Fall Sports Wrap-up
Highlights and scores from a successful fall season.
The final whistle has blown on the fields and last serves hit on the courts for the fall sports season. Read on for the report from Athletics Director Pete Fagan followed by team-by-team coaches' reports for fall sports:
Tough finishes to a tremendous season.
Tough finishes to a tremendous season.
The calendar reads November 30 and Thacher's winter season officially began two weeks ago; so why am I writing this wrap-up now? Our fall season officially ended yesterday with two of our sports teams, football and cross country, still competing over the Thanksgiving holiday. When the fall regular season ends, some schools don’t expect to go onto the post season. Other schools qualify for the playoffs, but only the winning teams continue competing as time moves on. The Thacher community was treated to three highly competitive and successful teams this fall that brought a close to another chapter of the outstanding athletics of Thacher.
On the cross-country course, the men and women runners took their place on the podium once again. On the men’s side, Fred Coleman coached the boys to their eighth consecutive league title. Both the boys' and girls' teams qualified to run in the state championship over the Thanksgiving break where the girls finished 13th and the boys 10th.
Another successful team this season was the girls' varsity tennis team. In fact, they made Thacher history! This team made the longest postseason run for the sport in the history of the School, making it all the way to the CIF finals! In addition, it had the best overall record in the School's history (19-2) and won the Frontier League championship with a 12-0 record. To cap it off, Libby Kern ‘17 was the most valuable player in the league.
Not to be outdone by the ladies, Jeff Hooper and the varsity football team played their way into the CIF finals as well. Led by a strong core group of seniors—John Carey, Manny Aruho, Lukas Ceseña, Ben Yih, Stuart Brown, Marshall Fisher, Mitch Weil, and Kipper Berven—these boys bonded together and finished the regular season undefeated and Condor League champions. Their only loss of the year was a chapionship contest that they lost by one point before an enthusiastic home field crowd of loyal supporters.
Last, but never least, the girls' volleyball team deserves mention as well. Although they didn’t experience the playoff success of our other teams; their teamwork, positive attitude, and "never give up" mantra warrant consideration. The team played under a new coach and they experienced some growing pains. They fought against some tough Frontier League opponents and just weren’t able to turn the corner in many close matches. However, even in the face of discouraging results, these ladies never hung their heads but played hard throughout every contest.
Once again, I am proud to write about our student athletes and their accomplishments this season. We ask many things of our students and athletics is a large part of it. It is readily apparent from their success this season that our students are committed to excellence on the fields and courts as much as anywhere. It was a tremendously successful fall for Thacher athletics. We had a few tough finishes at the championship games, but that will never diminish the true success experienced by these teams.
Girls' Cross Country
Coaches : Fred Coleman, Sarah DelVecchio
Captain: Georgie Becker '15
League Record: Tri-County Athletic Association (TCAA), 5th place (12 Teams)
Season Record: Placed 13th in State of California (CIF)
Seniors: Georgie Becker, Arianna Finger, Marissa Lopez, Emma Rogowski, Lexi Wachtell
Most Improved Novice: Sara Jacobsen '17
Most Improved Veteran: Emma Rogowski '15
Best Sportsman: Georgie Becker '15
Most Inspirational: Marissa Lopez '15
Most Valuable Runner: Sarah Voss '16
Captains for 2015: Reade Rossman '16 and Sarah Voss '16
Season highlights: Six girls qualified for early camp and returned for five rigorous days of pre-season workouts. Our first significant test came at the 1st (TCAA) Meet where the girls placed 3rd in an excellent field of twelve (12) teams, an outstanding result that led to a #7 ranking in the Southern Section at this early stage of the season.
Two weeks later the girls again ran well here at Thacher, and solidified their position as a strong division 5 team with a good chance of excellent results in post-season competition. This was all accomplished without former #1 runner, senior Arianna Finger '15, who had been recovering from a stress fracture.
Then our top seven varsity runners (including Arianna for the first time) ran well placing 2nd in a 14-team race at the famous Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) Invitational (the largest cross country invitational in the world), where they gained valuable experience on the course that is the site of both the prelims and finals of the southern section.
