Athletics News

Haverford College senior Sara Matsumura ’16 added to her impressive list of achievements on September 9, when she was awarded the Centennial Conference’s Player of the Week after being named Most Valuable Player of the Ford Invitational only two days earlier. Then, on September 16, the NCAA announced that Sara was ranked third in Division III in total digs and seventh in service aces.

“I am over-the-moon ecstatic,” Sara said about the start of her senior season.

Despite the recent attention she has personally received, the Haverford volleyball co-captain remained focused on her team. “It is amazing to see all of our hard work coming to fruition and so motivating to see everyone reaching and playing at their full potential,” she said. “I feel a lot of appreciation for the group of girls I get to play with."

I am over-the-moon ecstatic. It is amazing to see all of our hard work coming to fruition and so motivating to see everyone reaching and playing at their full potential.—Sara Matsumura, Class of 2016

Kendra Tomsic, Sara’s former coach and Rowland Hall’s director of athletics, was not surprised to learn of Sara’s focus on teamwork. “Sara never cared about individual stats or accolades—she loved her teammates and celebrated their accomplishments as if they were her own,” she said of Sara’s time playing for the Winged Lions. “Her unmatched work ethic, positive attitude, fiery spirit, enthusiasm, heart, and passion for the game were an inspiration to her teammates and coaches.”
 
Kendra also praised Sara’s athletic prowess. “Sara is undoubtedly one of the most talented volleyball players to come out of our program. Her stats were tops in nearly every category, and she was instrumental to our winning several consecutive region titles,” she said. “I am so very proud and excited, but definitely not surprised, that Sara has continued to excel and has made such an amazing impact on her Haverford College team.”
 
Sara credited Rowland Hall for preparing her for success at the college level, both on the court and in the classroom. “The endless support I received from Rowland Hall’s coaching staff gave me the confidence I needed to gain an I-own-the-court mentality. As a back-row player, that is essential and has definitely been tested when facing strong teams,” she said. “Rowland Hall also prepared me to balance school and volleyball, as academics is our top priority at Haverford too.”
 
These balancing skills, first gained at Rowland Hall and then strengthened at Haverford, are essential to Sara’s success. When she isn’t excelling on the court, the chemistry major is researching microplastics and bioplastics for her senior thesis. After graduation, she plans on taking a gap year to work at an environmentally focused company, then earning a PhD in environmental engineering or chemistry. Armed with an arsenal of skills she has gathered as a student-athlete, we have no doubt she’ll continue to do great things, and we can’t wait to see them.

Update November 12, 2019: Sara was selected for a first-team spot for the 2019 All-Centennial Conference volleyball teams; this is the third consecutive season Sara has been named to an All-Centennial squad. She was also named to the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship team for the fourth consecutive season, becoming the first player in program history to earn that distinction four times since the introduction of the plaudit to the conference's postseason awards in 2009. Read the news release.

Update November 14, 2019: Sara was selected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III All-Mid Atlantic Region team. She is the first Haverford player to garner all-region honors since 2015. Read the news release.

Update November 19, 2019: Sara was named an All-America Honorable Mention. She is the first Haverford player to be included on the list since 2015 and the tenth in program history. Read the news release.

Congratulations, Sara!

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Top of page: Sara Matsumura playing in a Haverford College volleyball game. (Photo courtesy David Sinclair)

Alumni

Kendra Tomsic fell in love with sports at a young age, but when she was growing up, schools didn’t offer girls’ teams. Instead of deterring her, that early experience sparked a passion that still drives her today.

“As a pre-Title IX athlete who never had a coach or even the chance to compete until college, I vowed to help make certain others would have the opportunities I didn’t,” Kendra told attendees of YWCA Utah’s Leader Luncheon on September 13, as she accepted this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Sports and Athletics.

As a pre-Title IX athlete who never had a coach or even the chance to compete until college, I vowed to help make certain others would have the opportunities I didn’t.—Kendra Tomsic

She continued, “I made a commitment to become a coach and athletic director who would not only teach female athletes skills and strategies, but who would use sports to teach and model leadership, strength, confidence, courage, tenacity, resiliency, and the importance of teamwork.”

Kendra’s 42 years of dedication to this work—28 of them at Rowland Hall in roles including director of athletics, PE teacher, and volleyball, softball, and basketball coach—led YWCA Utah to select her as one of five women honored at this year’s luncheon. Award recipients are community leaders who advance the well-being of Utah women and girls, and who exemplify the YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. In her roles as an administrator, educator, and coach, Kendra has harnessed her passion for athletics to empower Utah girls and women and to promote high school athletics at the state and national levels.

“It's not possible to overstate her positive impact on athletics in general and girls’ athletics in particular in Utah,” said Head of School Alan Sparrow. “Her commitment to getting women's athletics treated with the same opportunities and respect as men's athletics is inspirational. Through her dedication, diplomacy, and tenacity, girls’ athletics in Utah high schools have improved dramatically. She is universally respected by her peers and they listen to her when she points out inequities.” They’ve also celebrated her: Kendra’s long list of accolades includes a national Distinguished Service Award and state Athletic Director of the Year. But it’s praise from students that best illustrates the importance, and reach, of Kendra’s work. When news of the YWCA award was posted on Rowland Hall’s alumni Facebook page, an outpouring of love quickly followed, resulting in the page’s highest interaction to date.

“I am proud to say I know her.”

“There’s no one more deserving!”

“She’s amazing in every way and her dedication to making young women better athletes and, above that, better people cannot be topped!”

Kacie Tachiki Turcuato ’99 is one alumna who can attest to Kendra’s transformative power. The former volleyball player remembers her coach as a true mentor who believed in her potential, and who had the special ability to bring out and refine her strengths.

“I’m not a natural-born athlete,” Kacie said. “I’m super short and in my first year of high school I was very weak; I couldn’t even get a serve over the net. I just played because it was fun and recreational. But Kendra believed in me, she worked with me, and by the time I left Rowland Hall, I was a stronger athlete: I got the school’s Senior Athlete of the Year, I got Salt Lake Tribune’s Prep Athlete of the Week. I went from feeling like I couldn’t do anything to really feeling accomplished.”

Kacie called Kendra one of the most influential people in her life, and that influence didn’t stop at graduation. Her guidance has inspired Kacie in many ways, from pursuing a career in physical therapy to returning to Rowland Hall as an assistant volleyball coach.

Students have the utmost respect for her, because they just know who she is. When she talks, everyone’s engaged and they trust her.—Kacie Tachiki Turcuato ’99

“I feel so lucky because I honestly think I’d be somewhere totally different without her,” Kacie said. “I’ve had a very fortunate, successful career and life, and I can’t imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t met her. She can really bring out the best in you.”

Alan also spoke of this capability. “Kendra's deep commitment and caring for each and every player and coach she works with is obvious,” he said. “You can hear it in her tone of voice when she speaks to the students. You can see it in the compassion she shows when a player or student is upset or hurt. You notice it when she genuinely shows interest in her students’ lives outside and inside of school.”

