THE GAZETTE
Page B-2
Wednesday, March 26, 2014 g
B-CC graduate earns national wrestling respect n
University of Chicago freshman earns AllAmerica honors BY
KENT ZAKOUR STAFF WRITER
For most of Charlie Banaszak’s tenure at BethesdaChevy Chase High School, wrestling in college was an afterthought. He opted to focus on his grades and getting into the best school possible. But by the time he developed into a Maryland state champion last year, the 19-year-old grappler made the sport a significant part of the application process. It was likely the correct decision. On March 15, the 2013 B-CC graduate and current
University of Chicago freshman placed fourth in the 141-pound weight class, earning All-America honors, at the NCAA Division III wrestling national championships. “I really started to enjoy wrestling,” said Banaszak, a 2013 All-Gazette first team selection who finished his high school tenure 142-30 with a 4A/3A state and 4A/3A West Region championship and two county titles. “... Chicago ended up being the perfect fit for me academically and wrestling.” Banaszak, who led the Maroon with a 29-12 record this winter, steadily improved throughout his first collegiate season and that notion can clearly be seen in his results. Banaszak wrestled Elmhurst College’s Matt Quigley three times during the season and
PHOTO FROM UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ATHLETICS
Bethesda Chevy Chase High School graduate Charlie Banaszak earned AllAmerican honors by placing fourth at the NCAA Division III national wrestling tournament as a freshman at the University of Chicago. in each successive bout, Banaszak’s performance become more dominant. On Nov. 9, he
won 8-7. On Nov. 23, he won 4-0 and on Jan. 18, he won by a 14-1 major decision.
He went on to finish third at the NCAA Midwest Regional to make the national tournament as an unseeded qualifier where he upset several ranked wrestlers before eventually losing, 8-6, to Brandon Jones (New York University) in the third-place match. “I started out and my goal was just to make the starting lineup,” said Banaszak, an economics major. “That happened and then my next goal was to win the next match. ... I reassessed and made it a long term goal to qualify for nationals.” Banaszak, whose strength is riding an opponent, said his biggest improvements in college have come from the neutral position and his mental confidence. He plans to take a few months off from training before resuming wrestling
activities at the end of the semester. Over the summer, Banaszak expects to attend a few camps and said he has been invited to work out with the American University team. “He’s probably one of the most mentally positive athletes I’ve ever coached,” said Chicago coach Leo Kocher, who added he was sold on Banaszak’s talent when he saw him place eighth at 138 pounds and earn National High School Coaches Association Junior All-American honors during a high school tournament in Virginia Beach, Va. “... Sometimes freshmen fade at the end of the season, but Charlie got stronger.” kzakour@gazette.net
Top spot in county gymnastics up for grabs Two-time defending county champion B-CC graduated all-around champion n
BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER
Gymnastics is a pretty particular sport with a specific skill set, not necessarily the most inviting for high school-aged newcomers, Walt Whitman High School gymnastics coach Sarah Jimenez said. That’s why it was such a treat when current senior captain Sarah Dar walked in to the first day of practice three years ago. Dar represents a group of student-athletes — the non-
PRESSURE
Continued from Page B-1 to, but Dejter said the change has helped to keep the Warriors on their toes. They might actually need to be on guard defensively more so this season than in recent years. Despite returning the majority of its high-scoring lineup, Sherwood did lose two of its most powerful hitters. While the Warriors are still more than capable of producing runs, the scor-
ROCKVILLE
Continued from Page B-1 defensive end, Rockville coach Caitlin Ulmer said. “Her speed is a huge asset for us and she’s actually one of our more defensive-minded midfielders,” Ulmer said. “... She’s got a little bit of that basketball shuffle.” Rockville’s progression, like McTighe’s, hasn’t happened
OPTIMISM
Continued from Page B-1 Quince Orchard, Northwest and some of the other teams that have handled us the last two years. It was a good way to start the season. We got a win and I was able to get everyone into the game.” Thompson is expected to retain his status as the ace of the Coyotes’ pitching staff this
CLARKSBURG
Continued from Page B-1 coach Danielle Murray was not going to be able to give the defending Class 4A West Region finalist Coyotes her undivided attention. Or much attention at all. “Danielle just had a baby and she was supposed to come back and then her husband ended up breaking his arm,” Hoffmann said. “It got to the point where [Murray] was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do this.’” That final decision was made about a week before the start of softball season and Hoffmann, who had been heading up Clarksburg’s junior varsity program since the school opened in 2006, could easily
club gymnasts that act as a supporting cast to the more experienced competitors — that might be the biggest differentiating factor in this year’s results. There are only eight varsity programs in Montgomery County and that number fluctuates from year to year — there needs to be at least six teams to avoid being cut as a varsity program. One of the main challenges, aside from the cost of equipment, which Jimenez said can be around $20,000, is attracting enough athletes. In dual meets, teams are allowed to enter seven athletes per event, that number drops to six at the season-ending county championship. The top 5 finishers count in each event score. “You really need at least 15