On 6 November at Lake Casitas the girls qualified for the Southern Section Prelims with an excellent performance in the TCAA Championship Meet considering the team was missing Sarah Voss '16 (hip) and Arianna Finger '15 (sick). The five girls in our “pack” ran well, made up most of the difference, and we managed to go through as the #5 TCAA team.
On to the post-season: At the southern section prelims the girls, placed 2nd in their heat, qualifying easily for the finals where they ran true to form, placing 6th, which qualified them for a trip to Fresno for the 5th consecutive year—a remarkable achievement!
At the State Championships, the girls ran well, finishing 13th. The order of finish was (5K or 3.11 miles):
1) Senior Arianna Finger 20:30
2) Junior Sarah Voss 20:58
3) Senior Emma Rogowski 21:18
4) Junior Reade Rossman 21:23
5) Senior Marissa Lopez 21:50
6) Sophomore Isabelle Doubleday 22:28
7) Senior Georgie Becker 22:49
For an approximation of a flat three-mile time, subtract about 50 seconds.
Boys' Cross Country
Then the varsity runners won their race (22 teams) at the famous Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) Invitational (the largest in the world), where they gained valuable experience on the course that is the site of both the Southern Section prelims and finals.
Football
We had excellent leadership from all of our seniors, including captains Ceseña and Aruho. We had four players (Jacques Robles '17, Mitch Weil '15, John Carey '15, and Nate Currie '15) named first team All-CIF, and Aruho earned Honorable Mention. Ceseña was named Offensive Player of the Year for the CIF Southern Section 8 Man Division I.
Girls' Varsity Tennis
JV Girls' Volleyball
Season highlights: New varsity coach, new league, new offense, new practice routine (joint varsity-JV workouts)... lots of moving pieces, including a number of former JV players that were promoted to varsity, meant this was a rebuilding year for the JV squad. Our win-loss record wasn’t great, but the girls worked hard in practice, were supportive of each other in practice and in games, and never gave up in when down in a match. The individual game scores were competitive even when we couldn’t pull out the win.
Boys' Cross Country
Coaches: Fred Coleman, Sarah DelVecchio
Captain: Kevin Griffee '15
League Record: Tri-County Athletic Association (TCAA) Champions (12 Teams)
Season Record: Placed 10th in State of California (CIF)
Seniors: Kevin Griffee, Jack Richardson, Ben Chadwick, Andrew St. George
Most Improved Novice: Tobi Oyinlola '17
Most Improved Veteran: Jack Richardson '15
Best Sportsman: Kevin Griffee '15
Most Inspirational: Kevin Griffee '15
Most Valuable Runner: Jack Richardson '15
Captain for 2015: Peter Callan '16
Season highlights: Six boys qualified for early camp and returned for rigorous pre-season workouts. Our first significant test came at the 1st Tri-County Athletic Association (TCAA) meet where the boys placed 1st in a strong field of twelve teams. At this point in the season the boys were ranked 6th in the Southern Section and 10th
State.
Two weeks later at the 2nd TCAA meet here at home, the boys repeated their earlier performance, and solidified their position as the favorites to win the TCAA Championship.
Then the varsity runners won their race (22 teams) at the famous Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) Invitational (the largest in the world), where they gained valuable experience on the course that is the site of both the Southern Section prelims and finals.
On 6 November on the Lake Casitas Course the boys secured their ninth consecutive league championship (eight in the Condor league and one TCAA) with a performance that was just enough. We had trained through this race, looking towards the more important post-season races, and several of the boys were tired from very hard workouts just a few days before.
On to the post-season: At the southern section prelims the boys won their heat, qualifying easily for the sectional finals where they ran exactly as expected with a 4th place finish that qualified them for the State Championships in Fresno for the seventh time in the last eight years. On 29 November the boys finished 10th in the state of California to take their place as one of Thacher’s finest cross country teams.
The order of finish was (5k or 3.11 miles):
The order of finish was (5k or 3.11 miles):
#1) Senior Jack Richardson dnf
#2) Junior Peter Callan 16:27
#3) Senior Kevin Griffee 16:54
#4) Junior Spencer McCune 17:14
#5) Junior Jack Pierrepont 17:43
#6) Sophomore Ryan Jackson 17:48
#7) Senior Andrew St. George 17:53
Note: Subtract 00:40 from theses times to approximate a flat 3-mile time.
