Last Friday evening WCDS student-athletes gathered with coaches and parents to celebrate the end of the cross country, soccer, and volleyball seasons at the annual Fall Athletic Awards Ceremony. Athletic Director Mike Costello recognized the All-DAC winners and handed out awards from the coaches to individual students. He remarked:
“We knew entering this fall that it would be a growing year for several of our young teams. Wins were hard to come by, but our strong and sportsmanlike WCDS spirit was on display. We did have eight student-athletes voted to ALL-DAC teams, and the highlight of the fall was when the experienced Varsity Soccer team won the regular season DAC DII Championship. Our fall championship streak was extended another school year…nine and counting! I am pleased that we have successful people leading our teams who care about their responsibility to grow leadership, citizenship, and good character in our children. Our coaches and student-athletes deserve a great deal of credit for the heart and effort they put on display this season representing WCDS.”
Senior athletes also received special recognition at the ceremony. Congratulations to all!
The Middle School Cross Country team was a determined group. Led by new coach Jeff Day, the team was young and energetic. All runners improved their times over the season. Ian Heffron was consistently the first finisher for the boys, and Maeve Ciuba was consistently the top finisher for the girls.
Congratulations to the team and Coach Day for a good season.
Middle School Cross Country
Most Valuable Runner: Ian Heffron
Most Improved Runner: Timothy Tickal
Coach’s Award: Maeve Ciuba
Varsity Cross Country, an enthusiastic team with eight male runners, was coached by new faculty member Coach Casey Carter. Brenden Cwalina, one of the team captains, was often the top finisher for the boys. The team outscored Saint Michael, Randolph-Macon Academy, and Wakefield School in several meets. WCDS was well represented at the VISAA Division II State Championship race with six of our eight runners qualifying to compete. Congratulations to the team and Coach Carter for a season of hard work and improvement. Seniors Brenden Cwalina, Bernie Cieplak, and Tyler Johnson and their leadership will be missed next year.
Varsity Cross Country
Most Valuable Runner: Brenden Cwalina
Most Improved Runner: Peter McMahon
Coach’s Awards: Tyler Johnson and Bernie Cieplak
The Middle School Soccer team had a small roster and, therefore, any injuries or illness had great impacts on game play. In VMSC play the boys beat Fresta Valley. The team went 3-1 in non-conference play with an 11-0 victory over Legacy Christian, a 10-1 victory over Sacred Heart Academy, and a 6-2 victory over Epiphany Catholic, finishing with an even 4-4 record.
Congratulations to Coach Lavonne Adkins and the team for navigating the schedule with a young and small roster.
Middle School Boys Soccer
Most Valuable Player: John Mullins
Most Improved Player: Alex Diehl
Coach’s Awards: Bobby Reid and Manoa Weber
Our Varsity Soccer team started strong and steadily improved to ultimately win the Delaney Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship. The team scored 76 goals on the season with two shutout victories, finishing 11-2-1 on the year. The team defeated Chelsea Academy, Saint Michael, and Tandem Friends School twice in DAC play and earned non-conference victories over Legacy Christian Academy 10-0, Massanutten Military Academy 14-4, and Mountain View Christian Academy 6-2. They tied Middleburg Academy. Remarkably, the team allowed a conference low twelve goals in DAC play during the regular season. The boys entered the DAC tournament as the top seed and beat Saint Michael 6-3 in the semi-finals; then they hosted Chelsea Academy in the DAC Division II finals but lost by a score of 3-1. Coach Tisera was named DAC DII Coach of the Year and Connor Glennon was voted Player of the Year by the conference coaches. The following five players all earned First Team ALL-DAC DII as voted by the soccer coaches: Porter Gilliam, Connor Glennon, Pierce Mingione, Chris O’Heir, and Nile Patel. Seniors Ryan Brown, Ben Cotter, Connor Glennon, Douglas Griffin, Andrew Kwolek, Chandler Liu, Pierce Mingione, Chris O’Heir, Nile Patel, Jackson Romine, Cade Short, Alex Smith, and Landon Thede will all be missed as they leave a big void to be filled next fall. Congratulations to Coach Tisera and the team for another winning, championship season.
Varsity Boys Soccer
Most Valuable Player: Connor Glennon
Most Improved Player: Martin O’Heir
Coach’s Award: Porter Gilliam
All-DAC DII Soccer
Coach of the Year: Gustavo Tisera
Player of the Year: Connor Glennon
First Team Honors: Porter Gilliam, Connor Glennon, Pierce Mingione, Chris O’Heir, Nile Patel
The Middle School Volleyball team finished the season with a 4-6 record, advancing to the VMSC semi-finals at Saint Joseph’s where they played a good match against the Panthers but fell 2-0. The girls had knocked off the Jackets from R-MA on the road in the VMSC semi-finals with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory. In regular season play, the girls defeated Front Royal Christian in the Valley Middle School Conference. The team had non-conference victories over Rappahannock County, the Front Royal Flames, and Highland School.
Congratulations to Coach Ann Pankow and the players for a season of growth.
Middle School Girls Volleyball
Most Valuable Player: Anika Pruntel
Most Improved Player: Lauren Mehl
Coach’s Award: Liza Dareing
The Junior Varsity Volleyball team was very young this season and played well in many sets but fell to more experienced teams. Our small team included three eighth graders who played on both the Middle School and Junior Varsity teams on the roster. Playing independently, they finished with a record of 0-6.
Congratulations to Coach Suzanne Zylonis and the team for a season of growth.
Junior Varsity Girls Volleyball
Most Valuable Player: Hannah Burak
Most Improved Player: Lexi Kurtz
Coach’s Award: Bea Youngquist
Led by Coach Suzanne Zylonis and Co-Captains Lucy Clark, Bridgette Larsen, and Anna Schuster, Varsity Volleyball had an improved season. The team defeated Quantico Middle/High School twice and Saint Michael the Archangel High School once in DAC play and picked up non-conference wins over Fresta Valley, Legacy Christian, and Massanutten Military Academy. The team increased the number of wins by two from the previous season, finishing 7-10. Lucy Clark was voted First Team ALL-DAC by the conference coaches; Anna Schuster was voted Second Team ALL-DAC; and Mari Tisera was voted Honorable Mention. The team was young with only one senior player, Co-Captain Bridgette Larsen. She will be missed along with senior manager Trey Jenkins. Congratulations to the team and Coach Zylonis for a good season with an improved record and meaningful experience for the young roster.
Varsity Girls Volleyball
Co-Most Valuable Player: Lucy Clark and Anna Schuster
Most Improved Player: Bridgette Larsen
Coach’s Award: Mari Tisera
All-DAC DII Volleyball
First Team Honors: Lucy Clark
Second Team Honors: Anna Schuster
Honorable Mention: Mari Tisera