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Sports News
Varsity girls place 15th in indoor state track championship
The varsity boys’ and girls’ track and field team competed in their first meet of the season at the 2010 Kentucky Class A Indoor State Championship at Broadbent Arena. Nine Bearcat athletes competed in the annual meet, which is also called the Mason-Dixon Games. Seven individuals scored points, and one team member set a KCD indoor track and field record.
Highlights from the event included a fourth-place finish for the girls’ 800m relay team of Chelsea Klein, Lyle Gernert, Olivia Tennant, and Mallory Eisenbrei. Sophomore Healey Loeffler placed fifth in the shot put with an impressive indoor school record distance of 28’01.25”. Additional scorers in the meet were senior Daniel Greene (eighth in the 800m) and freshman Meredith Brown (eighth in the 1500m). Other impressive competitors in the meet were Sam Summers in the 55m and Johnny Marcsik in the 1500m.
Collectively, the six members of the girls’ team placed fifteenth in the state indoor championship, representing the fifth-best female finish in KCD history. This indoor event provides great experience for both the boys’ and girls’ teams as they prepare for the outdoor season.
Middle school track returns to Mason-Dixon Games
The middle school track and field team sent seven competitors to the 2010 Mason-Dixon Games, which serve as Kentucky’s middle school indoor track and field state championship. After a four-year hiatus, new head coach Chris Herrick decided to travel back to Broadbent Arena for the marquee middle school event. According to Coach Herrick, the event serves as great preparation for the upcoming outdoor spring track and field season. Although the middle school event is limited to grades six through eight, the Mason-Dixon Games are not divided by size classification. Many events, therefore, receive over a hundred entries.
Five Bearcats placed high in the event standings, including a thirteenth-place finish by the girls’ 800m relay team of Selena Morgan, Kaitlyn Dwyer, Brigitta Hendren, and Catherine Lavin. Brigitta placed 35th in the girls’ 1500m, Catherine finished 36th (out of 139 competitors) in the girls’ 55m, and Hans Naake placed 36th in the boys’ long jump. Other notable competitors for the Bearcats included George Arnold in the boy’ 55m and Jack Smith in the boys’ 400m.
Coach Herrick says that he looks forward to competing with his entire roster, including a strong group of fifth-graders, in the upcoming spring track season.
Winter athletes honored at US awards assembly
Upper school athletes participating in winter sports were recognized during the upper school assembly period this morning. Pictures of board award winners in each sport are up on Flickr.
Wrestling
- Thomas G. Monaco Award: Hardy Hendren
Boys’ Swimming/Diving
- Swimming Board Award: Sam Crockett
- Rising Future Star Award: Heyward Harrison
- Coaches Award: Max Griffin
- Most Improved Swimmer: Beau Ferguson
- Coaches Diving Award: Jason Harter
Girls’ Swimming/Diving
- Swimming Board Award: Olivia Hampton
- Rising Future Star Award: Darby Witherspoon
- Coaches Award: Malorie Eisenbrei
- Most Improved Swimmer: Anna Sims
Boys’ Basketball
- Steven Hoenig Basketball Award: Alex Semple
- Coaches Award: Martin Resinger
- Best Teammate Award: Jason Geer
- Most Valuable Defensive Player Award: Martin Resinger
- Most Valuable Offensive Player Award: Ward Paschal
Girls’ Basketball
- Steven Hoenig Basketball Award: Shelbi Hendricks
- Coaches Award: Ellen Esterhay
- Most Valuable Defensive Player Award: Margaret Giesel
- Most Valuable Offensive Player Award: Emory Goins
- Most Improved: Meredith Garner
- JV Most Valuable Offensive Player: Ellen Resinger
- JV Most Valuable Defensive Player: Tahlia Hodes
- JV Most Improved Player: Kirby Roberts
Hendricks reaches a basketball milestone
Congratulations to sophomore Shelbi Hendricks as she scored her 1000th career point against Presentation on Saturday, February 20. Shelbi is only the fourth girls’ basketball player to score 1000 points at KCD and is the first player to reach this milestone as a sophomore.
Shelbi’s great scoring has helped contribute to one of the best girls’ basketball seasons in recent years. The team finished the season at 14-10, tying the best record since the 1990-1991 season. Other highlights include a five-game winning streak in January and a signature win over rival North Oldham, defeating them for the first time in school history. Congratulations to Coach Doug Young and the Lady Bearcats!
Bill Beam Jr. 1976 receives athletics honor
On Friday, February 19 KCD officially named the athletics hallway the William T. Beam Jr. Hall of Fame Hallway.