Football
Coaches: Jeff Hooper, Aaron Snyder, Tony Franco, Zane Schryver
Captains: Emmanuel Aruho '15, Lukas Ceseña '15
League Record: 3-0
Season Record: 12-1
Seniors: Emmanuel Aruho, Jordan Augustus, Kipper Berven, Stuart Brown, John Carey, Lukas Ceseña, Nate Currie, Marshall Fisher, Alex Levers, Griffin McMahon, Mitch Weil, Ben Yih
MVP: Lukas Ceseña '15
Most Improved Player: John Carey '15 and Marshall Fisher '15
Most Inspirational Player: Emmanuel Aruho '15
CIF qualification? Yes, lost in finals to Mojave 21-20
Season highlights: We were undefeated in the regular season for the first time, notching a 9-0 record and winning the Condor League for the sixth time in ten years. Highlights included big early wins over Fulton Prep, Faith Baptist, and Mojave. We also beat Cate this year for the first time in three years. We were ranked #1 for most of the season and secured playoff wins over Animo Leadership, Laguna Blanca, and Chadwick. The ride ended in heartbreaking fashion with a 21-20 loss in the championship game at the hands of Mojave.
We had excellent leadership from all of our seniors, including captains Ceseña and Aruho. We had four players (Jacques Robles '17, Mitch Weil '15, John Carey '15, and Nate Currie '15) named first team All-CIF, and Aruho earned Honorable Mention. Ceseña was named Offensive Player of the Year for the CIF Southern Section 8 Man Division I.
Girls' Varsity Tennis
Coaches: Peter Fagan, Scott Burton
Captains: Grace Bingham '15, Sarah Metz '15
League Record: 12-0
Season Record: 19-2
Seniors: Grace Bingham, Cassandra James, Sarah Metz
MVP: Grace Bingham '15
MIP: Margaret Troast '16
Sportsmanship Award: Sarah Metz '15
Captains for following season: Grace Callander '16, Tyler James '16
CIF qualification? yes, we qualified for CIF and advanced to the FINALS of Division 5
Season highlights: This was an amazing season, here are some brief highlights:
● League Champions of Frontier league—undefeated
● Libby Kern '17: winner of Frontier League singles and league singles MVP, 1st team all-league
● Grace Callander '16 and Grace Bingham '15: winners of Frontier league doubles and league MVP’s, 1st team all-league
● Cassie James '15 and Sydney de Polo '17: 1st team all-league and league runner-up
● Cara Dienst '17: 2nd team all league
● CIF Division 5 runner-up.
● This team advanced further in CIF than any other girls' tennis team in the history of the School. This team had great chemistry and one of the most memorable ones in the past eight years. What a year!
Girls' JV Tennis
Girls' Varsity VolleyballGirls' JV Tennis
Coaches: Jason Carney, M. Becker
Captains: Taylor Bacon '15, Stella Frank '15, Julia Girardoni '15, Ann Han '15
Seniors: Taylor Bacon, Stella Frank, Julia Girardoni, Ann Han
MVP: Lydia Paxton '16
MIP: Krista Cabrera '16
Most Inspirational: Ann Han '15
Season highlights: Led by the four captains, this season was a blend of hard work, spirited competition, and plenty of fun. Days usually began with a prefect-led, ten minute fitness workout accompanied by Taylor Swift music on Ann Han’s portable speakers. Furthermore, “Mile Monday,” new this year (and to the chagrin of most!), meant four laps around the track and a good way to kick off the week. The 18 regulars participants (28 when the freshmen attended) were generally spread out on the four lower courts during practice time, where there was a heavy emphasis on skill development and match play. There were also many intra-squad tournaments and competition drills. We only played five matches total but had two great wins over Carpinteria and Malibu. This team loved to compete, and by season’s end, all girls exhibited very good improvement from when the season began. Assistant coach Becker, who provided a great knowledge base of the sport in addition to his high skill level, was a welcomed addition and did a great job working with the girls. Another great season in the book for the JV Girls' Tennis Ballers!
