Jack Elfenbaum
Jack Elfenbaum (senior) placed 4th at the Men’s Open 8K at the UC Riverside cross country invitationals Sept. 19, with a time of 24:33.7. Last season, Elfenbaum placed in the top half of the NCAA Championships and received First-Team All-SCIAC honors at the SCIAC Championships.
Elfenbaum said he is grateful for his four years spent with the cross country team and that the sport taught him resilience and commitment.
“Your entire career culminates in your senior year, and so it’s kind of surreal that it’s finally arrived,” Elfenbaum said. “The first three years, you’re not really focused on, ‘What am I gonna wish I did,’ but now it’s the last chance I have to do whatever I want to do here.”
According to Elfenbaum, he started running in middle school with a group of friends and continued through high school and college. Elfenbaum said he aims to qualify for nationals, and the cross country team is looking for a top three team score in the SCIAC conference rankings.
“[Running in middle school and high school] cemented my love of the sport,” Elfenbaum said. “It’s really made me think a lot about what the team means to me and what I want to leave in terms of my legacy and the team’s legacy.”
Cross country head coach Robert Bartlett said Elfenbaum has been working hard his entire collegiate career.
“He’s gotten better every year as a result of his growth mindset, [through] his willingness to keep the humility to self-analyze and see where his room for growth is,” Bartlett said.
Men’s cross country runner Finlay McAfee (senior) said Elfenbaum is a great teammate who dedicates every day to getting better.
“He’s the type of person who really pays attention to small things like sleeping [and] eating right, all the things that makes him the best athlete he could possibly be in this sport,” McAfee said. “A lot of people on the team admire him for how much he works and how much he puts into this sport.”
Teammate Samuel Nussbaum (senior) said Elfenbaum is a close friend, housemate and model student-athlete.
“His passion for things he cares about just shows through, whether it’s in sport, physics, how much he loves the environment or how much he loves the U.S.,” Nussbaum said. “Everyone on the team, whether they’re an underclassman or a senior, looks up to him a lot — not just in terms of performance, but also who he is as a person.”
Alessia Sacchi
Midfielder Alessia Sacchi (senior) scored the game-winning goal against LaVerne Sept. 16, leading the team to a 2-1 victory. The women’s soccer team’s triumph over LaVerne marks their first SCIAC win this season.
Women’s soccer head coach Lydia Mitchell said Sacchi is not just a great soccer player, but an example for her teammates.
“Sacchi getting Athlete of the Week is a testament to her strengths both on the field and off the field,” Mitchell said. “The way that she shows up for her teammates, and how she fully puts herself in the game — that’s something she should be really proud of.”
Mitchell said she appreciates the team’s culture of hard work and grit.
“The game at LaVerne was our first conference matchup and we were hungry for a win, to say the least,” Mitchell said. “Alessia certainly showed up, but collectively as a team we also showed up really well.”
Sacchi said she wants to make the most of her senior season.
“My mindset has shifted since being a freshman,” Sacchi said. “Now I really like to prioritize team culture, my relationships with everyone, and just contribute to a positive environment. This has been one of my favorite seasons so far.”
Defender Reagan Seelhorst (senior) said Sacchi is a hard worker and an important asset to the team.
“It’s been really fun to see her grow every year and come into more of a leadership position,” Seelhorst said. “As seen by her performance in the last few weeks, she’s a really strong midfielder and moves the ball really well for us.”
According to Seelhorst, Sacchi is part of the women’s soccer’s leadership group. Seelhorst said she and Sacchi watch over their family, a group of six girls within the team.
“We do check-ins and have responsibilities on the field, making sure that we’re always setting a good example and holding people accountable,” Seelhorst said.
Sacchi said she hopes the underclassmen on the soccer team will remember to not get caught up in the moment and to constantly remind themselves of how they got to this point.
“Remember why you started playing in the first place, why you keep playing and what brought you here to Oxy and just life in general,” Sacchi said.
Contact Vivian Pei at vpei@oxy.edu