Kendra’s compassion comes up again and again when people talk about her; it’s an important factor in how she mentors others. Coupled with an ability to build trust, Kendra successfully models life skills such as confidence, resiliency, and teamwork on the court and field—and students respond to it. “Students have the utmost respect for her, because they just know who she is,” said Kacie. “When she talks, everyone’s engaged and they trust her. It’s pretty cool to watch.”

This is true for Gita Varner ’05, a former volleyball and softball team manager, whose strongest memories of Kendra involve the life lessons she learned from her and now uses every day.

“Kendra was a role model for me on how to be true to yourself and accept everyone as they come,” Gita said. Kendra’s high standards also taught her the importance of hard work. “She helped instill a strong work ethic in me because she always expected me to be doing something.”

Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, and guts—that’s what little girls are made of. To heck with sugar and spice!

And it may be inspiring students to use, and then themselves model, those life skills during and after their time at Rowland Hall that means the most to Kendra. As she closed her remarks at the Leader Luncheon, she shared a quote from professional surfer Bethany Hamilton-Dirks, along with a reminder of the role we all play in female empowerment: “‘Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, and guts—that’s what little girls are made of. To heck with sugar and spice!’ It is my work, and your work, to continue to send that message to young women, the future leaders of tomorrow.”

Thank you, Coach T, for this important lesson, and for the many others you teach student-athletes every day. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition.

People

Senior Ally Hansen (pictured above, center) gave the following speech to 330 guests at Rowland Hall's biennial auction March 16. After she shared her story, a paddle raise garnered $88,050 for school financial aid. Thank you to Ally for her heartfelt words, and to our generous donors for empowering wonderful students like her to attend Rowland Hall.

I’ve been attending Rowland Hall since seventh grade, but before that I’d attended the same public school since kindergarten. It was considered small, yet it was almost twice the size of Rowland Hall’s middle and upper schools combined. Despite the size, I never really fit into the community. It was uninviting, unaccepting, and relatively unfriendly. I didn’t like it there very much, and wanted an escape. I looked at other options for middle school, but they were limited. 

A friend told me about Rowland Hall and I looked into it. I quickly realized it wouldn’t be an option for me, as there was no way I could afford it. Then, another friend—a Rowland Hall junior with whom I played competitive basketball—told me about the Malone Scholarship. So I applied, and here I am six years later.

Rowland Hall gave me something no other place had ever given me: a sense of belonging. I felt happy with who I was, quirks and all.

At my previous school, I was always the tomboy. I didn’t want to walk around talking about clothes or boys during recess; I wanted to play football on the back field instead. But I was never really included anywhere—the boys wouldn’t let a girl play with them, and the girls thought I was weird. During my first few weeks at Rowland Hall, I met this boy and one of the very first things he asked me was if I wanted to throw a football with him during recess. He is now one of my very best friends. This is just one example of the warm, loving, and accepting community I was quickly welcomed into. Rowland Hall gave me something no other place had ever given me: a sense of belonging. I felt happy with who I was, weird quirks and all. 

Rowland Hall made me realize my true potential and gave me all the tools I needed to be successful. I played basketball my two years in Middle School and all four years in the Upper School, making varsity my freshman year. This last year, I was lucky enough to be elected team captain. I was a good leader because I always led by example. I knew that if I did what I was supposed to, then others would follow in my footsteps. Also, I always pushed for “better” and never wanted to settle for “good enough.” Rowland Hall taught me what a real leader looks like, so when it was my turn to step into those shoes I knew exactly what to do.

I’ve been able to write my own ticket because of the education Rowland Hall provides. When I enrolled in Rowland Hall, I couldn’t have even imagined how great my life would turn out.

Lastly, Rowland Hall opened my eyes to all of the opportunities out there—ways to become the most successful person I can be. The school community made me feel like I was good enough to pursue my dreams. I’d been dead set on attending the University of Utah as long as I can remember. But my truly amazing counselors, teachers, and friends exposed me to the idea of expanding my horizons and considering other schools. Now, I’ll be attending Arizona State University (ASU) in fall, majoring in sports journalism and pursuing a dream I’ve had since I was little: becoming a sportscaster. I would have never even looked at that college had it not been for that very same seventh-grade friend who asked me to throw the football (he’s the one who told me about ASU), and for Rowland Hall, which opened my eyes to new possibilities.

My whole life is different because of my scholarship. I now have four of the most amazing friends anyone could ask for and I’ve been able to write my own ticket because of the education Rowland Hall provides. When I enrolled in Rowland Hall, I couldn’t have even imagined how great my life would turn out. None of this would have been possible without the Malone Family Foundation’s generosity. I will be forever grateful. I only hope that other people will be able to have the same opportunities and experiences I did. But for many, Rowland Hall is not a financial option without the generosity of people like you. So tonight, I ask you to please get out your phones and give generously to support future students like me. Thank you.

scholarships

By Lauren Carpenter, Head Coach

This year’s volleyball team played with persistence and teamwork. A strong group of 24 athletes began practice on August 12 and, just a week and a half later, played their first Region match against Utah Military Academy. They started the season with a victory and proceeded to dominate the pack as the season progressed. The team competed in the Skyline Tournament of Champions, playing against teams from the 3A, 4A, and 5A divisions. The competition was tough, and the team showed a glimpse of their future strength as they worked to become a cohesive unit.

The Winged Lions traveled to Wendover to play in the Wendover High tournament and was a stand-out in pool play, progressing through the winner’s bracket to enter the championship game undefeated. In the finals, they played a long, hard-fought match against a taller Intermountain Christian School, where they were eventually defeated and finished a proud second place. The tournament was a growth experience for the team as they continued to gel as a unit.

Throughout the season, players worked to achieve personal goals and to contribute to the team as a whole. They amassed a 10-2 record in Region 17 play, finishing second in the Region. In the first round of the State Tournament, the team met Parowan High School. The two evenly matched teams battled it out for five sets in a back and forth, “barn burner” of a game where the Winged Lions eventually lost a heartbreaker, ending their drive for a higher finish to the season.

This year’s team consisted of seniors Leonie Anderson (manager), Chloe Coleman-Houghton, and Lily Roberts; juniors Izzie Cox, Jacque Park, and Ke’ea Ramirez; sophomores Ella Houden, Casey Maloy, Enna Mustajbegovic, Ally Smith, Kit Stevens, Tina Su, and Charleigh Vitek; and ninth graders Ruchi Agarwal, Laney Aguilar, Vika Feletoa, Katerina Gianoulis, Jasmine Le, Katerina Mantas, Annie Nash, Jordan Pelichoff, Aileen Robles, Deja Shirkey, and Jordyn VanOrman.

Players voted to the All-Tournament Team at the Wendover High School Tournament were Chloe Coleman-Houghton, Jacque Park, and Ally Smith. These three were also named to the All-Region 17 team. Post-season awards went to Ella Houden, Most Improved; Lily Roberts, Lionhearted Award; Chloe Coleman-Houghton, Coaches' Award; and Ally Smith, MVP.

