FWCD Athletics Newsletter - Spring 2011

Sweet Victories…Sweet Memories

Maribeth Reeb

SPRING 2011

The Falcons enjoyed a great year in sports. The football team started it off with a championship and the softball team and Clifton Harlin ’11 closed it out with championships. FWCD was well represented in every sport and continued to be a threat every season to the teams they faced.

Maribeth Reeb

Tournament, Nieswiadomy, Houston and Abby Cox ’12 earned All-Tournament Honors.

The Falcons also won the Blue Division at the Carrollton Christian Swing Into Spring Tournament, and Houston and Cox were named to the All-Tournament team.

The team finished the season with a 27-4 record.

The team is sad to lose The softball team won the Nieswiadomy, Haley Arias Division I Championship in ’11 and manager Jordan a thrilling 2-1 victory over Scoville ’11, but is very the two-time defending excited the majority of champions, Holland Hall, in the team is returning next eight innings. FWCD entered season. the Southwest Preparatory

Conference Tournament as Track and Field SPC the second seed from the Championships were held North behind Holland Hall. at All Saints’ Episcopal The Falcons had recently School. This year’s faced Holland Hall in north meet was highlighted by zone play and lost. Holland defending SPC Champion Meaghan Houston ’12 Hall scored one run in the first Clifton Harlin ’11 in inning and the Falcons tied it the pole vault. A recent up in the fourth. In the top of the eighth, the Texas A&M track and field signee, Harlin Falcons were able to bring a runner home to successfully defended his title by out jumping take the lead. In the bottom of the eighth, his closest competitor by over two feet. He pitcher Meaghan Houston ’12 caught a line finished the SPC meet with an FWCD and drive and immediately threw the ball to Katie SPC record-breaking performance of 15 feet Nieswiadomy ’11 at third to pick the runner 4 inches. Other commendable performances off and win the game. It was the first Division in the pole vault were Clinton Harlin ’14 I softball title for the School since 1984. who vaulted 11 feet; this mark was good enough for an eighth place finish and All-SPC The team finished second in the Fredericksburg Honorable Mention Honors.

Continued on page 2

Clifton Harlin’s FWCD and SPC recordbreaking jump of 15’4”.

Photos by Gynna Harlin

The track events were highly competitive at this year’s meet and the Falcons stepped up to the challenge. The 800 meter run featured 10 runners with times all under two minutes and four seconds.

Sonny Stepp ‘11 ran the finest race of his career finishing seventh and also gaining Honorable Mention Honors. Others receiving honors were Evan Griffin ‘11 in the 300 meter hurdles finishing sixth, the 4x800 meter relay team of Bryan Kelly ‘11, Josh Martinez ‘11, Stepp and Griffin finished a very respectable seventh place. Alex Espinoza ‘11 finished his track career at FWCD as a six-time All-SPC Selection and four-year letter winner. Although he narrowly missed defending his SPC championship in the 100 meter dash, he still managed to place second and then follow up with an excellent performance in the 200 meter to finish third.

The surprise performance of the meet was the boys’ 4x100 team of Kelly, Martinez, Thomas Samuelson ‘12 and Espinoza. The relay team was initially seeded as seventh in the preliminary round. They managed to finish in third place with a season best time of 43.69 seconds, while defeating several area schools and gaining All-Conference Recognition.

The entire boys’ team should be commended for running with passion and determination and helping lead the boys to a fourth place finish, which is the highest they have scored in the past six years.

The girls’ track and field team was led by the performances of KK

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Maddox ’11, McKenna Breedlove ’14, Madelyn Stripling ’14, Captain Courtney Reimer ’11, Lauren Wagner ’14 and Eliza Wagner ’14. Maddox was this season’s female high point scorer on the team, as well as an AllSPC Selection. Maddox finished sixth in the 100 meter hurdles and third in the 300 meter hurdles. Maddox leaves the program as a four-year letter winner and a three-time All-SPC Selection. Breedlove continued to improve and make great strides in the shot and discus. She finished the outdoor season in the discus with a throw of 90 feet 4 inches and placed fifth at the conference track meet, earning All-SPC Honorable Mention.

The 4x800 relay team of Stripling, Lauren Wagner, Eliza Wagner and Reimer finished a strong seventh place performance.