Affectionately known as “Bill,” Mr. Beam has made major contributions to KCD athletics throughout the years. A 1976 KCD graduate, Mr. Beam heads the Bearcat Hall of Fame and the Royal Bearcat Society, which honor outstanding athletes from KCD and its predecessor schools. He is also the creator of The Bearcat Shield, a comprehensive archive of KCD Bearcat athletics established in 2005. The Shield provides detailed records and information on every sport at KCD.
Director of Athletics Dr. Tim Green says that Mr. Beam has been invaluable to KCD athletics. “Bill has been an integral part of the development of our athletic history and archives. His dedication and love for KCD is evident in the hard work, time, and finances that he has put in The Bearcat Shield and all of his efforts to recognize and honor the work of our student-athletes and coaches. He is very deserving of such an honor.”
Mr. Beam is also the namesake of the senior athlete of the year award. In addition to athletics, he has researched and recognized the National Merit Scholars from KCD and its predecessor schools, dating back to 1973. Thanks to Mr. Beam for all of his hard work!
Six new members inducted into Bearcat Athletic Hall of Fame
Five alumni and one former coach were inducted into the Bearcat Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, February 19. Athletic Hall of Fame inductees are recognized for bringing honor and distinction to their particular sport and to the athletic program at Kentucky Country Day School. The athlete or coach must have brought measurable success to a particular sport, including outstanding recognition from conference, local, regional, or state level competition. The induction ceremony took place at halftime of the boys’ basketball game vs. Collegiate.
This year, the inductees were Dale Bryant ’72 (swimming); Lydia Plamp Brownlow ’82 (swimming); David Oclander ’85 (boys’ soccer); Hollis Rodgers ’87 (field hockey); Jennifer Roos ’89 (field hockey); and Coach Valerie Dawson Vertrees (field hockey). Biographies of this year's honorees are posted here.
Mr. Jorge Oclander (former KCD soccer coach) represented his son David, who is stationed in Southern Afghanistan. Ms. Sue Evans represented her daughter Hollis Rodgers, who had a business conflict in San Diego.
Sixth grader sets volleyball record
Congratulations to Jordan Coan, who set a KCD varsity volleyball record this fall as a sixth grader. Jordan’s record of twelve game aces broke the former record of ten set most recently by Maya McClendon and Lauren Benz in 2008.
Field hockey players named to National Academic Squad
Congratulations to Angelique Ciliberti, Jessica Crawford, Ellen Esterhay, Emory Goins, Chelsea Klein, Sarah Klein, and Lizzie Robinson, who were named to the 2009 Gladiator by SGI / NFHCA High School National Academic Squad. The High School National Academic Squad program recognizes those high school seniors who have achieved a cumulative, unweighted GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 or the equivalent through the first quarter of the 2009-10 school year.
You can download a copy of the press release by visiting the '09-'10 Honors & Awards page of the NFHCA website.
KCD swimming and diving breaks records at state championship meet
The KCD swimming and diving team capped off a great season with a strong showing at the State High School Championship Swim Meet on February 12 and 13. The team was led by Sam Crockett's second place finish in the 100 breaststroke and sixth place finish in the 200 IM. Sam's breaststroke time of 59.11 earned him All American consideration and a new KCD record.
The boys' 200 medley relay of Max Griffin, Sam Crockett, Barrett Williams, Henry Crockett finished 11th, and their time of 1:44.31 shattered the previous KCD school record. The boys' 200 freestyle relay of Max Griffin, Barrett Williams, Henry Crockett, Sam Crockett finished 14th, and the boys' 400 freestyle relay of Max Griffin, Clay Corley, Barrett Williams, Henry Crockett finished 22nd. It was the first time in KCD swim team history that all three relays have qualified for the state meet.
The diving team was led by a 10th-place finish by Jason Harter, who earned a score of 329.10. Jason completed all 11 dives, and his 10th-place finish was the highest finish from a KCD diver in 30 years.
With the strong performances from Clay Corley, Henry Crockett, Sam Crockett, Max Griffin, Jason Harter, and Barrett Williams, the boys' swimming and diving team finished 14th with 53 points. This is the highest finish in the state championship meet from a KCD swimming and diving team since 2005 and the most points scored since 2004.
Congratulations to the swim team on an outstanding season!
Eighth grade boys’ basketball finishes record-setting season as champions
Congratulations to the boys’ eighth grade basketball team on winning the Anchorage Invitational Tournament on Saturday, February 6. The team handled Collegiate 49 -19 in the semifinals and then outlasted Anchorage in the championship game by a score of 39-25. The Bearcats finished the season on a six-game winning streak to finish with a 20-6 record. This is the first twenty-game-winning season in KCD middle school basketball history! Congratulations to Coach Mark Smith and the eighth grade Bearcats!
