Athletics News, May 16, 2014
ATTENTION ALL SPRING VARSITY PLAYERS AND PARENTS:
The Athletic Awards' Evening is on Tuesday, May 27th. The format for the evening will provide meaningful time for coaches to speak, present awards, and provide more intimate environment for the players, coaches, and parents.
5:30-6:50 p.m. - Players, Coaches, and Parents will meet in the assigned area for dinner (as in the past organized by the team parents). Each player will be presented with their Varsity letter or plaque and the coaches will summarize the season in addition to highlight the athletes.
7:00-8:00pm - All varsity teams will move to the Performing Arts Center, where presentations will be made for 3 Sport Varsity Athletes, 12 Varsity US seasons, All League and Honorable Mention awards, and the Wildcat and Coaches Awards.
Varsity team dinner/presentation locations:
Boys Lax: Athletic Center MPR
Track and Field: US Dining Room
Softball: Lower Level Lounge (Pinkham Building)
Tennis: Main Level Lounge (Pinkham Building)
Boys Golf: Athletic Center Observation Room 1
Girls Golf: Athletic Center Observation Room 2
Baseball: Library
Sailing: AC1
Girls Lax: LS Dining Room
JUNE CAMPS! Attention All Students in Grades 8 Through 11: Information on June Camps (June 9 - 13) is available on the RCDS website on the Athletics homepage or click here. It is a great chance to receive some excellent coaching in preparation for next year’s seasons. To register for any of the June Camps offerings, go to the parent portal.
RCDS Squash Program: Spring and Summer Schedule Read the flier
For more information contact Alex at Alex_Langerhorst@ryecountryday.org.
Varsity Baseball: The team finished its regular season strong on Saturday, avenging an early season loss to KING with a resounding 17-2 victory to finish FAA play in a tie for third place at 7-5. Freshman Enzo Stefanoni earned his sixth victory with 5 innings of 2 hit baseball. Junior Luke Cappellano had a career day, going 4-4 with 4 doubles and 5 RBI, including 2 shots off the wall in left at RCDS. Junior Liam Dalton went 2-3 on the day with 3 RBI, and junior Erik Hanson had a 2-run double for the Wildcats. Sophomore Cameron Kinder had a pinch hit RBI double, his first varsity hit, and junior Joshua Rivera drove in a run, his first RBI at the varsity level. After losing a coin-flip to KING, the Wildcats (10-7) entered the FAA tournament with the #4 seed and a home game against Hopkins, which took place on Tuesday, May 13. RCDS had defeated Hopkins in their previous two meetings, but just snuck by their young talented team, 8-7, in their last meeting. Enzo Stefanoni took the start for the Wildcats and worked four innings, surrendering just two first inning runs. Trailing 2-0, RCDS clawed back with one in the first and 1 in the third. Sophomore Billy Grossman came in from the pen to work a strong fifth inning on the mound. In the bottom of the fifth, senior Peter Shu doubled, junior Matt Webster hit an RBI single, and Luke Cappellano smoked an RBI double to put RCDS up 4-2. Senior ace Tyler Fernandez entered the game in the sixth on the mound, and dominated, striking out five in two innings to earn the save. Billy Grossman got the win. The Wildcats will travel to Hamden Hall on Wednesday to battle the #1 seed for a chance to play in the FAA championship on Friday. Saturday, May 17, marks the beginning of the NYSAISAA Tournament, another 3-round, single elimination tournament, consisting of the top private school programs from the greater NYC area. The RCDS Baseball Program was honored to receive the #2 seed in the tournament, behind Poly Prep, the two-time reigning champion, and ahead of Berkeley Carroll, last year’s #1 seed. We will host the winner of Trinity and Birch Wathen Lenox, on Saturday at 11 a.m. Come out and support your Wildcats!!
Girls' Varsity Golf: The team added two more victories during the week that ended on May 10. With one more week remaining, our record stands at 5-2 in the FAA and 7-3 overall. On Monday May 5, the team played Convent of the Sacred Heart at Apawamis CC and won 3-2. The matches were very close and exciting, perhaps due to our fresh and adventurous lineup thanks to the AP exam schedule. Senior captain Summer Kitahara led the team as the number-one player. Her match against the CSH number one proved to be tough, and she and her opponent played all 9 holes, mostly tying par for par. Her score was an awesome 38, which sealed a win. The number- two and three players, junior Kate Weiss and freshman Mackenzie Martin, both won, netting us 2 more points. The number-four player was sophomore Sarah Loewentheil, number-five player was sophomore Kimi Spilo, and freshman Natalie Alpert was the exhibition player. On Wednesday May 7, we played Holy Child at Westchester CC and won 4-1. Despite the score, it was actually a precarious win, with two out of five of our players tying. Our number-one and number-two players, senior captain Summer Kitahara and junior Kate Weiss, won handily with 4 and 5 holes to go. Then the number-three and four players, junior Emily Gorin and freshman Mackenzie Martin, both tied after strong nine holes. Freshman Natalie Alpert, playing number 5 (and playing for point for the first time!), was tied all the way until the 8th hole, which she won. By this time, it was getting dark and the wind had picked up. She was up one going into the final hole, and tied the hole, winning a point for the team. Our number-six and exhibition player was sophomore Nicole Schumaker.