“FWCD athletics created a great opportunity for me to represent my school in another way besides academics. They have helped me strengthen my friendships with my classmates as we competed together for a common goal.”

Kyle Fraser ’11 The Falcon track and field team bids farewell to the following seniors: Collin Dickerson, Espinoza, Griffin, Harlin, Kelly, Maddox, Martinez, Joe Pate, Alex Reeb, Reimer, Shelby Stripling, Stephen Tetirick, Taylor White and Stepp. Their dedication, leadership and commitment to the FWCD track and field team will be greatly missed. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors!

Lacrosse enjoyed their most successful season to date. The team posted two wins against Division I teams and had a 4-3 conference record. This season, the Falcons moved up in the statewide league to Division II. They finished ranked 19th out of 42 teams. Co-captain Cameron Fraser ’12 was an All-State Selection.

He won 56 percent of his face-offs and had a team-high picking up 123 ground balls. Co-captain Connor Fraser ’11 was the only senior on the team. His leadership on defense and his disciplined and enthusiastic play will be greatly missed.

The baseball team finished the season with a 16-19 overall record.

They compiled a 7-1 record in SPC play and entered the SPC Division I Tournament as the number one seed out of the north zone. In the first round of the tournament, FWCD had a come from behind victory of 4-3 over All Saints’, but fell to The Kinkaid School in the second round. The team then lost to Trinity Valley School in the third place game. Outstanding performances this year were turned in by seniors Taylor Arnold (catcher/ pitcher), Cody Jenkins (outfield), Josh Scoville (pitcher/utility) and Cameron Strock (pitcher/infielder).

The girls’ golf team ended the season with a fifth place finish at SPC. Senior Kyle Fraser earned a Top 10 finish and All-SPC Honors. Of the five tournaments the team played, the varsity girls won three, the Cooper Invitational, Chick-fil-A, and Hooton Cup Tournaments. Graduating seniors Fraser, Nancy Bonds, and Samantha

The boys’ golf team had an outstanding season. The team completed the SPC Championship at Woodforest Golf Club in the Woodlands in fifth place, 25 strokes lower than last year and the highest finish in over a decade. Seniors Greg Caraway and Cody Bills led the team along with juniors Stephen Levy and Hunter Marrow. Sophomore AJ Ximenez and freshman Shane Markwardt rounded out the team. All the boys improved their scores from last year and, once again, received accolades from opponents, coaches, and parents for their deportment and character displayed on the golf course. Another highlight of the season was when the team won the annual Leonard Cup Matches at Hawk’s Creek in Fort Worth over rivals Trinity Valley, The Oakridge School, and All Saints’.

The varsity girls’ tennis team had a successful season. The team started the season off with a second place finish at the Aledo Tournament and continued to be competitive throughout the season.

Captains Leigh Robinson ’11 and Ginny Andrews ’11 led the team to a second place finish at SPC in the Divison II Tournament.

Congratulations to seniors Robinson, Andrews, Christa Ratcliff, and Lalitha Kasal on outstanding FWCD tennis

of senior Parker Jordan and junior James Chilcoat who made it to the finals. Cameron Slife ‘12, who won in Aledo and only lost a couple of dual matches all season, had a stellar performance at SPC when he stunned the Casady No. 1 player, 6-1, 6-1. We have a strong junior class that should be even better next year.

careers. The team will miss you and wish you all the best. With several returners, the Falcons are looking forward to a great 2012!

Dr. Louis Strock

Berry are leaving a huge hole to fill. Several of the younger players showed great improvement this year so the team is poised to play well again next year.

Cody Jenkins ’11 The boys’ tennis team enjoyed their best season in several years.

They were competitive in most of their matches. A highlight was beating Casady School twice, usually one of the powers in the North Division. They also had wins over both Cistercian Preparatory School and All Saints’ to finish third in SPC Division II, their best performance in four years. The team finished second in the Aledo Tournament, missing the title by only one match. Individually, there were some great performances; especially the top doubles team

As the school year ends and we reflect on wonder ful accomplishments, one cannot help but notice what an amazing year the Falcons had. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams finished fifth overall in the SPC Conference for the 20101011 school year. The 2011 senior class has left an indelible mark at FWCD and some incredibly large shoes to fill for future classes.