This year’s team showed determination, sportsmanship, and the power of group cohesiveness. The future of the team is bright as we look for many returning players and a new group of strong athletes coming into the program next year. Great season, team!

back to finish line

ATHLETICS

By Susan Daynes, Head Coach

The Winged Lions girls tennis team took to the courts this fall with many new faces on the roster, along with a solid group of returning players. Assistant Coach Lee Molen-Chase and I were excited about the talent and potential we saw as practices started in early August, and our hopes for a successful season with a young team materialized as the season progressed.

All of the players worked hard and showed significant progress and improvement in their play with each practice and match. In a tough 3A tennis region game, we won four matches and lost four matches, took third at the Region Tournament, and played well enough there to qualify players at all five positions for the State 3A Tournament.

Representing Rowland Hall at a strong field at State in early October was sophomore Tennyson Seethaler, #1 Singles; freshman Alivia Boe, #2 Singles; freshman Rachelle Prasthofer, #3 Singles; Tala Shihab (senior)/Violette Truong (senior), #1 Doubles; and Caroline Applegate (senior)/Madeline Frazier (sophomore), #2 Doubles. Players battled hard throughout that tournament and were fantastic representatives for Rowland Hall, ending their State competition tied for fifth place—we were so proud of the great effort they gave every point played! 

Our Region Champion #2 Doubles team of Caroline Applegate and Madeline Frazier went undefeated at State. They won the State 3A title at that position, playing excellent tennis throughout the season and especially at State. Congratulations!

We are excited to have Tennyson, Alivia, Rachelle, and Madeline back on the court next fall, to be joined by some up-and-coming talent on this year’s JV team, including Kate Altman, Madeleine Gee, Maddie Keil, Olivia Tracey, and Angel Wang.

We were very fortunate to have great team captains this year. A big thank you to Grayson King and Caroline Applegate, who did an excellent job of pulling the team together and making everyone feel a part of our program. Gretchen King and Erica Keil were our Booster Club parent liaisons this year and did a super job of organizing snacks and drinks for our matches—much appreciated! Thanks to all our parents and families for their positive support during the season.

Thank you to Lee Molen-Chase, the assistant coach. We will miss her presence next year. Thanks to boys tennis team stand-out, Peter Chase, who attended most practices and fed balls and helped in other ways throughout the season.

We graduate seven seniors this year: Caroline Applegate, Sasha Diamandis, Kajal Ganesh, Grayson King, Tala Shihab, Laura Summerfield, and Violette Truong. We will miss them and wish them well in their future endeavors.

Our team awards were presented to co-MVPs Caroline Applegate and Madeline Frazier; Most Improved Player Tennyson Seethaler; and the Coaches’ Award to Grayson King. We are also proud to note that Kajal Ganesh and Tala Shihab both earned the prestigious Academic All-Region and Academic All-State honors this year. Congratulations to all!

BACK TO FINISH LINE

ATHLETICS

By Stacey Camacho, Head Coach

2019 was an excellent year for boys golf. The team claimed its second consecutive Region title, placed second at the 2A State Championship, and had a great time making all of that happen.

Leading the team this season was senior Captain Giorgio Gianoulis, who carried an impressive scoring average of even-par 72 for the year. Giorgio finished the regular season as the Region Champion Medalist and earned a top-five finish at the 2A State Championship. His efforts earned for Giorgio an invite to compete in the 2020 Scotland Junior Golf Invitational at St. Andrews Course as a member of Utah’s team.

Following his lead were teammates freshman Carson Kawabata and sophomore Danny Damico. As a ninth-grader, Carson played in every varsity match this season, qualified for the Region team, and finished tied for 13th place at the State Championship. Damico also had a strong finish, tying for 21st place at State. Senior Shoji Mori, junior Isaac Holbrook, and sophomore Zach Schwab rounded out our State team with solid performances over the two days as we battled back on day two to capture second place by three strokes over Gunnison High.

Assistant Coach Miles Nollman and I were very excited to see the impressive improvement of all the athletes throughout the season. Senior Zydaan Siddiqi, sophomore Sam Fouche, sophomore Mercer Paradise, and sophomore Zach Baughman helped pushed the team during practices and qualifying matches to make this season such a success.

Season award winners for 2019 were Giorgio Gianoulis, Most Valuable Player; Shoji Mori and Zydaan Siddiqi, Coaches' Award; Isaac Holbrook, Most Improved Varsity; and Sam Fouche, Most Improved Junior Varsity. Earning Utah Section PGA 2A All-State honors were Giorgio Gianoulis, First Team; Danny Damico, Carson Kawabata, and Zach Schwab, Second Team; and Isaac Holbrook, Honorable Mention.

Over the past few years, the boys golf program has made great strides, and I am thrilled to be part of the success. With many young players on this year’s roster, I am looking forward to a bright future for the Winged Lions next fall!

BACK TO FINISH LINE

ATHLETICS

By Mark Oftedal, Head Coach

Aksel Anderson, Emery Bahna, Logan Bateman, Eli Borgenicht, Ella Brown, Carson Burian, Will Cunningham, Brenna Davison, Max Eatchel, Dillon Fang, Rodrigo Fernandez-Esquivias, Tyler Gerstein, Jake Gilbert, Ellie Hyde, Cyrus Johnston, Zachary Klein, Jack Lange, Mikel Lawlor, Nicholas Murphy, Laisha Padilla, Lorenzo Parker Pillow, Katie Plavan, Henry Retzer, Ana Rodriguez, Max Smart, George Wintriss

I’ve never started an end-of-season summary by listing all the members of the team. But these Rowland Hall student-athletes are the 2019 Rowland Hall Cross Country Team, and they are responsible for the remarkable season they created this fall.

A few days after the Utah State Cross Country Championships, where our boys team finished first and our girls team finished fifth, I received a letter from the principal of one of our 2A competitors. This is the first such letter I’ve received in my relatively long tenure as a running coach—I was surprised and pleased. The letter congratulated me on our team’s performance at the State meet. The principal wrote, “When a team finishes 1, 5, 7, 16, & 20 at State, in my mind that is pretty special.” Indeed, it is, and that fact certainly didn’t escape the attention of anyone on our team that day. However, the sentence that settled in with me over the next few days was the one where he shared his observation beyond the boys team’s success: “It was so much fun to watch your kids compete, and your fans run around like crazy.”

I believe it’s the dynamic of a team that draws me and holds me fast to the sport of running—the motion, change, activity, progress. Ironically, it is the evidence—even as small as it is at times —of positive incremental changes of both individuals and of the team that keeps me coming back season after season. 

I have witnessed the growth of seniors Aksel Anderson, Logan Bateman, Brenna Davison, and Cyrus Johnston, marveling not just at the improvements they’ve made as distance runners but also at the sensitive, compassionate, and committed leadership roles with which they nourished our team this fall. It was evident that what they valued most was the success of the team, each doing their part to feed and maintain the positive dynamic necessary for a united force toward their goals. That’s the dynamic that that principal saw “run[ning] around like crazy.”    

The teams’ 2019 awards went to juniors Carson Burian and Elli Hyde for Most Valuable; juniors Max Eatchel and Laisha Padilla were recognized as Most Improved, senior Aksel Anderson and sophomore Ana Rodriguez received the Coaches’ Choice award, and sophomores Emery Bahna and Jack Lange were awarded Tough as Nails.

