The San Diego Mesa College women's badminton program has steadily risen into one of the top programs in the state, and much of that success can be credited to the work of head coach June Andrews and assistant coach Thai Lay. What they have built over the last several years has transformed the Olympians into legitimate state title contenders, and this year, that work earned them the opportunity to compete for a championship against powerhouse De Anza College.
The rise of the program did not happen overnight. A few years ago, Mesa finished the 2021-22 season with a 2-6 record. Since then, they have steadily improved each season, posting a 10-2 finish in 2023-24, an 8-4 record in 2024-25, and an undefeated 8-0 mark this year while capturing the conference title.
In badminton, recruiting committed athletes can be difficult. The challenge is not only finding players, but also attracting student-athletes who play outside of official practice and dual matches. Programs gain that type of commitment by building trust, structure, and a strong culture. High powered badminton players want to join programs that know how to support them, develop them, and put them in position to succeed. Andrews has created exactly that environment at Mesa.
Under her watch, the program has gained a reputation throughout the badminton community for its organization, competitiveness, and player development. Athletes and parents talk, and the steady influx of players into the program reflects the confidence people have in what Mesa has built.
The Olympians arrived in Cupertino knowing they had an opportunity to challenge the state's most dominant program. There was excitement, confidence, and belief, but there was also the reality of playing in a difficult road environment against a championship-tested team. As expected, the crowd strongly favored De Anza and created a loud, intense atmosphere throughout the match.
Despite the incredible effort, De Anza defended its home court and defeated Mesa 11-6, claiming another state championship.
"The crowd definitely played a role in the match," Andrews said. "They were loud and energetic, exactly what you would expect from a great home crowd. Some of our players had never experienced that kind of atmosphere before, and I think they felt the pressure because they wanted this win so badly. But even with that, we gave everything we had, and I could not be more proud of this team."
Mesa battled evenly with De Anza early in the match. After the opening round of singles play, the teams were tied 3-3. However, the momentum shifted when De Anza captured four of the next five singles matches to take control of the championship.
De Anza is the standard in California badminton. Every program in the state has been chasing them, and their success validates why they remain the dominant force. The championship this season marked the program's sixth state title, including back-to-back championships in 2013-14, 2022-23, and now again in 2025-26.
The Olympians will return much of their roster next season. The program will lose only two players, Christina Nguyen and Alexa Izazaga-Salas, while seven players are expected to return.
"It was a great season," Andrews said. "We hope to be back in the state finals again next year."
Although the team fell short, the season was a major step forward for the program. The trajectory of the program continues to point upward and the gap between contender and champion continues to narrow.
3C2A Championships Final Results
De Anza (Coast Conference) 11 vs. San Diego Mesa (South Coast Conference) 6
First Round Singles
Karina Chow (De Anza) d. Anna Heiner-Moeller (Mesa), 21-13, 22-24, 21-15
Makayla Than (De Anza) d. Yumi Nguyen (Mesa), 21-17, 21-13
Trang Tran (Mesa) d. Hayden Ky (De Anza), 21-18, 13-21, 21-18
Christian Nguyen (Mesa) d. Lindsey Le (De Anza), 27-25, 21-8
Risa Ohara (De Anza) d. Alexa Izazaga-Salas (Mesa), 21-5, 21-10
Crystal Micu (Mesa) d. Teresa Wan (De Anza), 21-19, 21-15
First Round Doubles
Karina Chow/Makayla Than (De Anza) d. Anna Heiner-Moeller/Christina Nguyen (Mesa), 21-8, 21-9
Yumi Nguyen/Trang Tran (Mesa) d. Lindsey Le/Risa Ohara (De Anza), 24-22, 21-19
Hayden Ky/Teresa Wan (De Anza) d. Crystal Micu/Alexa Izazaga-Salas (Mesa), 21-9, 21-18
Second Round Singles
Chow d. Y. Nguyen, 21-17, 21-19
Than d. Heiner-Moeller, 21-9, 21-16
C. Nguyen d. Ky, 21-16, 21-19
Le d. Tran, 21-9, 21-13
Ohara d. Micu, 21-15, 21-10
Wan d. Izazaga-Salas, 21-12, 21-13