This year, more seniors earned the Stansber y Award (three season athlete) than any other year since the award was established. Thank you to the seniors for your time, energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the athletic department and FWCD. We will miss you.

Get your Falcon in Action and Support the Falcon Club To order athletic pictures from the entire year, go to the downloadable document “Falcon Sports Photos” on the Athletics News & Announcements

button on the Parent Portal Button page. Team pictures are available on this site.

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Athletic Awards

Outstanding Sophomore Athletes – Taylor Ray and Matthew Mathisen This award is given annually to the outstanding sophomore athletes who, in the opinion of the coaches, displayed athletic talents that significantly contributed the most to the entire FWCD athletic program.

Dr. Bill Curtis ‘67 Award Kelly Puls ’12 Awarded annually to the outstanding undergraduate boy athlete(s) whose athletic talents significantly contributed the most to the FWCD athletic program.

Richard Steed ‘83 Award Erin Parker ’12 Awarded annually to the outstanding undergraduate girl athlete(s) whose athletic talents significantly contributed the most to the FWCD athletic program.

Tiffini Crum

Outstanding Freshman Athletes McKenna Breedlove, Madelyn Stripling and JR Gideon This award is given annually to the outstanding freshman athletes who, in the opinion of the coaches, displayed athletic talents that significantly contributed the most to the entire FWCD athletic program.

Seniors Stephen Tetirick, Alex Espinoza and Clifton Harlin Don Welch Memorial Trophy Haley Arias and Lalitha Kasal Awarded annually to the senior girl(s) who, in the opinion of the coaches, has demonstrated consistent improvement in athletic performance.

Dr. Lawrence P. Kleuser Memorial Trophy Courtney Reimer and Taylor Arnold Awarded annually to that senior boy and/or girl who, in the opinion of the Head of School, Head of the Upper School, and the Athletic Director, has displayed in athletic endeavor the qualities of character, sportsmanship, enthusiasm, and team spirit, and who in so doing has contributed significantly to the general excellence of Fort Worth Country Day.

William A. Landreth Jr. ‘67 Award Alex Espinoza Awarded annually to the outstanding senior boy athlete(s) whose athletic talents significantly contributed the most to the FWCD athletic program.

Class of ‘70 Award Nancy Bonds Awarded annually to the outstanding senior girl athlete(s) whose athletic talents significantly contributed the most to the FWCD athletic program.

Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Award Kyle Fraser and Clifton Harlin The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Award is awarded annually to a senior boy and girl who, in the opinion of the coaches, most nearly epitomizes the ideal scholar athlete by demonstrating academic excellence and outstanding athletic performance while attending FWCD.

Class of ‘72 Award Stephen Tetirick Awarded annually to the senior boy who, in the opinion of the coaches, has demonstrated consistent improvement in athletic performance.

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Tiffini Crum

Varsity Awards Kyle Fraser ’11, Courtney Reimer ’11, Shelby Stripling ’11, Stephen Tetirick ’11 and Taylor White ’11 Presented to the rare athlete who has lettered on twelve (or more in this case) varsity teams. Congratulations to these individuals for their leadership, sportsmanship and for the legacy that they leave to other Fort Worth Country Day athletes.

Rosacker Award (Outstanding Middle School Athletes) Alyssa Dry ’15 and Sawyer Stratton ’15

Seniors Courtney Reimer and Taylor Arnold

Old Sport Award Chris and Karen Fraser Established in 1989, the “Old Sport” Award is presented to an individual who has continued to be a big booster, a faithful fan and super supporter of FWCD athletics, year in and year out.

Spring 2011 Postseason Athletic Awards Baseball Most Valuable – Taylor Arnold ’11 Most Improved – Cameron Strock ’11 SPC All-Conference – Taylor Arnold ’11, Reid Meyer ’12 and Cameron Strock ’11 SPC Honorable Mention – Matt Beasley ’12, Cody Jenkins ’11 and Josh Scoville ’11 All-Zone – Taylor Arnold ’11, Reid Meyer ’12, Kelly Puls ’12 and Cameron Strock ’11 Boys’ Golf Most Valuable – Cody Bills ’11 and Greg Caraway ’11 Most Improved –Shane Markwardt ’14 Girls’ Golf Most Valuable – Kyle Fraser ’11 Most Improved – Megan Ray ’13 SPC All-Conference – Kyle Fraser ’11