BACK TO FINISH LINE

ATHLETICS

By Bobby Kennedy, Head Coach

Twenty-six girls met at the Steiner Field Complex on July 30 to embark on the 2019–2020 soccer season. It was apparent early on that the team valued the history and performance of past teams but focused on charting their own course. Following a week of evaluation, Varsity and Junior Varsity teams assembled and preparations for the most competitive pre-season schedule in the past five years were underway.

The Winged Lions opened up at home against Payson with a 6-0 victory and prepared to play on the road at Manti, the eventual 2019 3A State Champion. The girls matched the physicality of the disciplined and organized Templar side and came away with a 0-0 tie while playing all of the second half and overtime with 10 players due to a red card. A victory against Maeser Prep provided a much-needed boost in confidence and got the offense on track for a match with the 2A favorite, Real Salt Lake Academy. The Winged Lions created several chances but could not find the back of the net, and the hard-fought contest ended in the second overtime with RSL taking the victory.

Our divisional schedule was similar to years past, where we faced long-time rival Waterford in addition to St. Joe, UMA, and North Summit. On the strength of a balanced attack and a very stingy defense, the team went undefeated in Region play and captured another region title, our fifth consecutive. 

Time to start thinking about the playoffs. As the second overall seed in the 2A State Tournament, Rowland Hall drew a bye in the first round. In the quarterfinals, the Winged Lions hosted Beaver High and breezed to a 13-0 victory. With little time to celebrate, it was time to prepare for the semi-final match against Millard, to be played at Juan Diego. Millard chose to "park the bus" which is a common tactic in soccer when you are outmatched technically and tactically. By placing the entire team behind the ball on defense, and in most cases within their penalty area, you can frustrate your opponent, and it worked. Our team had a tough time breaking down the packed defense and took a slim 1-0 lead into halftime. While we attempted to make adjustments in the second half, we were only able to score one more goal, but that was enough to punch our ticket to the State final at Rio Tinto.

In the final, we faced the Real Salt Lake Academy. After a full 80 minutes of play, the score was 1-1. Following two 10-minute golden goal overtime periods, the score remained deadlocked, so on to penalty kicks. Each team selected five kickers to try and beat the opposing GK from the penalty spot. After goals by Anna Fukushima, Giselle Bodeen, and Jordan Crockett, Summer Connery stepped to the spot with the result on the line. Calm and collected, she beat the diving keeper to her right and was subsequently mobbed by her onrushing teammates. While this team might be remembered for the three-peat State title, they are one of the grittiest and most cohesive in the past six seasons. 

Team members include Olivia Bikhazi, Giselle Bodeen, Jordan Crockett, Sofia Espinosa, Anna Fukushima, Sally Logue, Sophie Stinnett, Alexandra Hodson, Lily Scaife, Hattie Wall, Grace Baranko, Kailyn Bates, Lizzie Carlin, Summer Connery, Julia Graham, Camryn Kennedy, Micha Nenbee, Elisabeth Bocock, Maddie Carlin, Jada Crockett, Dakota Erickson, Maile Fukushima, Gwyneth Hodson, Mei Mei Johnson, Carolyn Marlin, and Aimar Perez.

A thank you to my first-year assistants Airam Perez and Joe Murray, for their help throughout the season. A special shout-out to our departing seniors Olivia Bikhazi, Giselle Bodeen, Jordan Crockett, Sofia Espinosa, Anna Fukushima, Sally Logue, and Sophie Stinnett, whose talent and leadership will be missed.

End-of-season team award recipients included Jordan Crockett, Most Valuable Player; Lily Scaife, Most Improved; and Hattie Wall, Coaches’ Award. All-Region honors were earned by Jordan Crockett, Giselle Bodeen, Anna Fukushima, Sophie Stinnett, and Summer Connery.

Congratulations, 2019 Champions!

BACK TO FINISH LINE

ATHLETICS

An unusually wet spring didn’t dampen the fiery spirit of Winged Lion Upper School athletic teams as they came away with three Region championships (Boys Soccer, Girls Track & Field, Boys Track & Field) and a near fourth (Girls Golf), and then claimed a State runner-up trophy (Boys Soccer), a State third place (Girls Golf) and State fourth place (Boys Tennis) finish, and had several individual state medalists in golf and track and field! 

Congrats to our student-athletes and Coaches Scott Langone and Ryan Beck (boys soccer); Mark Oftedal, Ashley Hagensick, John Berclaw, and Roland Tolbert (Track & Field); Martin Ellis (Girls Golf); and  Rich Francey and Susan Daynes (Boys Tennis) on these awesome results…a fantastic way to finish the year!  Way to go, Winged Lions!

 

EXCITING SOCCER SEASON FOR THE “24”
By Scott Langone, Head Coach

What a season! Back-to-back co-region champs! Back-to-back state finalists! 

The 2019 season started on February 25th with high hopes of returning to the state finals, as the team chose teamwork, competitiveness, and fun for their core values. After a 2-1 win vs. 3A South Summit, we knew we had something special. There was an excitement in this group of 24 strong—they celebrated each other’s efforts and picked each other up when there were near misses.

The “24” battled through snow storms, rain, and opponents, claiming victories until a set -back came with a defeat at Judge Memorial (2018 and 2019 State Champions). The loss at Judge strengthened the team and brought them closer together with a realization that we could not only compete in 2A, but 3A as well. The “24” rolled off another 8 wins in a row, including a very convincing win vs. Waterford at the Steiner Field. In the regular season finale, they had their first Region loss of the year in a tale of two halves vs. rival Waterford in less than desirable weather conditions in a marathon 3.5- hour game marked with multiple stops in play. The “24” finished the regular season as co-region champions with the Ravens and won the coin flip to become the #1 seed out of Region 17 to the State 2A Tournament.

The “24” had a slow start to the playoffs vs. Merit Academy, down 1-0 at the end of the first half, but then scored 10 unanswered goals, defeating Merit Academy, then St. Joseph's in the quarterfinals, followed by a victory over Beaver in the semifinals. During that two -week stretch, the “24” continued to bond and have fun, enjoying a break from soccer playing floor hockey to see who would hoist the Rowland Hall "Stanley" Cup. 

The “24” reached their goal of making it to Rio Tinto for the 2A State Championship vs. Layton Christian Academy, and fell short of raising the championship trophy in a well-played game, losing to LCA 2-0, but showed the Rowland Hall crowd an exciting style of soccer, many fans commenting that it was the best high school soccer game they had  ever seen. 

The season was full of team success and individual successes, as well. Jesus Lamas (‘21) and Charlie Retzer (‘21) were honored by Max Preps as Player of the Week for Utah in week 3 and 8, respectively. Trey Provost (‘19), Jason Nkoy (‘20), Mats Lindgren (‘20), Lamas (‘21), and Retzer (‘21) were named All-Region for Region 17. Charlie Retzer was first in the 2A classification for goals scored and third in the state overall with 28.  Ben Kanter (‘20) had seven shutouts in 18 games and in 1,347 minutes played only gave up 18 goals.  Trey Provost, Jesus Lamas and Mats Lindgren not only scored numerous goals, but assisted on 10, 14, and 11, respectively.  Newcomers Zack Baughman, Daniel McNally, and Luke Muhlestein had a fabulous freshmen season on Varsity.  Jude Whittem (’21)), Alex Okawa (‘21), and Augustus Hickman (‘21) all had a solid varsity season, while Calvin DeBellis (’22), Jaden Jensen (’22), Lorenzo Parker-Pillow (‘22), Charlie Lanchbury (‘22), Tristam Gaylord (‘20), Andy Merrill (‘20), Patrick McNally (‘20), and George Drakos (‘22) had outstanding JV seasons.

