Female athletes add another element
Gwendolyn Warren, Staff Writer
Female athletes are not often highlighted on their fields, but, with Women’s History Month, it’s important to acknowledge the dedicated women who have led their teams to victory. Mattea Sokolow (’23) and Cleo Topp (’25) have devoted their time and training to becoming the best athlete they can be.
Sokolow, who has been swimming all four years of high school, has committed to University of Michigan’s DI swim program as a junior. Sokolow expresses how her world revolves around the water.
“This commitment means a lot to me because I spend almost all my time outside of school focusing on swimming and have always had big goals. Since I was younger, I have strived to be the best I could be and I love the feeling of pushing myself as hard as I can,” Sokolow said.
Her swim journey started at the age of seven and, throughout those years, high achieving women athletes have been her role models.
“I have always looked up to Katie Ledecky, a swimmer who has been at the top since I was younger than 10. I also look up to Mikaela Shiffrin because, after learning about the story of her dad dying and her still deciding to pursue skiing, I realized not everyone has the strength to persevere through something like that,” Sokolow said.
Sokolow is impacted by athletes that never give up on their passion. Through inevitable obstacles, those athletes inspired her, still sticking with her as she continued her swim journey in college.
Being a freshman can be intimidating, particularly when you join a new team with new teammates and coaches. However, Cleo Topp expresses her love for running based on the positive impact she gets from her community.
“The Samo team has given me a really good sense of community with lots of new friends and experiences that extend into other areas of my life, not just track. I definitely look up to Coach Fischer and the team captains a lot. They set a great example for what it means to be a runner and part of the team as well,” Topp said.
During her time as a Samo athlete Topp has truly shined. She has consistently placed at the top of her races and, according to an anonymous captain of the boys’ track team, beat his time from his sophomore year as only a freshman!
Cleo Topp smiles as she leads the pack during her three-mile race at Mt. Sac Invitational on Oct. 23, 2021.