Boys’ Tennis Most Valuable – Cameron Slife ’12 Most Improved – Allan Hall ’12 SPC All-Conference – Cameron Slife ’12 SPC Honorable Mention – James Chilcoat ’12 and Parker Jordan ’11 All-Zone – Cameron Slife ’12 Girls’ Tennis Most Valuable – Leigh Robinson ’11 Most Improved – Taylor Ray ’11 SPC All-Conference – Taylor Ray ’11 SPC Honorable Mention – Ginny Andrews ’11 All-Zone – Ginny Andrews ’11

Lacrosse Most Valuable – Cameron Fraser ’12 Coaches Award – Morgan Pergande ’13 SPC All-Conference –Cameron Fraser ’12 and Blake Waltrip ’12 SPC Honorable Mention – Taylor Washuta ’12

Boys’ Track and Field Most Valuable – Alex Espinoza ’11 and Clifton Harlin ’11 Most Improved – Clinton Harlin ’14 and Matthew Mathisen ’13 SPC All-Conference – Alex Espinoza ’11, Bryan Kelly ’11, Clifton Harlin ’11, Josh Martinez ’11 and Thomas Samuelson ’12 SPC Honorable Mention – Evan Griffin ’11 and Clinton Harlin ’14, and Sonny Stepp ’11 Clapsaddle Award – Evan Griffin ’11

Softball Most Valuable – Abby Cox ’12 and Meaghan Houston ’12 Most Improved – Tara Gordon ’12 SPC All-Conference – Abby Cox ’12, Meaghan Houston ’12, Erin Parker ’12 and Leslie Tuggey ’13 SPC Honorable Mention – Katie Nieswiadomy ’11 and Annabeth Reeb ’11 All-Zone – Abby Cox ’12, Meaghan Houston ’12 and Erin Parker ’12

Girls’ Track and Field Most Valuable – McKenna Breedlove ’14 and KK Maddox ’11 Most Improved – Eliza Wagner ’14 and Madelyn Stripling ’14 SPC All-Conference – KK Maddox ’11 SPC Honorable Mention – McKenna Breedlove ’14, Courtney Reimer ’11, Madelyn Stripling ’14, Eliza Wagner ’14 and Lauren Wagner ’14, Clapsaddle Award – Shelby Stripling ’11

Middle School Softball Goes Undefeated 11-0-1

Tom Delaney

Front Row (L-R): Katie Anderson ’16, Margot Berry ’16, Riley Dean ’15, Adele Elkind ’16, Alexis Palko ’15, Spencer Gates ’15 and Reagan Parker ’16 Back Row (L-R): Aimee Jenkins, Sydney Phillips ’15, Caroline Cameron ’16, Laura Murphy ’15, Aaron Hoover, Olivia Darrow ’16, Alyssa Dry ’15, Alex Doswell ’16 and Amanda Whalen

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Stansbery Award Winners (Three Season Athlete)

JUNIORS Mariano Aufiero Claire Buechele James Chilcoat Abby Cox Matt Davis Ileana Estrada Cameron Fraser Tara Gordon Allison Hunt Kat Hyde Margaret Lee Devon Loth Alex Morrissette Kevin Murphy Erin Parker Kelly Puls Erick Ritter Blake Waltrip Taylor Washuta

SOPHOMORES Will Arnold Campbell Bishop Morgan Clifton

Jonathan Clum Grace Cowan Lilly Cowan Matthew Devine Jacob Edwards John Ferguson Antoine Gross Cheryl Haston Gaddis House Thomas House Jackson Hull Matthew Mathisen Morgan Pergande Elizabeth Pruitt Carson Ray Megan Ray Taylor Ray Annabeth Reeb Ethan Rohrbach Haddy Self Leslie Tuggey Adam Uptegraft

FRESHMEN Sam Berry McKenna Breedlove John Callaway John Randall Gideon Patrick Gordon Alden Griffin John Thomas Hodnett Edward Hudson Nic Klein Matthew Leonard William Nober Reign Parker Caleb Rooker Robbie Stackhouse Madelyn Stripling Dan Sun Bo Totten Eliza Wagner Lauren Wagner Bailee Wallace Akeira Warner Elizabeth Wilkinson Emily Wilkinson