At the end of the season banquet, George Wintriss (‘22) was named Most Improved, Jesus Lamas and Mats Lindgren were named Coaches Award winners, and Trey Provost and Jason Nkoy were named Most Valuable Players.

Not only did this team show they are one of the best in the state for soccer, they showed that they are the best academically in 2A, earning the UIAAA Team Academic Award for the top team average GPA.  James Corcoran (‘19), Atticus Hickman (‘19), and Cas Mulford (’19) led the way academically, as they earned UHSAA Academic All-Region Honors, and Mulford and Corcoran were also awarded the prestigious UHSAA Academic All-State award.

Special thank you to assistant coach Ryan Beck who was a key to Rowland Hall's success and to our captains Jason Nkoy, Mats Lindgren, and Trey Provost for supplying key student leadership. Congratulations to our “24” on a season well-played!

 

RESILIENT GOLF TEAM POSTS STRONG SEASON
by Martin Ellis, Head Coach

The 2019 Rowland Hall girls golf team can best be described by one word: resilient.  Our five student-athletes practiced and played with guts, grit, determination, and heart throughout the season always kept a positive attitude despite weather or struggles on the course.

During our first day of practice meeting, they began setting team and individual goals, their #1 to HAVE FUN and to win the Region Championship.  Result: Tied Waterford at the end of the Region Tournament, went into a playoff and lost by just four strokes.

Goal #2: To finish in the top 5 at the State Championship.  Result: 3rd place overall. Well done!

En route to achieving those goals, the team won two matches and lost two and was tied with Waterford for first place in the region going into the Region Tournament.  At that event, both teams ended the 18-hole competition with the exact same score, forcing an exciting four-hole playoff that the Winged Lions eventually lost by a few strokes to take second place and qualify for State.  Sophie Stinnett took home second place medalist honors and Katy Dark was fourth place medalist for the 2019 season.

At the State Tournament, our team stepped up, everyone played some solid golf, with team captain Sophie Stinnett taking fourth place as an individual, and we ended the season strong with a third-place finish, an outstanding accomplishment given that the majority of our team had never competed at a State Tournament before!

Every team member contributed all season, led by team captain junior Sophie Stinnett who has improved by 10 strokes each of her three years of participation. Sophomore Katy Dark worked hard all season to improve her chipping and putting and was able to consistently shave strokes off her game with each passing tournament. Newcomers to this year’s team, Junior Olivia Bikhazi and sophomores Jacque Park and Ke’ea Ramirez were totally new to the game of golf, all three of them improving on a near daily basis and making huge strides in their play as well as bringing new energy to the team.

I couldn’t be any prouder of these student-athletes. They battled all season long. They set realistic goals based off of their individual skill levels, goals such as try to hit more good shots than bad shots, simple and attainable. They are incredibly smart, were easy to coach, and a lot of fun to work with, making this not only a very successful, but very enjoyable season.

Congratulations to Most Valuable Player and First Team All-State player, Sophie Stinnett; Most Improved Player, Olivia Bikhazi; and Coaches’ Award recipients Katy Dark, Jacque Park, and Ke’ea Ramirez on a great 2019 season of golf!

  

Young Boys Tennis Team Has Strong Season
By Rich Francey, Head Coach

Rain, rain, and more rain is the best way to describe the weather conditions for this year’s boys’ tennis season. Practices started on March 4^th on a sunny day, followed by four days of rain. The team coped with this unfortunate weather and participated in cardio work outs in the gym when necessary. This week unfortunately set the standard for the entire season as there was a least one rained out practice or match every week, causing us to play the majority of our league matches during the very last week of the season!

The team, however, evolved and came together to form some strong bonds and a solid Varsity and JV team. The JV team was anchored by Gary Fenton, Ben Fowler, Andrew Kimball and Charles Topoleski, all making strong efforts to break into the top seven positions.  Good efforts and improvement were also seen from Christian McCartney, Gosha Polischuk, Steven Doctorman, Cooper Davis and Daniel Damico. All of these players will be returning in 2020 which is good news for the Winged Lions.

The Varsity team had a successful season, playing a number of 5A opponents, posting an overall record of 6-3 with a third -place finish in Region play with a 4-3 league record, and then finished the year taking fourth place at the State 3A Tournament.  

Peter Chase played #1 singles and finished fourth at the State tournament.  Justin Peng competed at #2 singles and had a strong season, as did #3 singles player Tim Zeng.  Auden Bown and Noah Edgar teamed up at #1 doubles and played in the State finals at the position, finishing second in a well-played match.  Josh Kesling and Cole McCartney represented the team at the #2 doubles spot and did a great job all season.  Senior Ben McGraw served as team captain, his leadership and enthusiasm key to the team’s success this year.

A big thank you to Assistant Coach Susan Daynes for all her help during my first season back to coaching in the Rowland Hall tennis program—she was awesome!

Team award recipients included Peter Chase, Most Valuable Player; Tim Zeng, Most Improved; Ben McGraw and Josh Kesling, Coaches’ Award; and Gary Fenton, JV Coaches’ Award.

We were also very proud that our Varsity team was recognized with the UIAAA Top 3A Team GPA award, led by Ben McGraw who earned Academic All-Region and Academic All-State accolades for 2019.

Good luck to Seniors Josh Kesling and Ben McGraw as they move on to college adventures—they will be missed!

Congrats Winged Lions on a great season—good things await in 2020!

 

Track & Field Team Shines In 2019
by Mark Oftedal, Head Coach

Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko wrote, “True sport is always a duel, a duel with nature, with one’s own fear, with one’s own fatigue, a duel in which body and mind are strengthened.” Though these duels are always present each athletic season, the 2019 track and field season certainly provided a lot on the side of duel with nature in the form of rain, sleet, hail, wind, lightening, and sun. I can’t recall a meet that didn’t throw something at us. Athletic Director Kendra Tomsic commented after day-one of the State meet, “I really enjoyed watching the athletes compete and am excited to see so many personal and season bests posted by so many, especially given the terrible weather conditions on Friday!” Throws coach John Bercaw reported that he was very impressed with how everyone kept their focus on their events while handling the conditions at State. A week earlier, after our Region Championship meet, University of Utah head track coach Kyle Kepler, referring to the conditions that day wrote, “. . . I saw a group of people who did the best they could with the situation presented on behalf of the kids they coach . . . that’s real world education!” And, the week before that, at the North Summit Invitational, all teams were sent running for their busses at the conclusion of the 400-meter races. I’ll never forget watching sophomore Zach Benton who rounded the corner into the home stretch—well on his way to a personal best time judging from his time at the 200-meter mark—only to be blasted by a firehose of water and wind turning what would have been a great time into a true battle with nature. 

