During the 2023-2024 athletic year, Pleasant Valley girls athletics claimed three state titles and an immense number of first-team all-state awards. Both values reach far beyond those of the rest of the state.
The reputations of all PVHS female athletic teams have grown exponentially in the past decade. Pleasant Valley has primarily been known for their boys wrestling, football, soccer and baseball teams, but as of lately, girls athletics have run the show.
In the past five years, PV boys athletics has collected state titles—from the 2021 boys baseball team and back-to-back state titles from the soccer team. Girls athletics racked up the same amount in the last year alone. Clearly, PV girls have been on a tear.
While some of the recent success can be attributed to the rise in popularity of girls travel sports, PV manages to stand out from the rest of the state as well. Rather than being known for just a certain handful of girls sports, PV dominantes in all. Track, basketball, softball, golf and volleyball have all recorded their own state titles as of late.
There are a multitude of reasons for the recent success, but senior varsity basketball and volleyball player Reese O’Donnell has some ideas for what exactly makes PV stand out. “PV girl athletics are so successful because we have such a large amount of solid athletes. We are so deep in every sport. There is not just one star player, there’s many good athletes to count on who show up and play for their team and school,” O’Donnell stated.
The recent success has been valuable for those a part of the teams but has also provided potential opportunities for other female athletes in the area. “I transferred because I saw the consistent success in every girls sport and I knew that was something I wanted to be a part of,” senior transfer Stella Smith said.
Putting on a PV jersey has a new meaning due to the recent success. “Being a state champion and getting to represent PV shows how much hard work and effort that we put into our sport and how dedicated we are to our team. Getting to represent your school as the best in the state is something that every athlete strives for, so it is a huge accomplishment,” O’Donnell said.
PV’s girls athletics are far above and beyond those of the rest of the state. PV girls volleyball and cross country are currently ranked number one and two in the state, respectively, as they strive to continue the trend of unrivaled success.