Boys' Varsity Lacrosse: Going into the last three games of the regular season, the coaches knew these games would prove a challenge. Millbrook came first, and the boys came out flying. We went up 5-0 and ended the first half 8-1. The offense click on all cylinders, and the defense played a great team concept. Dylan Bass led the way with six points, and Will Halloran added 5 points. Matt Farber was excellent against Millbrook's talented attackmen, and Michael Farber ended the game with 18 saves, several being spectacular. This victory gave us the regular season WNESSLA Division II title. Next up was Rye High School. This game is always one that gets circled at the beginning of the season. After a slow start with several unforced errors, we played a much better second half. I was very proud of the team's effort and the fight that they showed. Andrew Antonacci was awesome on defense, as he did a great job running with Rye's best player. Finally, Hackley came to town on Tuesday. We were excited for this game, as it afforded us the opportunity to get back on track. Unfortunately, we came out flat, made too many errors on offense and defense, and got dominated at the face-off x. The good news is that we might see them again in the NYSAIS tournament, which starts tomorrow at 11 a.m.
Girls' Varsity Lacrosse: The team ended the season with a much-needed win against a strong WNEPSA team. On Saturday, the girls' traveled to Millbrook and won 11-10. The Wildcats came out strong, dominating draw control, implementing a new play, and capturing some keys saves from Charlotte Fleishman in goal. Kathleen Curtin scored a beautiful goal off a roll, after receiving a picture perfect pass from Taylor Regan. Maddy Cooper and Zoe Verni had some terrific double teams, while Ciara Clare came up with some outstanding checks. It was a close game throughout and the score at halftime was RCDS 7 Millbrook 6. The Wildcats were able to maintain the lead the entire game until 11:37 left in the game. Millbrook scored a goal to put them up 9-8. Julia Massaro gained draw control, which was a critical possession. Sam Kost then put one past the goalie to tie the game 9-9. Within minutes, Zoe Verni then scored off an assist from Taylor Regan putting the Wildcats up 10-9. Millbrook muscled back and scored to again tie the game 10-10. With 1:58 left in the game, Taylor Regan scored on an 8-meter shot to put the Wildcats up by one. The Wildcats then secured the win by maintaining possession until time expired. The girls' lacrosse team will spend the week preparing for the NYSAISAA tournament. The pairings will be announced on Wednesday. The first game is at 11 a.m., on Saturday.
Varsity Sailing: The team finished up the season by finishing first of eleven teams at the NYISA-SE Fleet Racing Invitational at the Waterfront Center in Oyster Bay, Long Island, on Saturday, May 10. Jack Parkin, Hannah van der Vord, and Max Pil combined for a strong effort in A Division, and Cooper Yeager, Ruthie Reynolds, Allie Conn, and Hugh Reynolds won three of six races in B Division on the road to victory. Andy Rochat demonstrated great sportsmanship in volunteering to skipper for a team that was a sailor short due to injury. The team missed Haley Shea and Kyle Hanlon, who were unable to make the regatta but had supported the team with their spirit throughout the season. The team looks to continue this success next year, though seniors Allie Conn and Kyle Hanlon will be missed. Allie and Kyle were true team players for four years, willing to do whatever was needed and supporting their teammates on and off the water.
Varsity Softball: The Softball team has improved to 10-2 after winning 3 games last week. In our game vs. King, our defense was solid, making it very difficult for King to score. In the 5-3 victory, Jess Grasso and Hailey Nicholson had 2 hits apiece. Sydney Ginsberg and Maria McEnroe each added a double. Jess Cordiano's speed caused havoc on the bases. Melanie Mandell’s reputation of throwing runners out from center field continues to keep them at 3rd. Micki Carver scattered 6 hits, striking out 3 and walking 2. In our 17-1 victory vs. Masters, we pounded out 19 hits, which included a home run from Sydney Ginsberg and triples from Melanie Mandel and Nereida Mendez. Sydney Ginsberg and Melanie Mandell also had 3 RBI each. Micki Carver remains solid on the mound allowing 4 hits and striking out 5.
