Athletics News for the week of February 9 - 15, 2013

Presentation for Award Recognition for JV and Varsity Winter Athletes:

WINTER JV ATHLETES: JV Coaches will hold a recognition meeting at the completion of the season with the players. At this time, all players will be presented with a "JV Letter" and Presentation by the Coaches. This meeting is mandatory and the final commitment to the season.

WINTER VARSITY ATHLETES: The Winter Athletic Awards' Evening is on Thursday, March 7. The format has been slightly adjusted from last year to provide meaningful time for coaches to speak, present awards, and provide a more intimate environment for the players, coaches, and parents.
5:30-6:50pm: Players, Coaches, and Parents will meet in a previously assigned area for dinner (as in the past organized by the team parents). Each player will be presented with his/her varsity letter/plaque and the coaches will summarize the season in addition to highlighting all of the athletes.
7:00-8:00pm: All varsity teams will move to the Performing Arts Center, where presentations will take place for All League and Honorable Mention awards, and the Wildcat and Coaches Awards.    

Tyler Fernandez '14 became the second boys’ basketball player to record 1000 points at Rye Country Day School. Tyler started the season with 575 career points and reached 1000 points in just 20 games. According to his coach: "After graduating 3 seniors, losing two key players to injury and 1 transfer, Tyler realized he had to carry most of the load offensively this season. In the past, he scored the majority of his points from beyond the three-point arc. But this season his game has matured, and he is scoring in transition, in the lane, in our half-court offense, from the foul line, and beyond the three-point line. In my 15 years of coaching, I have never seen a player more creative offensively. He is also one of the most passionate, dedicated, and hard working players I have ever coached. When he was interviewed after recording his 1000th point against Brunswick, Tyler only mentioned our team victory and how important that was for him. We are all proud of his individual accomplishments but he is most proud of our team victories.


Tyler Fernandez with his parents, Tyler and Jenique

Varsity Wrestling: The team lost a tough one to Hackley last week. However, George Matelich and Dylan Bronson kept up with their winning ways. Both wrestlers won by pin. Peter Sanchez also won a solid match, pinning his opponent in the third period. Due to the snow storm, our state tournament has been rescheduled for this Wednesday, February 13, at Long Island Lutheran.

Varsity Fencing: The team has had a week of mixed results. The team faced tough competition from the Horace Mann Lions, with the closest competition on the boys' sabre strip, where the Wildcats lost by the most narrow of margins: 4-5. The girls faced off against Marymount, winning the foil and epee competitions and dropping the sabre contest. As the season winds to a close, the competition schedule gets crowded for the Wildcats. Over the final week and a half of the season, the team will face off against opposing schools four more times, and the season will officially wrap up with the ISFL Team Competition at Hackley on Saturday, February 23.

Girls' Varsity Basketball: The team has improved to 18-3 and has just secured first place in the FAA for the playoffs.  We posted a 76-24 win versus the St Luke's School, a game in which everyone gathered valuable playing time. Carolyn Binder led the scoring with 26 points and 5 assists. Nereida Mendez (4 assists), Jenn Howland and Melanie Mandell each contributed 8 points. Tara Berger (10 rebounds), Zoe Verni and Maria McEnroe chipped in 6 points each, while Jess Grasso and Olivia Sullivan (4 rebounds) added 4 each. Maddy Cooper gathered 3 assists and continues to improve at the point position. In the Coaches versus Cancer Benefit, we lost 60-37 to Hackley School. The start of the game looked promising as we took the lead but were unable to sustain the momentum to the end. The scoring consisted of: Carolyn Binder (11 points), Tara Berger (10 points/12 rebounds), Nereida Mendez (7points), Zoe Verni (4points), Jenn Howland and Jess Grasso (2 points each) and Maria McEnroe chipped in 1 point. 

