Athletic News

Fall Sports Highlights

Coach Doug McKay and varsity golfers as they won their third straight Macomb County title: Nico Ciavaglia (‘16), Joe Taras (‘16), Jonathan Brillati (‘16), Anthony Comito (‘18), and Anton Mays (‘17).

Above, the 2016 Cross Country team in action, and showing off their medals from the Autumn Classic Meet.

Golf

The Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association named De La Salle Collegiate as the top 2016 All-Academic Team in Division 1. The combined GPA of the varsity was. 3.808, nearly .3 higher than the second place team. Congratulations to Coach Doug McKay and the golfers!

Cross Country

The De La Salle Collegiate Cross-Country team nearly doubled in size from 2015 to 47 boys, with 42 boys actively competing throughout the season. Coach Sandy Buchanan notes the team’s strength has been in the leadership of the team captains, the bond the boys have developed, and the support of parents. The team routinely drives over 300 miles per week to practices and meets at local parks. The team fared better this season in CHSL competition, improving from 0-4 to 2-2, beating U. of D. Jesuit by one point, and Orchard Lake St. Mary by 13 points. The varsity consistently placed in the top five at various tournaments, and finished 8th at the Regional Meet. Of the 42 in that meet, 31 ran a personal best time, showing they peaked at the right time after five months of training and competition. Despite not placing any runners into the state finals, two carloads of Pilots went and ran the course at the Michigan International Speedway in Jackson, and watched the Division 1 race to know what to expect next year. In the off-season, many train with the Blazer Track Club, participating in the Michigan Indoor Track Series (MITS.org).

Athletic News

Fall Sports Highlights

Football

The Varsity football team finished 4-5, not “what we had hoped for, but we did build a good foundation,” said Coach Mike Giannone. The team carried 74 players on the varsity squad. Mike noted that DLS played 6 of the nine teams that advanced to the playoffs, and four of those opponents were in the state semi-finals. He said, “Our young men got better each and every week, and even though the results may not have been been in our favor, we gained a ton of experience that will lead us into the future.” Senior Allen Stritzinger broke ‘86 Alumnus Allen Jefferson’s career touchdown record with 34, and had a total of 224 career points. Junior Jacob Badalamenti set a school and state record with a 99.5 yard kickoff return against Divine Child. Junior Cordell Tannyhill set the single game record with 33 carries against Divine Child. The JV and Freshmen teams each finished 6-2. The team begins off-season training in the new year, and Coach Giannone has encouraged students to play other sports. Many have joined the DLS Wrestling Team.

Soccer

The DLS Varsity Soccer Team was second in the CHSL, and finished 14-6-2 overall. Coach Reed Friedrichs led the team to the District Championship, with a 4-2 win over Lakeview. Named All-State were Seniors Nick Buonbrisco, Evan Mitchell, and Chad Schmerheim. The JV Team record was 6-7-4, and the Freshmen were 2-12.

CHSL Honors were given to these students at the Prep Bowl at Ford Field. John Fisher All-Catholic, Nate Maniaci Academic All-Catholic, Cordell Tannyhill All-Catholic, Stephen Killop All-Catholic, Evan Holland All-Division. Not pictured: Jake Badalamenti All-Division, Jake Madigan All-Division.

Go Pilots!

Senior Evan Graham joyfully celebrates the Soccer District Championship.

Athletic News

Fall Sports Highlights

Tennis

After losing many seniors from the 2015 team, Coach Jake Jones had 50 students in the program. The number of open varsity spots made for great competition, and busy practices. The young team had great success against stiff competition, earning All-County All Star recognition. Coach Jake Jones notes the team’s work ethic. “The team is made up of respectful kids who are always willing to work and are willing to learn. These qualities are evident in their classroom performance as well. The team’s combined 3.75 GPA earned them MHSAA All-State Academic Honors. This is a great bunch of guys that has a bright future!”

Swimming

Congratulations to Joseph “Jack” Kucharczyk, ‘16, who earned the status of Scholastic All-American from the USA Swimming Association. A standout swimmer for the Pilots, Jack is swimming at Indiana University. In a recent email, Jack wrote, My team (Indiana) had 11 Olympians in Rio representing 4 countries, and came back with 6 medals - 3 of them gold. I certainly feel privileged to be a part of such a prestigious program and blessed to be swimming with some of the world’s best swimmers every day, and they have all been so welcoming!! It is a lot of hard work, both in and out of the pool. I can honestly say my four years at De La Salle certainly prepared me for the challenges of a tough curriculum and the organization needed to excel in a demanding D-1 top 8 swim program at the level of IU. I certainly miss everyone, and am exceptionally grateful for DLS, and so proud to have my school listed on the roster at IU!!! GO Pilots!! GO Hoosiers!!!

Singelyn Named Coach of The Year

Congratulations to De La Salle Collegiate Alumnus and Varsity Swim Coach Jim Singelyn, ‘90, who was named “Coach of the Year” in Swimming by the Michigan High School Coaches Association (MHSCA). DLS finished second at the MHSAA Division 2 State Swimming and Diving Finals in 2016, and had its first state first place winners for individual and relay events. Since taking over the DLS program, DLS has qualified swimmers for the State Finals every year since 2010. Jim said, “It’s nice to be recognized by your peers. Actually, this symbolizes the hard work of the kids and their parents.” Presenting Jim with his award was fellow Pilot Dave Zulkiewski, ‘95, who coaches swimming at Bloomfield Hills High School, and is on the Board of the MHSCA.