The stars aligned for the athletics program at the John Carroll School this fall, with two championship teams, a host of collegiate sports signings, and a national ranking for our boys' basketball program. Even by our lofty standards, it was a season to remember.
Tennis
The John Carroll tennis team dominated conference play this season and were 5-1 overall. In the championship, sophomore Alexa Martinez won her second No. 1 singles title in as many years, setting the tone for a dominant performance across the board. Congratulations, champs!
(pictured left to right: McKenna McFadden, Alexa Martinez, McKenzie Hentz, Sara Dobson, Brigitte Lutche, Molly Exter, Luisa Schulte-Tigges)
Field Hockey
Hot on the heels of our tennis triumph, our field hockey team finished its final season on the old grass field at John Carroll by beating top-ranked Maryvale Prep in a 2-1 thriller at Stevenson University to win the title for 2014. Charlotte Haggerty, whose parents and older sisters are both alums, scored the winner in double overtime. The perseverence and dedication we've come to expect from John Carroll scholar athletes was on full display, once again making us Patriot proud.
Junior midfielder Carly Lyon
Boys' Basketball
Before the season even started, our boys' basketball team provided Patriots fans with an early thrill, making USA Today's list of the top 25 programs in the nation. And while Coach Tony Martin was quick to manage expectations (conventional wisdom says we won't finish first in our own conference), the simple fact that the Patriots boys have made such a powerful impression can only boost our profile regionally and nationally. Besides, never say never! Yet another reason it's an exciting time to be at John Carroll.
It's also worth noting that, as we go to press, both the boys basketball team and the wrestling team are ranked number one in the state. Not too shabby, Patriots!
College Signings
Finally, we want to give a big Patriots cheer to our scholar-athletes bound for college programs across the country. On December 2, we honored this talented bunch with a signing ceremony to show our pride in them and their contributions to John Carroll. With 70% of our students involved in sports, and 99% going on to university, it's no surprise that the John Carroll School is well represented in collegiate athletics year after year, and the class of 2015 is no different.
Among the many stars this year, wrestler Hunter Ritter will be taking his best grappling moves to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Kara Klages will be playing lacrosse for the University of North Carolina Tarheels. Way to go, Patriots!
(pictured left to right)
Back row: Eli Long-Basketball-Florida Gulf Coast University; Kimball McKenzie-Basketball-Bucknell University; Hunter Ritter-Wrestling-University of Wisconsin; Matt McGee-Baseball-Philadelphia University;
Middle row: Emory Gaeng-Lacrosse-High Point University; Kara Klages-Lacrosse-UNC; Grace Richards-Lacrosse-UC Davis; Morgan Santiago-Lacrosse-University of Oregon; Samiah Miller-Lacrosse-Delaware State;
Front row: Brigitte Lutche-Lacrosse-Winthrop University; Katy Sharretts-Lacrosse-San Diego State; Caroline Sdanowich-Lacrosse-JMU; Chantee Simms-Lacrosse-University of Delaware.