By Myles Jackson ’17, Sports Editor
Before school had even started, the majority of fall sports began practicing for their individual seasons. As the fall season ends and the winter begins, it’s time to look at a recap of Country Day’s outstanding fall sports’ achievements. The teams this fall relished in a number of successful seasons due to senior leadership, great coaching, and the support of our school’s community.
Coming off another playoff appearance, the football team had high hopes of continuing the 3-year tradition. The team was negatively affected by the loss of a very strong and athletic senior class, but the coaches and players alike still expected a successful season. Because of head coach Tim Dunn’s retirement, defensive-coordinator Greg Ross stepped in to lead the Indians this season. Unfortunately, the team was riddled with numerous injuries which reduced an already understaffed football team. The team finished with a 5-5 regular season record and did not make the playoffs.
Seniors Hailey Spaeth and Emma Isett gave their all in a touch season for the volleyball team this year. In the peak of the season, the team had a great bounce-back win in the first round of the playoffs. The team is expected to improve next year with a strong rising senior class. The girls’ tennis team was similarly affected by injuries to two key seniors on the team: Lily Hill and Jordan Lutz. Despite this and a tough season, three outstanding players–Mia Masterson ’19, Katherine Alsfelder ’17, and Elizabeth Johnson ’17–made it to the district tournament.
The cross country team had a very successful season, sending many runners to compete in the regional competition. Senior captains Grace Pettengill and Charlie Sachs lead the team just as they did last year, and the girls came away with a district championship. Natalie de Beer, a freshman runner for the team, qualified for state and competed at the OHSAA tournament’s high level. Lead by Coach Faulhaber, the men’s golf team accomplished something never before seen in Country Day history. The team advanced in their tournament all the way to state, in which they placed 6th. Playing in a very competitive MVC conference (Seven Hills placed first in the state tournament) pushed the team to excel in the post-season. As we have all heard, Coach Faulhaber expects the team to meet and exceed their accomplishments from this year.
Similarly, to the football team, the boys’ soccer team was reeling from the loss of a strong senior class, and was not projected to go far in the season. However, the leadership of captains Ian McInturf ‘17, Nick Krammer ‘17, and Justin Ramey ’17 helped the team achieve a great regular season record. The team beat Madeira in a nail-biter game, advancing to the district finals. The team unfortunately lost in the district finals to Troy Christian, 2-0.
With the highest expectations of any Country Day team this fall, the girls’ soccer team did not disappoint. Through numerous close games, defensive shut-outs, and freshman-lead goals, the team advanced to the state championship to play in the Columbus Crew stadium. The team played Gilmour Academy and rallied to come back after they were down 0-1 in the second half. In a goal scored by Lawson Renie ‘20, the Indians tied the game up, advancing to overtime. It seemed that the teams would be headed into PK’s just as Gilmour had a rebound goal in the last two minutes of overtime to win the game 2-1. Special shout out to the senior captains of Olivia Brown, Olivia Robinson, Deidre Mohan, and Natalie Choo for a historic four-year run and state runner-up trophy. The team is expected to see many future state appearances because of the high number of underclassmen that contributed to the effort.
Congratulations to all fall sports teams on fantastic seasons!