Coaches: Bryan Ornelas, Bill Omansiek
Captains: Mackenzie Boyden ‘15, Laura Kirkland '15, Sasha Ongley '15
League Record: 3 - 9
Season Record: 4 - 11
Seniors: Mackenzie Boyden, Kennedy Green, Laura Kirkland, Skylar Lewis, Sasha Ongley
MVP: Laura Kirkland ‘15
Most Improved Player: Jordan Perry ‘17
Most Inspirational Player: Mackenzie Boyden ‘15
Season highlights: With this being my first year coaching at Thacher I knew it would take some time for the girls to adjust to my coaching style and expectations. “Be open to change” is the first thing I told them. We had a lot to work on at the beginning of the season and I am happy with the improvement we made. We finished the season with four wins and eleven loses. The wins and loses do not reflect the amount of hard work the girls put in and the improvement they made. That’s the most import part of the season. The girls learned, made changes, and improved - the girls should be proud of themselves. One of the biggest highlights of the season was beating Fillmore in five. We were down the first two games and then came back to win the last three. We won the fifth set 15 to 1, which is very impressive. I have never seen that done before and I have been around volleyball for over 25 years. Out of a total of 16 points we only made one mistake. They never gave up and that’s what I loved about this team.
JV Girls' Volleyball
Coaches: Chris Vyhnal, Brian Ornelas
Captains: Elizabeth Swindells '17, Alex Varon '17
League Record: 0-12
Season Record: 1-13
Seniors: Megan Cooke
MVP: Alex Varon '17
Most Improved Player: Shelan Billeaut-Lee '18
Most Inspirational Players: Pria Koll '18, Lexie Silverman '18
Season highlights: New varsity coach, new league, new offense, new practice routine (joint varsity-JV workouts)... lots of moving pieces, including a number of former JV players that were promoted to varsity, meant this was a rebuilding year for the JV squad. Our win-loss record wasn’t great, but the girls worked hard in practice, were supportive of each other in practice and in games, and never gave up in when down in a match. The individual game scores were competitive even when we couldn’t pull out the win.
10/4/14: Toads Break Through Against Providence Hall
The JV girls' volleyball squad earned their first win (and only, as it turned out) of the season against Providence Hall at home Saturday. Their increased confidence with the new 6-2 offensive rotation showed as they topped the Patriots 25-20, 25-23. Defensive specialist Megan Cooke '15 served strongly, and in her first stint at setter, freshman Lexie Silverman played well in game 2 to help secure the victory.
10/21/14: Saints Top Toads in Three Sets
The Toads came out firing in Tuesday's match, winning the first game 25-19 behind the strong serving of freshman Willa Hancock and the steady net play of freshman setter Lexie Silverman (playing in reserve for injured sophomore setter Alex Varon). The momentum turned in game 2, however, with the Saints winning 25-17. The Toads couldn't close in the third game, losing 8-15.
Dance
Dance
Coaches: Gallia Vickery, Tracy Kofford
Captains: Hayley Kong 15, Wesley Liang '15
Seniors: Inga Conyngham, Bailey Cypheridge, Hayley Kong, Wesley Liang, Emily Su
Most Inspirational Dancer: Wesley Liang '15
Most Imporved: Elizabeth Zhang '16
Most Improved new to dance this year: Emma Freedman '17
Most Versatile (ballet, contermporary, modern and jazz) Morgana Van Peebles '16
Best Improvised Choreography: Ava Penner '17
Coaches Award: for improvement over four years, spirit, dedication, a great attitude and support for all: Bailey Cypheridege '15
Captains for following season: Carrie Eastburn '16, Morgana Van Peebles '16
Season highlights: Three new freshmen and two sophomores joined this dedicated and experienced group of dancers this fall. Class in ballet, modern and occasionally jazz dance included warm-ups, strengthening and stretching exercises, sometimes with Therabands, and many jumps and turns in combinations across the floor and in center floor. On Thursdays dancers enjoyed a contemporary class with Tracy Kofford, a professor from Santa Barbara City College. They were exposed to the Jennifer Muller warm-up and contemporary combinations that they really enjoyed, including around Halloween the Michael Jackson Thriller dance.
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A college preparatory boarding school for grades 9-12
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