Overachievers

Max Fields and Erica Hamilton Are Pali High’s Outstanding Senior Athletes

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Being the very best at what they do is a reality Max Fields and Erica Hamilton have accepted with dignity throughout their careers at Palisades High so after being named 2023-24 Palisadian-Post Cup winners May 29 at the school’s annual Senior Awards Banquet in Mercer Hall, both took the news in stride.

This year’s outstanding athletes capped their final prep seasons with microcosms of what they have been doing since they arrived on campus. For Fields, that meant running a personal-best time (9:03.84) in the 3200 meters at the state track and field meet in Clovis last month; for Hamilton that meant burying her penalty kick in the back of the net in a shootout in the City Division I soccer semifinals in March.   

Fields has been the backbone of the Dolphins’ cross country and track programs for three years, winning four individual section titles, being runner-up in three other finals and leading his team to three straight cross country championships.

In a nutshell, Hamilton enjoyed the greatest offensive season ever  by a girls soccer player at Palisades, shattering the school records for goals (33) and points (71) this winter.

When they showed up for a photo shoot at lunchtime one week before graduation they compared their gold trophies and reminisced about days gone by. They took different paths to be sure, but ultimately ended up with the same prize. Both reside in Westwood and the two have known one another since kindergarten at Warner Avenue Elementary. They even played for the same soccer club (then called LA Breakers) for many years until Fields dropped the sport. They were in two of the same classes this year, AP Literature and macroeconomics, and both have weighted GPAs above 4.0.

Fields (whose dad works in the aerospace industry) is headed to the Air Force Academy, an elite NCAA Division I  program, and  reports to Colorado Springs on June 26 for six weeks of basic training. Hamilton will continue her soccer career at Macalester College, a Division III school in St. Paul, Minnesota where she will be joined by one of her best friends and Dolphins teammate Kyra Morris. Practice starts August 17.

“I did a general and broad search of colleges and teams and coincidentally came across the Academy,” said Fields, majoring in chemistry but hoping to explore the field of laser communications. “I didn’t know what it was until my junior year but I made up for that after doing research while narrowing my search. Once I took my official visit there I knew it was somewhere I could excel despite the extra rigors presented. There was a culture of excellence and camaraderie on the team that I identified with and I knew it was a prestigious school that would afford me many opportunities.”

Hamilton, who has begun playing with a semi-pro team for high school seniors and college freshman, will study psychology and aspires to work in the CIA or FBI.

“I picked Macalester because I wanted to go to a high academic, liberal arts school but also have access to a city,” she said. “Mac fit all those boxes! Kyra was the one who introduced me to the school and the head coach. All the amazing things she said about it were all true!

After seeing his freshman season canceled because of COVID, Fields won the City cross country title for the first time as a sophomore and won it again as a junior. He tried to become the first three-time champion at Pierce College in the fall but ran a subpar race and settled for second. However, he helped the Dolphins set a new a team time standard of 1:17:21.11, breaking the record of 1:17:42.8 held by Belmont’s 1997 squad, and paced the Dolphins to fourth in Division I at the state meet in Fresno. On the track, Fields was second to teammate Lucas Schriver in the City 3200 finals as a freshman, won it as a sophomore and was the runner-up to teammate Owen Lewicky in 2023 after getting sick the night before. He won the eight-lapper for a second time May 17 at El Camino College and Pali High track coach Rob Hockley was pleased to see a healthy Fields finish his senior year strong.    

“Max left an indelible mark on the Pali program,” Hockley said. “He was a catalyst for elevating those around him, including my coaching skills and the whole team. He was unfortunate to have battled sickness on a few untimely occasions but was resilient and determined to overcome it and continue. He has a lot of untapped potential and the chance to improve greatly in college.” 

Asked what race meant the most to him as a member of the Dolphins, Fields cited the 2023 CIF state cross country finals: “I ran slower than the year prior but it was a testament to what I’d been working for, having a team that shared my values by my side. Ever since my freshman year I dreamed of making NXN and I thought I had a good chance individually but I always knew I’d rather make it with my team. I felt terrible and was running off of fumes as I’d been plagued with injury and illness that postseason but to cross the line and look for my guys only to see them right behind me was close to a fever dream. I balled my eyes out for a while realizing I could’ve been the difference to get us to NXN but everyone got me to calm down and I now can look back and take in the fact that we went from placing second to last in 2021, refreshing the varsity roster, then putting ourselves in the mix to get sixth in the merge. We were the top team not to medal because we were in Division I but I think I it’s fitting and a testament to the team. Now the guys have that chip on their shoulders as they carry on the legacy in the years to come.”

Hamilton needed only 17 games to break the school record of 27 goals in 20 games set by Kathryn Gaskin in 2009-10, doing so in a three-goal effort Jan. 31 versus league rival LACES that pushed her season total to 28. She went on to tally five more, including all four in a playoff victory against Venice, and averaged 1.6 per game. She graduated with a three-year total of 66 goals in only 49 career games (she did not play as a ninth-grader) and kicked her team to three City semifinal appearances.     

“All of the games were memorable to me, especially this year as a senior,” Hamilton said. “However, one game that will always be with me is the game where I broke the single-season goal record. At that moment I had no idea that the goal I just scored was the one to put me ahead. I remember it going past the keeper’s hands and me celebrating to myself but then all my teammates started cheering and running to me. That game is very memorable to me and I will never forget the cheers and applause from the stands, my coach, and my teammates. It was a surreal moment I will never forget.”

Although Hamilton is hesitant to talk about herself, her game speaks volumes, as do the people who are proud to share the field with her.

Pali High head coach Christian Chambers had a lot to say in praise of his star striker, the first soccer player to win the Post Cup since Kaitlyn Parcell in 2016: “Erica was one of the standout players on our team this season and has been for the past three years. She was not only a prolific scorer but displayed exceptional team spirit and natural leadership. Her keen eye for the goal, ability to finish with both feet and remarkable speed made her a constant threat to opposing defenses. Beyond her impressive statistics, she is celebrated for her unwavering commitment to her team. Whether orchestrating plays or providing encouragement, her leadership on and off the field was a huge factor in our success. Her positive attitude and dedication inspired her teammates, fostering a cohesive and motivated squad. Erica’s combination of skill, sportsmanship and leadership sets her apart as a role model for all future players at Palisades.”

Sharing her coach’s sentiments was Dolphins senior goalkeeper Jacinda Hevesy-Rodriguez, who received her diploma last Thursday a minute after her teammate: “Playing with Erica for the last three years has been so incredibly fun. She’s such a talented player who really gives 100 percent effort each game and she’s also one of the funniest people I’ve met. She made practices and games so fun because she has the best positive spirit!”

Fields is the second distance runner to claim the school’s highest athletic honor in as many years, following in the footsteps of girls captain Ava Baak last spring. The last male distance runner to hoist the Cup was Grant Stromberg in 2012.

 “Winning this prestigious award and learning how rich in tradition it is I can say it’s an honor,” Fields said prior to boarding a plane Tuesday for the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Oregon. “It’s the cherry on top of what I’ve been able to do at Pali and it’s nice knowing people appreciate what I was doing even if that attention’s not what I was looking for.”

Hamilton was both surprised and humbled.

“This award means everything to me,” she said. “I’m so grateful I was chosen to receive it. I’m honored I got to represent the girls soccer team on a school-wide level as I feel as though this team is one of the best at Pali High.”