Sara Ashfour

SENIORS Ginny Andrews Haley Arias Nancy Bonds Collin Dickerson Alexander Espinoza Kyle Fraser Cody Jenkins Parker Jordan Lalitha Kasal Bryan Kelly Paul Mackey KK Maddox Josh Martinez Alex Reeb Courtney Reimer Emily Anne Self Sonny Stepp Shelby Stripling Stephen Tetirick Taylor White

Claire Buechele’12

Parker Jordan ’11

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Sara Ashfour

“Athletics really enriched my entire experience at Country Day. The fact that they offered so many sports was wonderful. I was able to play my long-time favorite sports basketball and tennis, as well as try sports that were new to me such as volleyball.”

Cameron Slife’12

Lisa Koger

“Participating in FWCD sports made a huge impact on my transition here as a new student, and I have gotten to know some of my best friends because of that. Sports helped me open up and meet new people and find my comfort zone at school. My favorite memory will always be playing basketball in the round gym, especially counters, when we get a lot of fans to come out and watch. I’ve learned a lot from participating in FWCD sports, but mainly it has been a great way to get close with people that care about a sport as much as you do.”

Frasher Pergande

Falcons win the Hooton Cup! Pictured above (l-r) Lane Hooton, Dean Barker, Reign Parker ’14, Katherine Brookman ’13, Lilly Cowan ’13, Kyle Fraser ’11, Nancy Bonds ’11, Megan Ray ’13, Jenna Lee ’12, Samantha Berry ’11 and Janis Hooton

Robert Arnold ’14

Frasher Pergande

Shelby Stripling ’11

Bill Arnold

Edward Hudson ’14

Greg Caraway ’11, Stephen Levy ’12, Cody Bills ’11, AJ Ximenes ’13, Hunter Marrow ’12 and Shane Markwardt ’14 won the Leonard Cup

“FWCD sports have given me the opportunity to make incredible friendships through teamwork and camaraderie.”

Emily Anne Self ’11 7

Summer Weight Room Workout Schedule

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID FORT WORTH, TX PERMIT NO. 676

May 31 – July 29 (Monday – Friday) 8 - 9 a.m. Open Workout 9 - 11 a.m. Boys’ Workout 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Girls’ Only 12:30 - 2 p.m. Girls’ Only 2 - 4 p.m. Open Workout 4 - 6 p.m. Boys’ Workout 6 - 7 p.m. Open Workout

4200 Country Day Lane Fort Worth, Texas 76109-4299 Address SERVICE REQUESTED

Save The Dates Aug. 26, 2011 Back to School Picnic Sept. 16, 2011 Homecoming Nov. 3 – 4, 2011 SPC in Dallas To stay up-to-date with the latest athletic information over the summer, look for the athletic button on the login portal of the website.

Preseason Information Fall 2011 (please see team pages at fwcd.org for more detailed information)

Boys’ Volleyball Program Director – Missi Kovachev (missi.kovachev@fwcd.org) Start Date – Monday, Aug. 8 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Cheerleading Program Director – Robin Willis (robin.willis@fwcd.org) Start Date – Monday, Aug. 8 9 a.m. – Noon Cross Country Program Director – DeAnn Hall (deann.hall@fwcd.org) Start Date – Monday, Aug. 8 (US Circle) 8 a.m.

Field Hockey Program Director – Paige Chisholm ’87 (paige.chisholm@fwcd.org) Start Date – Monday, Aug. 8 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Girls’ Volleyball Program Director – Butch Traeder (butch.traeder@fwcd.org) Start Date – Monday, Aug. 8 9 a.m. – Noon 8

Football Program Director – Frank Gendusa (frank.gendusa@fwcd.org) Upper School Equipment check-out: Friday, July 29 4 p.m. (JR/SR) 4:30 p.m. (FR/SO) Start Date – Monday, Aug. 1 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. and 3 – 6 p.m.

Middle School Equipment check-out: Monday, Aug. 15 (Round Gym) 2:30 p.m.

Start Date – Tuesday, Aug. 16 *All Middle School teams other than football will start the first day of school.

Got Questions?

Get Answers!

If you have a question about the athletic program at FWCD, email Athletic Director Frank Gendusa at

AskFrank@fwcd.org.