a lot of people still building their confidence and figuring out their role on the team,” Okamoto said. “I just wanted to be a leader in that sense, and help people figure out what they want to excel in, and how they contribute to the team and help build their confidence.”
Okamoto said she hopes to spend her final season enjoying the game and taking in the friendships she has formed on the lacrosse team, while also embracing her role as a senior leader and captain.
“We play our best when we’re having fun,” Okamoto said. “I think taking that leadership role helps me too, because a lot of the younger players look to me for what to do on the field. So that ends up [being] how I score goals and assists.”
According to Sierra Slack ‘18, the head coach of the lacrosse team, Okamoto has grown as a voice on offensive plays, and has learned how to become a triple threat: a dodger, cutter and feeder.
“I admire that Liv goes after her goals and, more than that, she’s not afraid to bring others into that plan,” Slack said. “It takes fire, motivation and guts to accomplish all she has in her time here at Oxy. Her statistics are a byproduct of living out those qualities everyday.”
Slack said the lacrosse team has invested a lot of time into improving their lacrosse IQ and setting intentions, while improving their ability to switch from offense to defense.
“It’s been incredible, [Okamoto] has improved every single year that she’s been here,” Slack said. “This year, we really invested a lot of time into our re-defend, and she sets the example in that. I can credit her for our ride — I get a lot of compliments on it.”
Okamoto said she feels her work ethic is one of her main strengths as an athlete.
“I’m a person that will go early and stay late after practices to do wall ball, get extra reps in and stay and talk with my coach about what I can do to get better,” Okamoto said. “I’m always pushing myself to be the best I can be, and to hit my full potential.”
Jack Yurich
Jack Yurich (sophomore) helped secure a win for the tennis team over Colby College March 23 after coming from behind in his singles match and scoring a service winner. The final score was 4-3, Occidental.
“I lost the first set 6-3 […] and I really wanted to win, so I knew I had to come back,” Yurich said. “I ended up playing a lot better in the second set, and won 6-2. Then I was down 3-5 in the third set […] I was like, ‘Oh, I really have to lock in.’”
According to Yurich, the men’s tennis team started their season with some losses to teams they felt they should have beaten, teams they have historically won against.
“I lost some matches early in the season […] winning this [match] sets a turning point for the team, because we’re going into SCIACs now,” Yurich said. “Now we have a lot more motivation and [an understanding] that we can hang with these teams that are ranked.”
According to men’s tennis associate head coach Jackson Frons, Yurich is enrolled in a lot of hard courses and performs well in the classroom while also competing on the court.
“I think for everyone as a college athlete, it’s a challenge to manage school, other commitments and tennis, but [Jack does] a really good job,” Frons said.
Yurich said he strives to create a positive atmosphere for the team because he finds that mental toughness within one player can influence the whole team.
“I never get upset, I never get frustrated, ” Yurich said. “I think that mentality helps the team, because tennis is an individual sport. You’re out there alone, but at the same time, when you’re looking around, you’re seeing all your teammates.”
Frons said Yurich came to Occidental with a big serve and strong forehand, but has rounded out his game during his first two seasons.
“I think for all of our younger guys, the sky’s really the limit,” Frons said. “I just hope [Yurich] continues to grow and compete, and I think he’s going to be a huge part of what we’re building with the tennis program here.”
According to Yurich, the team’s main goal is to earn a spot in the SCIAC tournament as the 2026 regular season comes to an end. At the end of the 2024–2025 season, the men’s tennis team came in fifth, and the top four teams moved on to the tournament.
“I think in the next two years, we’re really trying to make it in the top four,” Yurich said. “It would be huge, because the teams in our conference are all ranked in the top 40, so it’s all really solid tennis. That’s the main goal.”
Contact Quinn Sumerlin at sumerlin@oxy.edu and Abigail Montopoli at montopoli@oxy.edu