to 20 kids to be interested to have a program,” Jimenez said. “Gymnastics is an intimidating sport, a lot of girls feel like if they haven’t done it before as a kid that they won’t be successful.” The county’s high school gymnastics scene, which is judged at a Level 8 difficulty standard, is largely comprised of former competitive gymnasts — coaches agreed it’s a good platform for athletes who no longer train 30 hours a week to use their skill sets — mixed in with a select few current highlevel gymnasts and some less experienced athletes to help fill in the depth charts. For the first time in a long time, the two-time defending county champion and win-
Early signs point to 2013 runner-up Walter Johnson and Whitman, which finished third at counties a year ago, to compete for the top spot this spring. The Wildcats did lose two high scorers, including Grace Leslau, who was the all-around runnerup, but coach Ursula Bright said she is pleased with the variety of experience among her gymnasts. The Wildcats feature a good blend of experience — nine of 19 athletes on the roster
It’d be hard to imagine B-CC falling completely out of contention but the Barons did graduate most of their big scorers, including last year’s allaround county champion, Julia Konner. But this spring does mark the start of a new era with
ing differential might not be as much as it has been, Dejter said. Sherwood did win its 43rd consecutive game with Saturday’s 12-0 season-opening victory against Thomas S. Wootton. “I think [the changes are] good because we don’t want to get too comfortable and overconfident with what we have, it’s good to get a new view point,” Dejter said. “[Barber-Strunk] did just play in college a couple years ago and won a national championship so she has so much she’s able to teach us. It’s
good because she does kind of knock us down a level. She really does push us. She’s been where we are and even better.” A catcher turned outfielder, Barber-Strunk brought in her cousin, former Our Lady of Good Counsel ace pitcher Kim Bartlett, who primarily played third base at Methodist University, as an assistant coach. Between the two, they provide expertise in all areas of the diamond. Student-athletes can be defiant in the face of change, but Barber-Strunk’s credibility and
experience makes it difficult for the Warriors not to trust in everything she does, Dejter said. Perhaps even more important, the right-handed hurler added, is the open channel of coach-athlete communication Barber-Strunk encourages. Her youth also helps her relatability, Dejter said. “If you’re skeptical all you have to do is talk to her and she explains it fully,” Dejter said. “She doesn’t try to hide anything, she knows exactly what she’s talking about. She explains everything and how it’s going to
help us, I think it’s really good to have that openness.” Barber-Strunk said her love for softball grew with the unity of her college team and that is a very important aspect of the game she aims to convey at Sherwood. The team has already come together in support of her efforts early, she and Dejter agreed. It’s no secret that all eyes are on Barber-Strunk and the substantially sized shoes she has to fill. But the Warriors have rallied around someone who has already earned their respect.
“I think in the beginning she was a lot more nervous than now and especially the returning players, we definitely stepped in and were like, ‘OK, whatever you need from us, we’re here, we’re your team and we want to support you fully,’” Dejter said. “It really made this a team thing. She’s got such a passion for the game which everyone can see and it puts it on us, we want to impress her and we want to make her feel good about what she’s doing.”
overnight. The team went 8-4 against a lighter 2A/1A schedule in 2011, Ulmer’s first year coaching, but upgraded to a more challenging 3A/2A schedule and subsequently dropped to 3-10 in 2012, according to LaxPower. com. Rockville doubled its win total to improve to 6-7 last season, and with another year of experience, things are looking up, McTighe said. “I think that we can get more wins than we did last year and
that we can be one of the top teams in our division,” McTighe said. “... A lot of us already know how each other play so we can pick things up more easily ... there’s a lot more chemistry just because we’ve played together so long.” Senior Hope Basile, who led Rockville with 42 goals last season, said that more underclassmen have expressed interest in recent seasons, helping contribute to the improvement. Partici-
pation has increased with the varsity and junior varsity teams filling up each of the last four seasons, Ulmer said. “We’ve really been building up the program and getting more and more people interested in playing lacrosse in general,” Basile said. Anna Damone, a 2011 Rockville alumna, said there was a culture shift when Ulmer took over in 2011. “Ithinksenioryearwejusthad
a lot more enthusiasm and more of a team family atmosphere,” Damone said. “... She brought us all together and made us compete. I think that’s something that really wasn’t done before.” While Basile has been playing lacrosse since about fourth grade and starting on varsity since she was a freshman, many of her teammates, such as McTighe, lack that experience. Their growth, along with the continued development of the
underclassmen on the junior varsity team, could be essential in establishing a winning culture at Rockville. “They’ve really been able to get a hang of all the foundations of lacrosse,” said Basile, who has recorded 63 goals in her first three seasons. “They’ve been able to really play well and learn the game and have been able to succeed in the sport.”
