FWCD Falcon Athletics - Winter 2015

Falcon Athletics For t Wor th Country Day Athletic Wrap-up Winter 2015-16 Inside this Issue

A Proud Winter Season The Falcons enjoyed a successful winter season. They fought hard, persevered and made us proud. The season culminated at the SPC Tournament in Houston, February 11-13.

Girls’ Soccer. . . . . . . . . 1 Boys’ Soccer. . . . . . . . . 2 Girls’ Basketball . . . . . . 2 Cheerleading. . . . . . . . . 3 Burlsworth Award . . . . . 3 Swimming. . . . . . . . . . . 4

Girls’ Soccer

By Kristin Dickerson ’16 Girls’ varsity soccer had a great season. Together, we were able to achieve our biggest goal: earn a spot in the SPC Tournament. Though we were a young team with a majority of underclassmen, we were able to learn from Coach Tarik Guendouzi and improve tremendously by the end of the season.

We spent the majority of our preseason changing our shape and trying new things, Sarah Nolan ’16 but when counters started, we were ready. Our main focus throughout the season was heart. When we struggled against a skillful opponent, we lifted our heads and fought together as a team. In terms of wins and losses, our season was a roller coaster. When we lost a difficult game, we would bounce back and win the next.

Boys’ Basketball. . . . . . 4 Davey O’Brien Award. . . 5 National Signing Day. . . 5 Winter Sports Awards. . 7 Spring Coaches. . . . . . . 8

Upcoming Events: Spring SPC April 28-30 in Dallas and Fort Worth Tennis Center Grand Opening May 9, 5 p.m.

Our last game of the season decided whether or not we would go to Houston for SPC, and it was against none other than our biggest rival, Trinity Valley School. Even under the pressure, we were able to pull together and earn our rightful spot. We fought hard, learned a lot and gained not only fitness and skill, but also lifelong relationships with people we may never have gotten to know had we not played such a great sport.

The seniors, myself, Reagan Parker, Chelsea Garcia, Katie Nelson, Sarah Nolan and Madeline Walters, will miss the team and wish the best to those returning.

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Boys’ Soccer

By Spencer Pergande ’17 By the numbers, this season was not the greatest. Before the season began, our team showed great potential and great chemistry. We played coherently in practice, showing our ability on the ball, but our scores after our first six games did not reflect such talent and cohesion. Although we created a significant number of scoring chances in these games, we could not finish them. Thus, we entered conference play with two wins, three losses and one draw.

Not a bad start by any means, but there was definitely room for improvement. As the season progressed, the same thing kept happening. Each game that passed, we would agree that we had created chances, but not finished them. We worked as a team to rectify the problem that we had encountered so often, but to no avail.

Whether it was the defense leaking a goal at an unfortunate time or the offense missing a scoring chance when we needed it, the team continued to stare defeat in the face. After six SPC matches, we had endured six losses in a row.

At this point, the team began its upward trend. After tying a very winnable game against Oakridge, we played Greenhill, the No. 1 team in the conference. Although we lost this game, we showed great perseverance and heart, allowing no goals until the 23rd minute of the first half. Then, lastly, we played Trinity Valley. This game was the perfect ending to our season. We finished a few chances and were able to defend wholesomely at the back, making the game a 2-0 victory. This win illuminated the bright future that will come next season.

The team will not be losing any seniors this year, so the chemistry that we amassed toward the end of our schedule will carry on wholly into the 2016-17 season. The team is prepared for the adversity that we will inevitably face, and we hope to continue the positive trend that our last few conference games showed.

Alyse Bilardi ’16

Girls’ Basketball

By Payton Childress ’19 Girls’ basketball had a great season and finished with a record of 1415. The team showed heart throughout the season, while facing a variety of challenges.

The Falcons competed well at the Nazarene Christian tournament, taking home the third-place trophy.

Seniors Alyse Bilardi and Natalie Clifton completed their careers with the Falcons by returning to the SPC Tournament. They also displayed great leadership for the rest of the team.

Nate Wallace ’18 2

Next year’s returning players, Sydney Stripling ’17, Ashley Truong ’17, Samantha Burke ’18, Kathleen Clum ’18, Hannah Peeples ’18, Julia Atkinson ’19, Payton Childress ’19 and Kaitlyn Johnson ’19, were excited to make this journey with the seniors and are committed to returning next season with gumption and the enthusiasm to be better every day. We hope to show the rest of the SPC that the Falcons have their game faces on and are ready to play with their hearts, heads, feet and hands. Once a Falcon, always a Falcon!

Cheerleading

By Savannah Norman ’16 2015-16 winter cheer was an incredibly enjoyable season to say the least. Led by coaches Sarah Stallard and Kristin Faciane, both the JV and varsity teams learned many cheers, chants, stunt sequences and dances and, most importantly, had a ton of fun along the way.

