10 minute read
Athletics
Coaches Awards:
Marcus Jones ’00: Prep League Cross Country Coach of the Year Laura Hamlin Weiler ’00: League of Independent Schools (LIS) Cross Country Coach of the Year Mitch Hauser: League of Independent Schools Volleyball Coach of the Year Margie Vaughan Snead ’85: League of Independent Schools (LIS) Field Hockey Coach of the Year.
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— Champions —
The boys cross country team came home with yet another state championship title this season. The girls cross country team won its first LIS Championship and finished third in the state.
Team Awards:
Virginia Prep League Sportsmanship Award: Boys soccer and boys cross country (second year in a row) Boys Cross Country: Virginia Prep League Champions (third year in a row), State Champions (third year in a row) Girls cross country: Virginia League of Independent Schools (LIS) Champions
Girls Cross Country
The girls cross country team finished with its best season yet, winning its first LIS Championship and finishing third in the state. Trinity had the individual LIS Champion with Molly Breidenbaugh ’14, as well as the LIS Runner-up, Katie Bowe ’16, and both received All-LIS honors. Lexie Tunnell ’15 and Chandler Harris ’15 also received All-LIS honors (Tunnell for her third consecutive year). Breidenbaugh also won the individual girls state championship, and Bowe and Tunnell were AllState honorees as well. Breidenbaugh was also named Richmond Times-Dispatch first-team AllMetro. “The successful season was the result of the girls’ hard work throughout the summer,” said Coach Laura Hamlin Weiler ’00. “We also had several new runners join the team this year,” she said. “We are excited about the future of Trinity girls cross country.”
Boys Cross Country
The boys cross country team entered the 2012 season facing several daunting challenges; the team lost four All-State runners from the 2011 championship squad and was facing a leadership void with the graduation of both of theteam’s captains. Seniors Reider Strehler, Mac Strehler and Jake Wilkes rose to the occasion to rally a group of 30 young men together to defend the state title. By November, the boys were the favorites going into the championship season.
At the Prep League Championship, the team proved successful in executing race strategies to perfection. Brothers Reider and Mac Strehler cruised to a 1-2 finish, sophomore Jamie Hiegel followed closely in at 4th, Wilkes came in 10th and junior Reid Barden (15th) closed out the scoring for the Titans. All five scorers earned All-Conference honors and the team finished the day by hoisting the Prep League cup and celebrating with LIS Champion girls.
“One thing that all of you create is great spirit; not only by winning games but by being the people you are.” —Headmaster Tom Aycock
The girls volleyball team went 19-5 and earned its highest state ranking in Trinity history this season.
“It is not enough to just cross the line first, it’s how you get there. It’s how people perceive you
along the way.”–Athletic Director Eric Gobble
The team slugged it out at Woodberry Forest in the final 5K of the season. Reider Strehler became the second Individual State Champion in team history and his brother, Mac, was the second Titan finisher with a third place finish. With only 600m remaining in the race, the team received heroic efforts from Hiegel (6th), Wilkes (19th) and Barden (25th) who all made crucial passes to seal the Titan’s third straight State Championship.
“This year’s boys team proved that they were not only equal to past championship squads but that they were better,” said Coach Marcus Jones ’00. “They inherited a rich tradition of success and added to that tradition. This year’s seniors finished off legendary careers by hanging a third State Championship banner in the Estes Athletic Center and have ensured that they will always be remembered alongside the Trinity cross country greats,” said Coach Jones.
Football
The 2012 football season was filled with firsts and milestones. The season began with two tough
losses to St. Christopher’s and Collegiate but then saw an early turn around.
Seniors Andrew Villanueva, Bill Patton, Dayton Strader, Bryan Black, Geordy Marget, and Tyler Jutz led by example on and off the field. Under their leadership, the Titans rebounded, winning seven of the next eight games with a six-game winningstreak highlighted by a Homecoming victory against the #1 team in Division II, Christchurch.
“All our fans came out to cheer us on and the team said they really felt the energy,” said Coach Sam Mickens.
During the winning streak, the Titans set team records for points scored in a game, 62 (twice) rushing yards in a game, and rushing touchdowns in a game. The Titans also earned the #1 ranking in the state playoffs.
“I’m so proud of our six seniors and our three managers, Marce Merry ’13, Kaitlyn Warner ’13, and Caroline Touchette ’13, who worked tirelessly throughout the season. And I’m honored to have all the support from the faculty and staff,” said Coach Mickens.
Eleven players were named to the All-State team. Richmond Times Dispatch first team AllMetro went to Dayton Strader ’13, Bryan Black ’13, Bill Patton ’13, Jake Chakley ’15, Jack Fruedenthal ’15. Second team members included juniors Caeden Knight, Elias Khoury, Cody Gray, Abraham FerrellLogan, and senior Tyler Jutz. Honorable mention went to seniors Geordy Marget and Neeshent Parikh.
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team ended its regular season with a record of 9-5 and its only losses coming from teams ranked #1, #2 and #4 in the state. The team finished third in the LIS tournament with the #1 doubles team of Alissa Rosen ’16 and Caroline Moreno ’15 winning the LIS Championship by beating both St. Catherine’s and Collegiate. The team finished its second straight season ranked #5 in the state. Rosen and Moreno won their first round doubles match, while Hannah Jenkins ’13 and Maggie Mauck ’14 won their first round singles matches. “Only three seniors will be graduating and a number of girls are ready to successfully fill those spots. The talent level is high. The next step is mental toughness and strategically managing a match,” said Coach Craig Huizenga.
