CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – While posting a 12th-place finish in last October’s DODEA-Pacific Far East cross country meet, Cassie Jarzabek said she couldn’t help but admire the race’s overall winner, Jane Williams, of Matthew C. Perry.

“I want to break her records,” Jarzabek said last Oct. 23 at Misawa Air Base, following the 5-kilometer Far East run.

The Humphreys sophomore spent most of the summer at two running camps in Oregon in an effort to improve her running game, and said the takeaways from those camps were “amazing.”

“I learned so much about what it takes to be your best and put it all out there,” Jarzabek said of the Union Athletics Middle-Distance Camp in Newburg and the Bowerman Track Club Camp in Bend. Jarzabek also runs track middle distance for Humphreys.

“I learned in terms of training and race strategies, the tactics of running,” Jarzabek said.

She returns to help lead a Blackhawks cross country team whose girls finished first in the Korea league meet and third in Far East Division I. Humphreys’ boys team was second in Korea and fifth in D-I.

Joining Jarzabek on the girls team is fellow sophomore Annelise Parker and a transfer from Brussels, Belgium, junior Haley Mitchell.

Sophomore Joey Brown captains the Blackhawks’ boys team and is joined by juniors Simon Drinnon and Harper Babb and senior Ethan Flores.

The regular season begins Saturday morning when DODEA-Korea rivals Osan and Daegu converge on Humphreys, along with Gyeonggi Suwon International.

Having strong girls runners isn’t just the province of Humphreys.

A year ago, eighth-grader Charlotte Ng of Osan Middle School went unbeaten in every Korea middle-school race. Ng would have finished in the top 10 in all high school meets, including the league postseason meet, Cougars coach Cornell Jones said.

The lone varsity returner for Osan is Alex Backfish, though Jones said the Cougars should be able to field a full boys lineup, “which is exciting.”

Daegu has but one varsity veteran, Nicholas Faubion, a senior. Four freshman comprise the rest of the Warriors’ team; the only three girls runners are seventh-graders.

Girls volleyball

Much of the team that finished fourth in the Far East Division II tournament last October at Yokota and second in the Korea postseason tournament has graduated, but three of Osan’s key performers return.

And one, senior outside hitter and team captain Clarice Lee, believes her Cougars can equal or better their 2023 finish.

“I think we have a good chance,” Lee said of a return Far East engagement Oct. 17-19 at Yokota. “The team has come so far. I think we’ll improve more.”

Lee is joined by two fellow seniors, setter Hanna Rutland and outside hitter Abigail Elliott. There’s not much height in the Cougar lineup, but Lee said she believes the team can feed off its 2023 finishes.

“It’s about our mentality, how hard we work and how much we want it,” Lee said.

Humphreys is thin on upperclassmen, but coach Randall Sangalli said the complement of players the Blackhawks have – 23 in total – have some volleyball experience. Humphreys took third in the Korea postseason tournament and sixth in Far East Division I on its home court.

“We have very few seniors, but a lot of players who have played,” Sangalli said of a team featuring sophomore outside hitters Caedence Blair and Evelyn Kim, junior setter Mariah Jimenez and promising freshman Lauren Haith.

Senior setters Alissa Cruz and Jaellin Abaya return, along with junior outside Denali Clites.

The PCS Plane helped the Warriors greatly. Abigail Cook, a junior middle, transfers in from Washington, as does sophomore Nari Kim. Freshman outside hitter Aneya Aldan transferred from Saipan, freshman libero Ta’Niyah Peterson comes in from Tennessee and sophomore middle Kay Thomas Glover from Georgia. Junior outside Alice Im comes in from Virginia.

Tennis

A former Guam High Panther has come aboard at Daegu, and in just two weeks, Teagan PenDell has played her way up to the Warriors’ top singles seed.

“She’s amazing,” Daegu’s new coach, Don Park, said of PenDell, a junior who also plays softball. “She can really go far.”

PenDell is joined by a group of Daegu veterans, senior Lara Lerona, junior Irene Won and sophomore Emily Martinez on the girls side, and Evan Son and Max Im, both juniors, on the boys side.

Last year’s Far East D-I team champion Blackhawks return two key components from the boys champion team, seniors Elliott Lee and Dylan Byun. Lee won the doubles and came in second in singles, while Byun won the mixed doubles and took second in boys doubles.

“We have two good new coaches who are really experienced and know what they’re doing,” Lee said of Marco Valdez and Kathleen White. “And we have a really strong roster.”

Other key Humphreys performers will be seniors Jenna Reynolds and Jensen Martin and sophomore Chloe Lee.

Osan has mostly underclassmen, with junior Sophia Clave returning for her third season. Sophomore brothers Hayden and Ian Allibone return, along with juniors Ayden Canizales and Belldandy Lamb and sophomore Grace Kim. Chris Eun, a junior, is back after sitting out last year.

Boys volleyball

The Blackhawks welcome a new coach, Allison Pleskonko, and return a strong senior complement in Jaeten Abraham (outside hitter), Jeremiah Luckie (middle blocker), Dante Waters (libero) and J.J. Maradiaga (setter, right-side hitter).

Seniors also decorate the Cougars’ lineup, M.J. Siebert (outside), Chris Hinchliffe (outside) and junior Joseph Slayton.

Daegu puts a boys team back on the court after not fielding one a season ago.

Junior outside hitter-setter Kayden San Nicolas transfers from Guam, freshman middle Xander Kamaludeen from North Carolina and senior setter-right side hitter Kai Magsakay and sophomore right-side hitter Renz Lactaoen each come from the Philippines.