In spite of the weather, high spirits prevailed throughout our season as our team often headed out the door into cold temperatures and falling rain for recovery runs after quality track sessions the day before which were all too often adjusted due to the weather of the day. Meet after meet, our team members managed to maintain their focus and drop their times and further their jumps and throws no matter the conditions. At the end of the day, whether practices or competitions, good cheer and promise for the events ahead were never in short supply.

Comparing the 2019 season’s best times in the sport’s eight running events (100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 110 and 300 hurdles) to the 2018 season, the boys’ team ended the season with better times in seven of the eight events. Two of those bettered marks set new school records. Sophomore Carson Burian surpassed Ryan Westerman’s (class of 2014) 3200-meter record of 9:39.00, set in 2014, with a time of 9:37.62 at the BYU Invitational in early May; junior Andres Torres broke Chris Nkoy’s (class of 2014) 100-meter record of 11.93, set in 2013, by posting a 11.55 at the Region Championships. Two new records were set by 9^th-grader Lizzie Carlin for the girls’ team. Lizzie bettered the 100-meter record of 13.14 set by her sister Emma in 2017, by running 12.87 twice this season—once at the Morgan Invitational and once at the Region Championships. Racing to a 26.68 in the 200-meter at the State Championships, Lizzie also knocked off that record of 27.14 set by Candice Nkoy at State in 2013. Read more about Lizzie’s incredible season here.

Both the girls’ and boys’ teams handily won the Region 17 Championships this season, which left all participants tested and strengthened by the many obstacles presented that day—weather being the main one. Twenty, out of our forty-one-member team, advanced to the State meet in forty-one individual events. The Region meet—again in spite of the weather—saw twenty-two new personal best or season best marks posted. Those qualifying for State in individual events were: Lizzie Carlin, Brenna Davison, Shayna Green, Alex Hodson, Ellie Hyde, Anna Jiricko, Grace Macintyre, Micha Nenbee, Laisha Padilla, Katie Plavan, Jezzie Sammons, Lily Scaife, Mia Vinding, Aksel Anderson, Logan Bateman, Zach Benton, Carson Burian, Max Eatchel, Cole Lunde, and Alvaro Nicolia. The following student-athletes were this year’s Region Champions: Lizzie Carlin (100, 200), Carson Burian (800, 1600, 3200), Anna Jiricko (400, High Jump), Logan Bateman (400), Alvaro Nicolia (300 Hurdles), Mia Vinding (Long Jump), Jezzie Sammons (Shot Put), and Sage Matkin (Discus).

Our athletes were not fazed when day one of the two-day Utah State Track & Field Championships at BYU presented rain. To cap off the season, nineteen personal best marks were accomplished at the State Championships. For the girls’ team, Lizzie Carlin (200, school record), Anna Jiriciko (100, 200), Brenna Davison (400), Mia Vinding (100 Hurdles), Lily Scaife, Ellie Hyde, and Katie Plavan (800), Grace Macintyre and Laisha Padilla (3200), and Shayna Green (Long Jump) all performed their best of the season at State. For the boys’ team, Zach Benton (400), Logan Bateman (1600), Aksel Anderson and Max Eatchel (3200), and our all-9^th-grade 4x400-meter relay team of Tyler Gerstein, Max Locke, Wynn Mellor, and Max Smart all left their best for the last meet of the year. Making it onto the 2A Utah State top-six podium were Carson Burian as the State Champion in the 3200 and runner-up in the 1600; Lizzie Carlin finished 3^rd in the 100, 5^th in the 200, and 6^th in the 400; Aksel Anderson was 6^th in the 3200; Lily Scaife 6^th in the 800; and Logan Bateman finished 6^th in the 1600. 

On May 28th at the track team’s awards banquet, we celebrated our five senior team members—Jonah Borgenicht (4 years on the track and cross country teams), Grace Macintyre (4 years on track and 1 year on the cross country team), Rob Welt (3 years track and 4 years cross country), Ricky Sanchez (3 years track and 3 years cross country) and Alvaro Nicolia (1 year on track). Jonah Borgenicht and Grace Macintyre were awarded the Coaches’ Choice awards for their outstanding leadership/mentorship on our teams over their high school careers. The Most Improved awards went to junior Aksel Anderson (800, 1600, 3200), while sophomores Ellie Hyde (400, 800) and Lily Scaife (800, 1600) shared the honor, as these two close friends and teammates have motivated each other impressively throughout the season. Our Most Valuable Athlete awards, solidly earned throughout the season by accumulating points for the team that went into triple digits, were presented to 9^th-grader Lizzie Carlin and sophomore Carson Burian. Lastly, Tough as Nails awards went to sophomore Katie Plavan for her fast 1600-meter race with a “stunning finish” and to senior Ricky Sanchez—forever the role model for good natured determination and dedication to whatever he takes on.

Thank you to all that supported our team this season. Already looking forward to Spring of 2020! 

 

Academic Honors for Spring Sport Athletes

Several Winged Lion athletes were recognized with academic honors this spring.  Ben McGraw (Boys Tennis) and Boys Soccer players James Corcoran, Cas Mulford, and Atticus Hickman were named to the Region 17 Academic All-Region Team.

Corcoran, Mulford, and McGraw were also recognized with the prestigious Utah High School Activities Association’s Academic All-State award for their prowess in the classroom and in the athletic arena.

Congratulations!

 

Athletes Earn Post-Season Accolades

 Five players from the Boys Soccer team were named to the All-Region Team, including Trey Provost, Jason Nkoy, Mats Lindgren, Jesus Lamas, and Charlie Retzer.  Several of our players will also be receiving All-State recognition from the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune in the coming days.

Girls Golf team standout, Sophie Stinnett, earned First Team All-State honors based on her 2019 season performance and was recognized at an awards evening at Thanksgiving Point on June 4, along with boys’ golf First Team All-State player, Giorgio Gianoulis.

Two members of the Track and Field team, Carson Burian and Lizzie Carlin, were recognized as All-State athletes by the Track Coaches’ Association.

Although Rowland Hall was unable to field a baseball team this spring, standout player and senior Austin Davison finished out his final year of high school ball playing for his hometown Park City Miners.  His performance earned for him 4A Senior All-Star recognition, as well as First Team All-Region 11 honors.  His prowess behind the plate netted for him Defensive Player of the Year for the Miners this season. 

Congratulations!

 

 

Class of 2019 Athletic Award Recipients Named

Twelve of our Winged Lion student-athletes were recognized by the Athletics Department with awards at the recent Senior Awards Night program.

The Outstanding Senior Athlete awards were earned by four-year basketball and soccer standouts, Trey Provost and Kat Lanham.  The Lee Scholar-Athlete award was presented to volleyball/basketball captain and Academic All-Region player in both sports, Leah Button, and Boys Soccer Academic All Region and Academic All State honoree, James Corcoran.  The Winged Lion Award for Athletics recipients included impact athletes Samantha Carlisle (soccer/basketball); Austin Davison (baseball); Tess Edgley (volleyball); Ally Hansen (basketball); Grace Macintyre (swimming/cross country/track); Maya Royer (basketball); Ricky Sanchez (cross country/track); and Claire Sanderson (basketball).

