Athletics

2020 LACROSSE CAPTAINS HAVE LAST WORD

The boys’ lacrosse practice in John McDonogh Stadium on the eve of the 2022 MIAA championship game ended as usual with “the last word”—a reflection from the team captains. But much to the surprise of the 36 varsity players, the words of advice were not from their teammates but rather from three 2020 captains whose senior season was sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 teammates Jackson Bonitz, Dane Swanson, Scott Cole, and Cody Ince celebrate the Eagles championship victory at Navy-Marine Corp Stadium.

Earlier in the day, Coach Andy Hilgartner reached out to alumni Scott Cole, Dane Swanson, and Jackson Bonitz to see if they could make it to the final practice of the season—a gesture that would benefit both the former and current players. The three jumped at the opportunity. (A fourth captain, Gable Braun ’20, who was playing for the University of Virginia in the NCAA tournament, was unable to join them.)

“They are a huge part of our program and our school, and I didn’t want them to feel like we’d forgotten them,” Hilgartner says. He went on to explain the significance of their lost season: the last time McDonogh won a championship lacrosse title was in 2016, and for four years the players from the class of 2020 hoped to earn it back. Although their senior season got off to a good start with two wins, it came to an abrupt end.

“I thought we had one of our best teams that year and then COVID canceled the season,” Hilgartner recalls. “The players still have a feeling of emptiness and disappointment from losing out on the year.”

Cole, who now plays for Lehigh University, agrees saying, “COVID was obviously devastating for us because we had such a talented team.” He adds that he and the other 2020 captains planned to focus on the culture of McDonogh lacrosse. “We wanted to be inclusive and wanted everyone to be completely committed to our goal of winning a championship.”

2022 MIAA Lacrosse Champions

The leadership style of the 2020 captains was not lost on this year’s senior leaders: Hugh Brown, Johnny Cool, and Aiden Hurdle. They recall as sophomores receiving text messages from their captains during the COVID lockdown encouraging them to continue training despite the loss of a season. Brown, who will be playing at Loyola University next year, says, “We all went into this year with the goal of having an impact on the underclassmen the same way they [the 2020 captains] impacted us. They were great leaders on and off the field,”

Although the 2022 Eagles were ranked No. 1 by The Baltimore Sun early this spring, Cool, who looks forward to playing at Ohio State next year, describes the season as a roller coaster with some big wins and tough losses. But as Hilgartner tells his players, “Progress is not just a straight line. There are ups and downs. We just need to keep moving in the right direction.”

The long-time coach says he was confident that the team’s ability, attitude, resilience, and commitment would get them to the finish line. Going into the 2022 playoffs, fifth-seeded McDonogh beat Archbishop Spalding to advance to the semi-finals where they faced top-ranked Boys’ Latin—a team they lost to in the 2021 MIAA Championship game. The Eagles bested the Lakers by a point to advance to the final round of the playoffs. Two days later, Hilgartner turned to the former captains.

The invitation to speak to the varsity players came at just the right moment for Bonitz and Swanson whose Naval Academy schedules are tightly regimented. “We usually don’t have the opportunity to get off the yard,” says Bonitz, referring to their rare afternoon of leave.

The three alumni, who had not been on McDonogh’s field since their season was cut short, say they were honored to be asked to give “the last word,” and simply encouraged the players to enjoy the moment. Speaking specifically to the seniors, they advised, “You have one more opportunity to play, don’t take it for granted. Soak it in. Be thankful for the opportunity to be part of the program, and enjoy every minute of the game.”

The following evening, a warm Friday in late May at the historic Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, the Eagles faced off against St. Mary’s before a frenzied crowd of McDonogh students from all divisions, current and past parents, alumni, faculty, staff, and rivals who were now fans. Cool and his teammates heeded the advice of the 2020 captains. “I kept thinking it’s my last time riding the bus, my last time in the locker room, my last time warming up,” he says. “I decided not to be stressed out, to take a deep breath, and enjoy one more game with my best friends.” From the sidelines, Hilgartner watched as his players won the MIAA title by a score of 14-8. He believes the visit from the 2020 captains not only gave the team confidence, but it also relaxed them. He says, “They were focused on the important things and not the hype of the game.”

Hurdle, who is joining Bonitz and Swanson at the Naval Academy, reflects, “The Classes of 2020 and 2021 were the reason we won the championship. They laid the foundation when we were younger.”

Speaking on behalf of the 2020 captains, Cole adds, “The team deserved every bit of their success this year. It was so rewarding to watch them win because even though we may not have had the chance to win a championship our senior year, it made us happy knowing we at least had an impact on the guys who did. We did our best to leave McDonogh lacrosse better than we found it and hope that everyone who comes after us will do the same.”