Girls Volleyball
The girls volleyball team finished 19-5 and attained its highest state ranking (#3) in school history. Some highlights include winning the first Trinity Invitational Volleyball Tournament, defeating St. Catherine’s 3-0 and going undefeated in October. The team was also chosen to host the state tournament game for the first time in school history.
“Courtney Freudenthal, Lucy Call, and Emily Wilkinson headlined our best and most successful senior class ever,” said Coach Mitch Hauser. Freudenthal was named to the All-LIS team for the third consecutive year and Call made it for the second consecutive year. “In their time
here at Trinity, our seniors took the program to new heights by leading us to our first LIS Championship as juniors, our first two-state tournament appearances, our first home-state playoff game and our highest state ranking ever. They are leaving behind a legacy of greatness and will not soon be forgotten,” said Coach Hauser. “Our captains, Freudenthal, Call, Wilkinson, and Allie Neal ’14 provided tremendous leadership throughout the year helping us fight through injuries and a tough schedule.”
Field Hockey
The field hockey team finished the season 24-5 and was ranked as high as #2 in the VISAA and #1 in the Richmond Times-Dispatch regional poll. The team scored 126 points and only allowed 19 goals. In addition, 18 of the games were shutouts.
“There’s nothing greater for a team than to have fantastic moments both on and off the field that bring them closer together. We were blessed to have a season full of fantastic moments. It was a pleasure to be a part of it,” said Coach Margie Vaughan Snead ’85.
The team only lost to three teams all season and two of those teams made it to the state finals. All but one of those games were one goal losses and two of the five losses went to overtime. For the first time, the team won against Collegiate and did so without a home field advantage.
“Both Alex Upadyaya ’13 and Cammie Lloyd ’14 brought a terrific effort all season long and earned All-State honors for a second season. Savanah Cummings ’13 garnered her first All-LIS recognition making over 100 saves for a second season,” said Coach Snead. “Newcomers Becca Hetrick ’13 and Keaton Busser ’14 brought their experience and tenacity and made huge contributions to our overall success. Returning defensive starters Abby Carls ’14, Bryce Timberline ’13, Katie Ellis ’13, and Cassie Brown ’15 were stingy at the back all season long giving our opponents fits. Lauren Cravens ’14, Miranda Stinson ’15 and Emmy Bowe ’15 also left their mark on the season. Freshmen Christie van de Kamp and Annie Snead both made their way in to the starting line up with strong performances well beyond their years,” said Coach Snead.
Boys Soccer
The boys soccer team demonstrated strong leadership on the field despite a challenging season. Goalkeeper Grant Gonzales ’15 and senior captains Jonathan Castellucci and Carl Croft anchored the defense along with seniors Dino Salandro and Emmanuel Urena.
The team finished with an overall record of 3-12-2 and a Prep League record of 1-5.
“If you looked at our record it would appear to be a really long season, but it wasn’t,” said Coach Brian Phillips. “There wasn’t a day when we didn’t want to come out to practice.”
Excellent midfield play from junior captain Camm Johnson and sophomore James Fleetwood kept the games competitive and first year varsity players Addison Hyatt ’16, Andrew Baron ’16, Dolan Petit ’15 and Connor Slater ’15 demonstrated steadfast commitment. The team avenged an early season non-league loss to Fork Union by dominating in the Prep League match. Gonzales was named to the All-Prep team.
Update Mid-Season Winter Sports (as of February 3, 2013)
Boys Basketball got off to a 15-5 start. The team dominated the Travis Tournament against the toughest field in the tournament's history. They won at St. Christopher’s, were 2-1 in the prestigious Times-Dispatch Tournament (including an 84-81 win over Cosby High School in double overtime, and a 66-55 win over the #4 in the region according to the Times-Dispatch Thomas Jefferson at the Seigel Center), and finished 2-1 in the Henrico tournament. They fell on a buzzer beater to #1 in the region, Benedictine, and #2 in the state, Henrico High School, and fell by one point to #10 in the state, Potomac High School.
Girls Basketball finished in second place in the Travis Tournament where Maggie Mauck ’13 and Emily Wilkinson ‘13 were named to the All-Tournament team. The team knocked off a previously undefeated Walsingham Academy and had a close game against James River High School, losing by just four points. The team finished third place in the Steward Tournament where Allie Neal ‘14 was named to the AllTournament team. Also in the Steward Tournament, freshman, Charlotte Woods ’16, was the leading rebounder for the tournament.
Swimming ended with an impressive regular season record of 12-3 (boys) and 14-0 (girls). The team has found their home with the Greater Richmond Aquatics Partnership (GRAP) and are “loving it,” said Coach Alice Phillips. Thus far the team has beaten three relay records: girls 200 free, boys 200 medley and boys 200 free (from 2001). The girls 400 relay team holds a state record which they are set overtake at states this year. The boys only losses were to state champions Woodberry Forest, who they won against in their first meet, Hampton Roads Academy and Maggie Walker.
Watch for full coverage of Winter Sports in the next issue of Titan Trail.
“What they are doing every day is training their bodies to fight against their own bodies. To find that will to keep going when your body wants to quit is tough. In that moment, they draw on
each other as a team,” —Coach Marcus Jones ‘00.