Although the varsity team was originally slated to only have nine cheerleaders, we gained three as the season progressed. With more hands on deck, the team was even better equipped to choreograph dances and cheer on the Falcons. The winter season came to a great culmination with the neonthemed pep rally and Falcon Frenzy game against Trinity Valley—a Falcon victory!

This year’s seniors, Whitney Kelly, Kristin Robinson, Regan Rosenthal and myself, will miss the squad next year. We will be cheering with them in spirit.

Juliebeth LeBus ’17

Senior Brandon Evans Honored

by Brandon Burlsworth Foundation On January 29, the movie Greater, which honors Brandon Burlsworth, was released in theaters. Arguably one of the greatest football walk-ons of all time, Burlsworth walked on to the University of Arkansas, and, by the time he graduated, he was a team captain and had earned a master’s degree. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 1999, but was tragically killed in an automobile accident only 11 days after this momentous occasion.

For the first time, the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation is honoring football players nationally. The award honors the player who may or may not be a top athletic performer, but who represents the ideals and values that Burlsworth had: to give 100 percent on the field and to stand as a moral example to his team. The foundation’s hope is that the award encourages the honoree to continue on his path of excellence and inspire others to follow Burlsworth’s lead.

Fort Worth Country Day senior Brandon Evans received the Burlsworth Character Award. Evans has been a member of the FWCD football and track and field teams, setting several records. He has been named SPC Champion in several events. This year, his football season was cut short due to an injury. Evans continued to be a leader for the team during practice and games even though he was unable to play.

Evans, along with all national honorees, will be listed in the credits of the Greater movie; will receive a copy of Burlsworth’s biography, Through the Eyes of a Champion; and will receive a special message on a DVD from the foundation’s president, Marty Burlsworth.

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Boys’ Basketball The 2015-16 season for boys’ basketball was filled with a number of accomplishments culminating with a spot in the SPC Winter Championship Tournament. The team entered as the No. 3 seed in the North Zone, the highest seed since 2001.

The varsity team finished the season 20-13, with a record of 8-5 against playoff teams in UIL or TAPPS. They were named on of the top 10 defensive team in the area, holding opponents to 48.6 points/game. The Falcons were the Keene Tournament Champions with Sean Smith ’17 earning tournament MVP and Joseph Breedlove ’17 being named to the All-Tournament Team. The Falcons were consolation champions in the Brock Classic Tournament, and Smith was named to the All-Tournament Team.

The team is sad to lose its only senior, J.D. Robinson, but with the rest of the returning players, the team is setting their sights high.

J.D. Robinson ’16

Swimming Falcon swimmers finished their season pretty much the way they performed the entire season: with enthusiasm, team unity, precision and strength. Out of 18 swims at SPC, we had 15 personal records.

The 200 medley relay started us off dropping seven seconds, and we kept on going from there. Falcons that scored at the SPC tournament were Joanne Wu ’17 (eighth in the 100 butterfly), Reagan Mulqueen ’16 (seventh in the 500 freestyle) and Adele Elkind ’16 (eighth in the 50 freestyle).

The team is really going to miss the seniors next year, but the team sent them off by finishing off a great season with Falcon pride.

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Joanne Wu ’17, Reagan Mulqueen ’16, Josey Reed ’19, Adriana Barker ’19, Adele Elkind ’16, Julian Cramer ’18, Westen Mulqueen ’18 and Will Thomas ’19

Senior Savannah Norman: Davey O'Brien High School Scholarship Finalist Savannah Norman ’16 was one of five finalists for the Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship Award. She was recognized at a finalists’ luncheon on January 19. The annual award, underwritten by Higginbotham and Southwest Bank, is presented to an outstanding senior student-athlete in the North Texas area. More than 100 applications were submitted to vie for the $30,000 scholarship. As a finalist, Savannah was awarded a $2,500 scholarship.

A four-year varsity letter winner in track and field and cheerleading, Savannah has also earned three letters in field hockey. She has qualified for the state track meet in the 400-meter dash, 4x400 relay and 4x800 relay. In addition, Savannah is a SPC Conference Honorable Mention athlete in both field hockey and track. She is a member of the Cum Laude Society and has been honored with the Harvard Book Prize, given to the School’s junior with the best all-around scholarship, character and achievement. Savannah is also involved with the National Charity League, TEAM Service, Cooking with a Cause and serves as a tutor at the Como Community Center.

Savannah Norman ’16 and Head of School Eric Lombardi

The Davey O’Brien Foundation was founded in 1977 to honor and remember the strong character and leadership of football great Davey O’Brien. Widely known for its Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, the foundation recognizes champions on and off the field through award programs encouraging academic and career success. The foundation has given away more than $900,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field to leadership in life.

Got Questions?

Get Answers!

If you have a question about

Taking Their Game to the Next Level

the athletic program at FWCD,

Congratulations to FWCD’s two signees on National Signing Day this winter!