Congratulations to these student-athletes on their contributions to Winged Lion athletics over the past four years!

 

Rowland Hall Students Pursue Athletics at College Level

Three Rowland Hall students will be moving on to compete at the collegiate level in their respective high school sport of choice.

Four-year Baseball All-Region and All-State player Austin Davison is ranked by PerfectGame USA as Utah’s #2 catcher for 2019 and the #20 overall player in Utah, ending the 2019 season batting .337 with 29 singles, 11 doubles, 1 home run, and knocking in 18 RBIs.

Recruited by nine colleges to play baseball after high school graduation, Austin has enrolled at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas to study finance and is excited to play for the top-notch Trinity University baseball program which has numerous accolades in the sport, including winning the 2016 Division III National title and the 2019 SCAC championship.  Austin holds many Rowland Hall and Utah state baseball stat records and was a team captain and impact player for three years in our high school program and has also been very active in community service, creating a non-profit organization called “Extra Innings for Kids” whose purpose is to collect and send baseball gear to youth programs in underprivileged countries. Austin spearheaded the collection of over three tons of equipment in 2017 and is now working with the MLB Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame as well as Roberto’s Kids to increase and expand this year’s donation efforts to include Russia and Venezuela. Austin is looking forward to the opportunity to continue his baseball development at Trinity and have a shot to play at the next level, as well. 

A Rowland Hall student who is a top-ranked and highly decorated wrestler for 6A West High School, Jack Lang, will be enrolling at Princeton University this fall and will be continuing his wrestling career with the Tigers.  Jack amassed 152 wins during his high school wrestling career, making him the winningest wrestler in the history of the West High program.  He was a three-time 6A Utah State Tournament placer, capturing a third and two fifth places during his career, as well as twice earning Division Champion honors.  A four-year team captain and three-time West High Wrestling MVP who also earned Academic All-State honors in the sport this year, Jack is excited to be wrestling at the D1 level at 15^th ranked Princeton next year.

Jack Plavan was introduced to sailing at a camp in San Diego the summer after Kindergarten, and it has been a passion for him ever since. Growing up close to the water, Jack had the opportunity to sail year-round and was exposed to many different types of boats and racing environments, including leading his high school sailing team in San Diego as a Freshman before moving to Utah and Rowland Hall. Jack has continued to use his skills and love of sailing to serve as a full-time coach in the summers for younger sailors in his San Diego community and has been recognized by his home sailing club for his off the water contributions. Most recently, Jack has focused on US National and North American Championship level competitions in the C420 doublehanded boat. He and his skipper have won bronze, silver, and gold medals in the area Junior Olympics, taken third and second in the US National Championships, and sixth in the North American Championship. Recruited by the Division 1 Boston College sailing program that has won over 20 National Championships and has been ranked NCAA number one multiple times, Jack is thrilled to be able to continue his sailing in college at this elite level.  

Congratulations to these athletes! We are proud of your accomplishments and wish you well in your future athletic endeavors.

 

Thank You to Athletics Booster Club

A heartfelt shout out to Winged Lion Athletics Booster Club Board members Ashley Holbrook and Erica Keil (co-Presidents), Karen Edgley (Treasurer), and Melanie Bates (Middle School liaison) for the great service they have given to our Athletics program throughout the 2018-2019 school year.  The countless hours they give on a volunteer basis to help make the athletics experience top-notch for the student-athletes who participate in our programs at both the Upper and Middle School level is very much appreciated—their service is invaluable! A special thank you to the outgoing treasurer, Karen Edgley, who has provided four years of outstanding service to the Booster Club, serving both as treasurer and parent liaison during her tenure…she will be much missed.

A thank you to ALL the parents, families, and winged lion athletics supporters who chose to join the Booster Club this year—we were able to capture almost 100 memberships this year! Your financial support allowed the booster board to fund numerous athletic department projects throughout the year, including new Region 17 banners, new chairs for use by the volleyball and basketball teams, sports calendar posters, award celebrations, Pack the Bleachers events, a new entryway carpet runner for the Lincoln Street Campus gym, Middle School sports participation gifts, senior parent recognition gifts, to name a few.

In addition, parent support in staffing the concession and ticket table for volleyball and basketball as well as in supplying drinks and snacks for our student-athletes during each team’s season was very much appreciated.

A special thank you to parents who were willing to spearhead each sport and serve as the parent liaison for a sport or sports  this year and most recently our spring sport liaisons, including Jackie Stinnett, Girls Golf; Cindy Burian and Ashley Holbrook, Track & Field; Lee Molen-Chase, Boys Tennis; and Jessica Lindgren, Boys Soccer. 

Fall and Winter sport liaisons were Tammy Park and Phuong Bodeen, Girls Soccer; Gretchen King, Girls Tennis; Karen Edgley and Angelina Beitia, Volleyball; Cindy Burian, Cross Country; Ashley Holbrook, Boys Golf; Gwen Creel-Erickson, Swimming; Sarah Button and Jackie Stinnett, Girls Basketball; and Ashley Holbrook, Boys Basketball.

Many thanks to everyone for helping to make the 2018-2019 year of Winged Lion athletics a huge success…it takes a village to create something special—thanks for being there to make it happen!  Looking forward to your continued support in 2019-2020…Happy summer and GO WINGED LIONS!

 

Athletics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An historic third-place finish at the State 2A Tournament by our boys basketball team, a runner-up State Championship trophy for our girls swim team, and a strong showing for our girls basketball team in Region play marked another successful season of ROHO Athletics! The success of our programs is anchored in the knowledgeable, passionate, caring coaches who oversee and lead these teams: Bill Tatomer, Ashlee Ostler, and Meagan Hall for Girls Basketball; Zack Alvidrez and Paulino Beach for Boys Basketball; and Amelia Wolfgramm, Cole Jackman, and Hope Feliciano for Swimming. You are truly the heart and soul of Winged Lion Athletics. Thank you for all you do, and for all you give. Congrats on a banner year!
 
Successful Season for Girls Basketball
By Bill Tatomer, Head Coach
 
The girls basketball team concluded their season at the 2A State Tournament, held at Snow College in Ephraim. Their State game capped a fantastic year with many reasons for the athletes, their parents, and the school to be proud.
 
Success started last spring when they played in the Olympus High School’s Spring Fling Tournament. Next, the Rowland Hall team summer camp entailed three days of practice at the Lincoln Street gym, followed by eight games at the University of Utah. These game-play opportunities fostered the development of a solid team chemistry in preparation for their 2018-2019 campaign. Momentum continued when season practice started in November, and the players never looked back.
 
The team had no shortage of skilled leaders. Seniors Ally Hansen and Leah Button served as captains—Leah won the Coaches’ Award in 2018, and Ally in 2019. Other strong hoopster senior leaders included Offensive Player of the Year Claire “Sandy” Sanderson, Defensive Player of the Year Kat Lanham, and standout Sam Carlisle. All seniors modeled and taught the value of teamwork this season, emphasizing the importance of commitment, respect, integrity, and selflessness. These seniors also taught the significance of working hard and placing the welfare of the team ahead of oneself. Establishing these traits early allowed positive character skills to resonate throughout the year, and character remained the foundation of the basketball program this season.