Several weeks after the 2022 MIAA Championship game, Andy Hilgartner was named The Baltimore Sun Boys Varsity Coach of the Year. He spoke to a reporter about their season and his players’ commitment saying, “They didn’t need a wake up in a sense of somebody screaming at them or putting them on the end line and making them run. What they needed was us, as coaches, to demonstrate to them that we’re going to make adjustments to get back on track and that we weren’t wavering in our faith in them.” —By Meredith Bower

FOR THE RECORD

On the fields and the courts, in the pool and on the track, and in the riding ring and on the golf course, McDonogh athletes turned in stellar performances in a display of talent and sportsmanship. Congratulations to all our winter and spring athletes. Following are the varsity teams’ records:

WINTER 2022: Boys Basketball 4-19; Girls Basketball 22-4; Boys Indoor Track 5th place; Girls Indoor Track 2nd place; Boys Squash 5-4; Girls Squash 9-4; Boys Swimming 5-1; Girls Swimming 4-2; Wrestling 1-7

SPRING 2022: Baseball 9-11; Boys Golf 4-12; Girls Golf 6-2; Boys Lacrosse 13-6; Girls Lacrosse 16-3; Softball 12-3-1; Boys Tennis 4-4; Boys Track 2-2; Girls Track 11-0

BOYS AND GIRLS TEAMS SWIM TO CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY

After a year without league competition, the boys and girls swim teams dove right into the MIAA and IAAM championships in February and swam away with the 2022 titles.

It was the fourth-straight MIAA A Conference championship win for the boys and the sixth consecutive IAAM championship title for the girls. Both teams were coached by Scott Ward, who was later named Swimming Coach of the Year by the girl’s league.

Ward, who has coached the Eagles for 28 years, shared his winning strategy with an MIAA reporter, saying, “We always try to put out our best lineup. We swim to win, and we talk about swimming hard through the season. We try not to go crazy (training hard) before meets. But we always seem to get up more for the championships.”

The day after the boys edged Loyola Blakefield by more than 50 points for the title, the girls were in the pool. The team had been defeated by both Bryn Mawr and Notre Dame Prep in the regular season, and statisticians were keenly aware that no team in the league had ever prevailed in the finals after two such losses. With the odds against them, Ward says the Eagles were “up by two (points), tied, or down by two” for most of the meet and did not earn a first place until the sixth race of the competition when they pulled ahead.

Kira MacMullan ’22, who is now swimming at West Point, told the IAAM, “We knew we were underdogs going into this meet. We knew both Bryn Mawr and NDP have incredible swimmers, but we also knew it wasn’t over. It was going to take every single swimmer, no matter what place or seed time, they had to win. This team might not have had the fastest swimmers on paper, but we had the most passion and heart going into the meet.”

GIRLS TEAM SOARS IN TRACK AND FIELD

The Eagles on the girls outdoor track and field team were on fire all season soaring ahead of the competition. They continued their hot streak in multi-day championships in early May, scoring high in each of the 19 events from hurdles, long jump, and shot put to races of all distances and the 4x100 relay.

Coach Phil Turner, who says everyone contributed to the success of the team, notes that they won the meet by more than twice as many points (220-108) as their closest competitor. “They are a special team and they love track,” he says. “It’s exciting because they are young and determined and should excel for years to come.”

GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM TAKES CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

For the seniors on the varsity girls basketball team, 2022 was their last hope of winning the IAAM A Conference championship title. In their freshman and sophomore years, they did not make it past the semi-final rounds of the tournament, and last year, the pandemic forced the season to be canceled.

After a solid start to the season, the team was sidelined by an outbreak of COVID in late December. When it was safe to play, they returned to the court and there was no looking back. For the next and most critical month of the season, the Eagles won every game.

Coach Brad Rees explained the challenge he faced in helping the talented team become cohesive. He told an IAAM reporter, “We were No. 1 at the beginning of the year and there were high expectations from us as coaches and from them as players. To go wireto-wire as No. 1 is really impressive.” Once they got on a roll, the talented players became an amazing team and advanced to the final round of the IAAM tournament where they defeated St. Frances, ending the Panthers’ streak of five straight titles.

“I’m really proud of our kids. We knew we had a good and talented team this year, but tonight we became a great team,” Rees told a reporter from The Baltimore Sun. “I give the players a lot of credit.”

—By Meredith Bower

MCDONOGH LAUNCHES LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR ATHLETES

For more than 25 years, sportsmanship has been a benchmark of the Athletics Department. Thanks to great students and outstanding teacher-coaches, the Eagles have soared on and off the playing fields. Year after year, McDonogh has earned a reputation for producing winning teams, but winning is not the most important outcome or sign of a successful season.

This year, the School will up its game with the launch of a character development program that will distinguish McDonogh from its peers in the MIAA and the IAAM. The McDonogh Athletics Leadership Academy will not only have a positive impact on students and coaches but on parents, too. The program, in partnership with the Janssen Sports Leadership Center, is designed to build character through athletics. Co-Athletic Director Mickey Deegan explains, “Using Janssen’s sports leadership development series, students will focus on responsibility, accountability, and commitment. These are the skills that translate to effective team leadership and a championship culture.”

The pilot program will be led by veteran coach Scott Ward who will teach students what it means to be a good teammate— one who is accountable and credible to their peers, and who can help create a culture of kindness and respect. For more than 30 years, Ward, who has set the bar high for his studentathletes, has been recognized for teaching swimmers to be responsible and accountable to each other in their pursuit of excellence in and out of the pool.

“I am excited and honored to help launch this program at McDonogh School,” says Ward. “I believe that every team, regardless of their end-of-season win-loss record, is a success when relationships are built through positive athletic leadership. By teaching the importance of effective communication and credible actions, this program will not only benefit our student-athletes but their teachers, peers, and everyone they connect with each day.”

Head of School Dave Farace ’87 believes Coach Ward is the perfect person to lead this school initiative. “He is well-respected by his colleagues for his integrity, calm demeanor, and insights in coaching. He will no doubt impact the lives of countless students and coaches through this new program.”

—By Meredith Bower