spring, but Saturday afternoon he played first base and batted third in the order. Infanti, the squad’s No. 2 pitcher, shut out the Wolverines on two hits and struck out five in five innings. Kavounis caught and batted fifth. “When you have a good defense behind you, you just go out and throw strikes,” said Infanti, who threw strikes on 43 of 61 pitches on Saturday. “You always like the defensive help and
the run support. I think we’re going into this season with a lot of confidence. For me, the best game for us will be against Gaithersburg. They’re always among the best teams in our league and in the state. When we play them, we’ll know where we are.” Kavounis had another team in mind — Northwest. Two years removed from a squad that won only one game and often suffered setbacks via the 10-
run mercy rule, Kavounis was quick to downplay the Coyotes potential rise to prominence. “A couple of years ago, we were on the other side in games [like Saturday],” Kavounis said. “It’s tough to walk out onto the field when you’re down 10-0 after one inning. I think last year we gained our confidence and that carried over into this spring. We know we can compete in this league. But for me, when we face Northwest, a team with a lot of
guys that I know, that’s when we’ll know how good we are.” Thompson will likely get the ball from Derrick when the Coyotes face Northwest, Gaithersburg and Quince Orchard this spring, For Thompson, who plans to attend Alderson-Broaddus this fall, the game against Quince Orchard is the one he is looking forward to the most. “We play a lot of good teams again,” Thompson said. “I think
we get all of the top teams except we don’t play Sherwood. But that game against Quince Orchard is going to tell us what we have. I think our goals are to win the region and get to states. Two years ago we lost almost every game, but last year we came together and then over the summer we stayed close together knowing this was the last chance for us seniors to get to states.”
have declined the offer to take over the program for a year. But that would have left Clarksburg in a lurch. Before last season, the Coyotes haven’t appeared in a region final since it was a Class 3A program in 2010. Despite the hectic schedule that was sure to ensue — and it was exacerbated by the inconsistent practice times thanks to a long patch of inclement weather — Hoffmann said she could not turn her back on the forward progress this relatively new Clarksburg program has made in establishing itself in the county’s upper echelon. Former varsity softball coach and the school’s football coach Larry Hurd also stepped in last-minute to coach junior varsity. “Stability is important, I didn’t want to just plop varsity
in someone’s lap, so I decided to take it over for this year,” Hoffmann said. “We have a strong softball program here and one thing I did not want was for things to change so much where all of a sudden it does start to affect the players.” The players, junior left fielder Tia Mitchell and senior center fielder Laurie Kostecka agreed, were happy to see a familiar face on the first day of tryouts March 1. In the name of building a true program, Murray and Hoffman often ran joint practices, Kostecka said, so the Coyotes avoided the transitional period that inevitably accompanies any new coaching situation and remain in good position to build on last year’s breakout performance. “I think bringing in someone new [to coach] would’ve thrown
us off for a while, this doesn’t feel like much of a change,” said Kostecka, a University of Tampa recruit. “I think Coach Hoffmann is amazing for doing this, it really is a sign of how much she cares about our program. ... “Last year really set us up for this season because everyone is so determined. Last year we finally made it to the final and almost won and we plan on winning this year.” The Coyotes certainly have the means necessary. While they did graduate ace pitcher Jennifer Taffe, who struck out 154 batters, her younger sister, sophomore Emily, and classmate Ashleigh Bisset, who hit a two-run home run in last year’s region final loss to Northwest, are more than capable of holding their own in the pitcher’s circle, Hoffmann said. The rest
of Clarksburg’s defense remains in tact, likely even stronger. The arrival of freshman shortstop Allie Janowiak, who Hoffman said possesses the type of softball instincts that can’t be taught, enabled former two-year shortstop Mitchell, a University of Virginia recruit, to move back to her natural position in the outfield. The ground she and Kostecka will be able to cover should provide perhaps one of the county’s best final lines of defense. The two also lead an offense that had no trouble scoring runs a year ago — Mitchell batted .593 with 22 runs batted in and 34 runs scored and Kosctecka (.500) sent 30 runs across the plate while scoring 25 of her own. Communication, Mitchell said, should also be a team strength now that most of the
team has played together for at least one or two years and it helps that all four captains — Mitchell, Kostecka, catcher Rachel Brenowitz and right fielder Joanne Cardera — are in some of the most communicative positions. Players’ ability to talk on the field is vital to teams’ success, especially under the stress of postseason play, Hoffmann said. “I think we can definitely at least attain what we did last year and even go further than that,” she said. “Especially now that there’s not some new person screaming from the sidelines telling them what to do. ... I still communicate with Danielle, it’s not like she just dropped off the face of the earth, she is still involved.”
ner five of the last six years, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, might not enter the season as a favorite, though coaches agreed the Barons should never be overlooked.
Favorites
are seniors — and youth. Whitman’s solid base was strengthened by the arrival of some talented freshmen, Jimenez said. It’s important to have at six solid competitors in every event and though not every Viking excels in each event — bars, floor, beam, vault — the team does boast the numbers and variety to produce effective lineups.
Contender
many new faces, including firstyear coach Dotti Garlington, who replaced former 13-year leader Dana Creager.
Darkhorses Only 6.6 points separated the fourth- through sixth-place teams at last year’s county championships, which were Montgomery Blair, Sherwood and Springbrook, respectively. James H. Blake was only six points out of sixth place. While it will likely be difficult for any of these programs to break into the top two this spring, the rest of the slots look to be up for grabs. jbeekman@gazette.net
jbeekman@gazette.net
egoldwein@gazette.net
tblack@gazette.net
jbeekman@gazette.net