We honored our seniors following our last home game vs. Hackley. All 3 seniors did not disappoint. Senior Sydney Ginsberg hit a grand slam, senior Lily Velona also homered, and senior Jess Grasso added 2 RBI to go along with an over the shoulder catch to end the game. Maria McEnroe tripled, and Nereida Mendez added 2 RBI. We are currently 6-1 in the FAA and we are anxiously awaiting the pairings for the NYSAIS Tournament with hopes to host a game this Saturday at 11 a.m.
Boys' Varsity Tennis: The team had a very busy and successful week with three matches against, Fieldston, St. Luke’s, and King, winning all three. On Monday, the team beat Fieldston 5-0 with impressive wins in singles by Bo Curry, Sam Hearst, and Lucas Biondi. In doubles, Paul Leake / Teddy Tananbaum, and Ryan Sobel and Jonathan Faxon each had solid wins. On Wednesday, the team traveled to the St. Luke’s School and won this FAA match 4-3. Again Sam Hearst, Lucas Biondi, and Teddy Tananbaum had singles matches, while the doubles team of Nick Wilmer and John Spanos finished up with a win to solidify the match. On Friday, the team ended its FAA match play with a 6-1 win against the King School. Once again, Bo Curry, Sam Hearst, and Lucas Biondi won their singles matches while John Spanos / Ryan Zeplin and Nick Wilmer / Daniel Tanenbaum won their tie breakers to ice the match. This week, the team ends its season on Tuesday with a match against the Hackley School.
Boys' Varsity Track and Field: Qualified members of the boys' team competed at the Glenn D. Loucks Games at White Plains HS over a three-day span. On Thursday, the Frosh/Soph relay team of sophomores Kyle Eagan, Jimmy Sandling, and freshmen Jared Jones and Felipe Gomez finished in a very respectable 7th place. They ran a very spirited race where 2 of the 4 runners ran their fastest split times of the season. On Friday, we participated in the varsity 4x400 relay where seniors Kevin Collado, Tyler Kaye, sophomore Jimmy Sandling, and freshman Jared Jones ran to a school record time, eclipsing the team of 2012 time by more than two seconds. Their efforts put the team in 3rd place in their heat and 9th place overall. Jimmy Sandling and Jared Jones also competed in the 100-meter dash, and both posted decent times. On Saturday morning, the 4x800 meter relay team of seniors Tyler Kaye, Kevin Collado, Jelani Denis, and sophomore David Townley ran to a school record and eclipsed 9:00 minutes for the first time in program history. This is a feat that this team has been trying to accomplish for a long time now, and it has finally been done. Not to be outdone was the B - team of junior Leo Gomez, and sophomores Jonathan (JJ) Shulman, Jackson Adler, and Jared Yanis, where three of the relay members ran their personal best times. Tyler Kaye, Jimmy Sandling, and Jared Jones also competed in the 200-meter dash, where they all posted season best times just in time for seeding for the post season. The fellas had a great day and look forward to the upcoming County Meet and the NYSAIS Championship.
Girls' Varsity Track and Field: Qualified members of the girls' team competed at the Glenn D. Loucks Games at White Plains HS over a three-day span. On Thursday, the Frosh/Soph relay team of sophomores Jinjer Pearce, Catherine Walker, Charlotte Boehning, and freshman Catherine Kimmel finished in 4th place and medalled. This is the second year in a row that the girls' 4x400 relay team stood on the podium. On Friday, we participated in the varsity 4x400 relay, where sophomores Sabrina Piccinini, Charlotte Boehning, junior Caroline Kimmel, and freshman Catherine Kimmel ran valiantly to run a respectable time and finish 5th in their heat. On Saturday morning, the 4x800 meter relay team of junior Acacia Dougan, sophomore Jinjer Pearce, and freshmen Sarah Vumbacco and Kasey Luo crushed the school record and ran a great time of 10:48.2 seconds to finish 3rd in their heat. The goal of the day was to run under 11 minutes, and the ladies crushed it. Individually, Jinjer Pearce ran the 400-meter dash in a career and school best 58.06 and has the top time in NYSAIS and the 3rd best time in Westchester County. She is currently in the top 25 in all of New York State. Fellow sophomore Catherine Walker ran the 400 IH and ran a good race to set her up for the NYSAIS meet. The ladies had a great day and looked forward to the upcoming County Meet and the NYSAIS Championship.