Our most recent win came against The Masters School, 60-57. A win that boosted our FAA record to 8-0 and secured 1st place in the league, as well as home court advantage throughout the playoffs. We started off strong, building a 15- point lead in the first  half, but Masters would not give up eventually tying the game with a minute and a half to go. The team remained composed as Carolyn Binder (26 points) went 4-4 from the free throw line the last 30 seconds of the game with the last 2 coming with 1 second left. Nereida Mendez also scored 8 second half points bringing her total to 14 for the game. Tara Berger gathered 10 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Other contributors included Jenn Howland (4points), Melanie Mandell, Maria McEnroe and Olivia Sullivan each with 2 points.  The team looks to close out the regular season against Holy Child. We will then look forward to the FAA and NYSAIS Tournaments.

Boys' Varsity Basketball: The team bounced back after a tough, 4-game losing streak. We got key wins over Hamden Hall and Brunswick last week to move us into 4th place in the FAA. The Brunswick win was our biggest win of the season. After losing to them by 27 points, we came back three days later and beat them on their home floor. Tyler Fernandez continues to lead the way, averaging 22 points per game, recording his 1000th career point against Brunswick. Salim Green has become a dominant player over the last 10 games. In those 10 games, he has averaged 23 points, 6 assists and is shooting 94 percent from the foul line. Senior co-captain Ignacio de Lera missed a couple games, but instantly made an impact in his return. His rebounding and toughness was the difference in the Brunswick win. Vincent Conn has came on strong in the last 5 games, hitting clutch three- pointers and making key plays late in games. He hit a three-pointer to seal the game against Brunswick. James McPhail has picked up his scoring, averaging 10 points over the last 5 games. This has helped the team tremendously. Jack Zenkel and Matt Farber have also helped, adding toughness defensively. We play our final regular season game against St. Luke’s Wednesday and hope to finish with a win.

Boys' Varsity Ice Hockey: The team traveled to King on Wednesday, February 6, for a FAA matchup.  RCDS jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a goal by Kyle Halloran in the first period.  With a number of players out with injuries, the lack of depth hurt the team, and RCDS didn't have the legs to stay with King on that day.  In the end, RCDS fell 4-1, which included an empty net goal.  A Saturday match-up with St Thomas Moore of Conn. was moved to this coming Thursday, due to the snowstorm.  On Monday, February 11, Fieldston came to RCDS for another FAA match up.  RCDS had trouble finding the back of the net, as it controlled played throughout the game.  In the end, the team won 5-3 on goals by Zach Coppola, Henry Alderson-Smith, and Kyle Halloran.  Eric Herbst recorded the win in net for the Wildcats.

Girls' Varsity Ice Hockey: On Tuesday, February 5, the team beat Summit High School 8-2. Rose Rather contributed with 5 goals (and 1 assist), which has now earned her the title of all-time scoring leader in RCDS history, with a total of 105 goals in just two seasons. Elizabeth Wulf set the old record during the 2010-2011 season with 104 goals. Congratulations, Rose Rather, on achieving such an astounding and impressive milestone! Additionally, Ciara Clare, Stephanie O’Brien, and Charlotte Fleischman each netted one goal apiece. Assists were tallied by Georgia Kleiner (3), Haley Shea, Charlotte Fleischman, and Juliet FitzPatrick. On Thursday, February 7, the team matched up against Princeton High School, winning 10-0. Goals were scored by Rose Rather (4), Haley Shea (2), Maddy Lyons, Stephanie O’Brien, Juliette FitzPatrick, and Jamie Simensky. Assists were recorded from Georgia Kleiner (4), Ciara Clare (3), Maddy Lyons, Charlotte Fleischman, and Rose Rather. The Wildcats now have a record of 14-3, and will face Albany Academy at home on Wednesday, February 13.

Girls' Varsity Squash: Last week the team suffered a large disappointment. The US National High School Championships were canceled due to severe weather. The team was all prepared to avenge their loss in last year's Division II finals. Unfortunately, it has been announced that the championship will not be rescheduled this year. We all know that we would be the US national high school division two champions! On Wednesday, February 13, at 4:30, the team will host Choate at home. Then on Thursday, the team will host Holy Child for the second time. Enjoy the long weekend. The top seven players will be traveling the following weekend to Brooks School for the New England individual championships.