Marshall Dike ’16 has committed to Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, to play baseball. D.J. Williams ’16 has signed to play soccer at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Frank Gendusa at

email Athletic Director frank.gendusa@fwcd.com.

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Katie Nelson ’16

Kaitlyn Johnson ’19

Spencer Pergande ’17

Sean Smith ’17

Joanne Wu ’17

Join the Falcon Club Today!

Kristin Robinson ’16 6

Membership form available on fwcd.org/falconclub

Winter Sports Awards Upper School student-athletes were honored Wednesday, February 24, for their hard work during the 2016 winter sports season.

Boys’ Basketball

MVP: Sean Smith ’17, Joseph Breedlove, Jr. ’17 Heart & Hustle: Brad Chilcoat ’17 Coaches Award: Joseph Breedlove, Jr. ’17 SPC All-Conference: Sean Smith ’17 SPC All-Conference Honorable Mention: Joseph Breedlove, Jr. ’17 All-North Zone: Joseph Breedlove, Jr. ’17, Sean Smith ’17

Girls’ Basketball

MVP: Alyse Bilardi ’16 Heart and Hustle: Samantha Burke ’18 Coaches Award: Natalie Clifton ’16 SPC All-Conference: Alyse Bilardi ’16 All-North Zone: Samantha Burke ’18

Cheerleading

LeBlanc Award: Savannah Norman ’16 Cheer Spirit (Heart and Hustle): Bridget Chambers ’18 Coaches Award: CeCe Brants ’17

Boys’ Soccer MVP: Nicholas Aufiero ’17 MIP: Will Jones ’17 Coaches Award: Christopher Cooper ’17 SPC All-Conference: Spencer Pergande ’17 SPC All-Conference Honorable Mention: Ryan Prince ’17 All-North Zone: Phillip Herd ’17, Nate Wallace ’18

Girls’ Soccer

MVP: Kristin Dickerson ’16 MIP: Reagan Parker ’16 Coaches Award: Katie Nelson ’16 SPC All-Conference: Reagan Parker ’16 SPC All-Conference Honorable Mention: Jinee Hira ’18 All-North Zone: Katie Nelson ’16, Sarah Nolan ’16

Girls’ Swimming

MVP: Joanne Wu ’17 Coaches Award: Reagan Mulqueen ’16 SPC All-Conference Honorable Mention: Adele Elkind ’16, Reagan Mulqueen ’16, Joanne Wu ’17

Boys’ Swimming

MVP: Julian Cramer ’18 Coaches Award: Westen Mulqueen ’18

All-North Zone winners (l to r) Nate Wallace ’18, Phillip Herd ’17, Joseph Breedlove ’17, Samantha Burke ’18, Katie Nelson ’16, Sarah Nolan ’16, Sean Smith ’17 7

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2016 Spring Season Coaches Athletic Director Frank Gendusa Administrative Assistant...... Lisa Parker Athletic Training Head.................................... Ed Chisholm Assistant....... Chelsea Procter-Willman Strength Coach Shane Jenke equipment Manager Rachel Pinckard ’07 Baseball Varsity Head Coach.....................Brady Benoit* Assistant Coaches........ Cedric Landrum Andy Beasley JV Head Coach............................. Trey Blair Assistant Coach..................Don Morland Middle School A Head Coach........................James Rains Assistant Coach...................Henry Aleck Middle School B Head Coach................ Jimmy Brockway Assistant Coach...................Henry Aleck

Varsity Golf Dean Barker* Girls’ Head Coach.......... Heather Young Boys’ Head Coach................Lindy Miller Assistant Coach............ Bill Baker H’12

Tennis Missi Kovachev ’89* Varsity Boys’ Head Coach....................... Tony Le Girls’ Head Coach.................Cindy Seay

Lacrosse Varsity Head Coach................... Paul Reintjes* Assistant Coach................Grant Gossett Gregory Massman Middle School Head Coach.................... Grant Gossett Assistant Coach........ Gregory Massman

JV Boys’/Girls’ Head Coach....................... David Hoppe Middle School Girls’ Head Coach. Paige Chisholm ’87 Boys’ Head Coach........ Dan Bloch H’06 Boys’/Girls’ Assistant Coaches............... ............. Tony Le, Chesley Cunningham

Softball Varsity Head Coach....................... DeAnn Hall* Assistant Coach................ Shelley Rains JV Head Coach.................... Amanda Watts Assistant Coach.Meaghan Houston ’12 Middle School A Head Coach....................... Bree Stubbs Assistant Coach........... Katie Jordan ’09 Middle School B Head Coach..................... Aaron Hoover

Track and Field Head Coach....................... Mark Brady* Assistant Coaches............... James Mott Brian Farda, Eliud Njubi, Marcelo Hernandez, Victor Arguillo Middle School Assistant Coaches............... Matt Perse, Eliud Njubi, Jared Connaughton, Chelsea Hayes

*Indicates program director