All players had accomplishments worth celebrating. The varsity team had an extremely successful pre-Region campaign with a 7-2 record, including two big wins over 3A Providence Hall and Maeser Prep Academy. The team continued with positive outcomes during Region 17 play, finishing with an outstanding 9-3 record and a Region 17 second-place finish. Equally as important, two of these Region victories were against archrival Waterford. We defended the Den in our highly anticipated blackout game, then defeated the Ravens on their home floor. This was an absolute banner year from start to finish! In addition to the varsity senior cohort, junior superstar and this year’s MVP (two-time winner) Sophie Stinnett led the team in scoring for a third straight year. She finished near the top statewide with her three-point shooting prowess. Four other girls rounded out the varsity roster, including junior dribbling sensation Chloe Coleman-Houghton, junior defensive standout Olivia Bikhazi, sophomore three-point sharpshooter Anna Jiricko, and freshman rebounding talent Micha Nenbee. 
 
While the varsity team captivated crowds this season, the JV squad also found incredible success on the court, finishing the year with a 14-4 record. The freshmen also ruled the lip-sync contest held during the annual Lincoln Street gym overnight lock-in—both freshmen groups stole the night with their creative choreography and dancing (and incredible, yet humble, senses of humor). Thanks to JV players Grace Baranko, Kaitlyn Bates, Paris Everett, Alexandra Hodson, Enna Mustajbegovic, Ana Rodriguez, Irenka Saffarian, and Tennyson Seethaler for a great season!

Playing with confidence and an emphasis on team, this year’s squad really solidified as a hoops family on and off the court, and had a ton of fun competing together this season. They forged a lot of great memories playing and hanging out together. The future also looks bright for the program, with the return of eight talented freshman players and several student-athletes ready to take on the challenge of a varsity role next season.
 
The team concluded the year with an awards night hosted by Jim Carlisle and Kris Kokeny. This celebration was a wonderful way to honor all of the incredible memories made on and off the court. In addition to the aforementioned award winners, we recognized Ally Hansen, Claire Sanderson, and Sophie Stinnett as All-Region 17 players; Micha Nenbee as varsity’s most improved player; and Kaitlyn Bates as JV’s most improved player. We also announced next year’s team captains: Olivia Bikhazi, Chloe Coleman-Houghton, and Sophie Stinnett. Coaches acknowledged fantastic parent liaisons Sarah Button and Jackie Stinnett, who supported the team by selflessly giving their time all year long coordinating all aspects of team logistics. The awards night capped an unforgettable season in fantastic way: with food, fun, and more time with all of our basketball O’hana. 
 
Thank you again, seniors, for all of your hard work, commitment, and passion for the sport and the program over the past four years. Your legacy will live on for years to come. A shoutout congrats to Claire and Ally who were named to the 2A Senior All-Star Team and competed in the 2A vs. 1A game on March 16—a wonderful and well-earned honor! And a big thank you to senior team manager Cora Lopez for all her behind-the-scenes help. Go Lady Lions!

Third-Place Boys Basketball Team Boasts Historic Season
by Zack Alvidrez, Head Coach

The boys basketball team ended their season in third place at the 2A State Tournament, their best-ever finish since moving to the 2A ranks. The hard-fought last game perfectly summed up our season, and it allowed our seniors to end their careers on a high note.
 
We were led this year by a solid group of five seniors who all had different ways of leading and were great examples for the rest of the team both on and off the court. I would like to thank Maya Royer, Zander Smith, Trey Provost, Nektarios Mantas, and Alex Klebingat for building the foundation for this program. We will continue growing the positive culture they helped create.
 
The season began last summer with weight training, agility work, tons of shooting, and open gyms. We created a competitive culture by challenging each of the boys to make 10,000 shots and by keeping track of wins in open gym. The participation was impressive and helped the boys come together and gel in a positive atmosphere. The best part of the sessions was listening to the boys as they learned to communicate, and watching as their team roles began to develop.
 
We broke the season down into three parts: pre-season through the winter break, Region play, and the State Tournament.
 
The first part of the season went as expected, with a 6-5 record and the growing pains that come with new expectations and a new system. The boys invested in the new culture early and worked hard to improve in all facets of the game. I asked them to learn many new defensive schemes and offensive philosophies. Preseason helped build optimism for the rest of the season, as we were able to push bigger schools in competitive games early on.
 
Region games are a whole different animal, and we had to prepare for the always-difficult holiday break. The boys did a phenomenal job of coming back from break ready to work. We finished the second section of the season 10-0 and earned another Region championship for Rowland Hall. The highlight of Region play was seeing our team defense flex its muscles every time we stepped on the floor.
 
The final stretch of the season was the most stressful and eventful. We earned a #1 seed heading into our first-round game at Snow College, against a tough Gunnison Valley team. It was a hard-fought contest with neither team backing down. We found ourselves in a timeout huddle with possession of the ball, 10 seconds left, and a 60-60 tie. Facing elimination and with our season on the line, senior Trey Provost came through in the clutch and buried a mid-range pull-up jump shot as time expired. The ensuing pandemonium was well earned as we found ourselves heading into the quarterfinals against the defending 2A State Champions, the Beaver Beavers.
 
The game versus Beaver was another physical, tooth-and-nail battle. The Beavers were well coached and prepared for everything we threw at them. They slowed down the pace and dictated the style of the game. However, we were able to execute enough times down the stretch and secure a 40-37 win with free throws, punching our ticket into the semifinals against preseason favorites Layton Christian Academy. We found ourselves on the wrong side of the 76-59 score in that game and moved on to play against Kanab the next day.
 
This game for third place started as expected after playing three games in three days. The boys battled back from a 13-point deficit by halftime, and it was all Rowland Hall in the second half as we went on to claim victory, 66-58. This game will always be remembered for the huge offensive game we saw from senior Zander Smith and the absolutely devastating full-court press and suffocating defense of junior Boston Ballard, junior Isaiah Adams, senior Maya Royer, and sophomore Galib Ibrahima.
 
We finished the season with a record of 19-6, an undefeated Region championship, and a third-place showing at the State Tournament—all amazing accomplishments that we're very proud of. Isaiah Adams, Boston Ballard, Trey Provost, and junior Oscar Percy earned All-Region honors. Deseret News All-State honorees included Isaiah Adams (first team), Trey Provost (third team), Boston Ballard (honorable mention), and Oscar Percy (honorable mention). In addition, Provost, Ballard, and Zander Smith were invited to participate in the Monroe Lions sponsored 2A All-Star game.
 
Thank you again to our five seniors and their teammates, Isaiah Adams, George Adondakis, Sam Andrew, Boston Ballard, Briggs Ballard, Sam Fouche, Giorgio Gianoulis, Augustus Hickman, Isaac Holbrook, Ben Houden, Connor Hughes-Bellen, Galib Ibrahima, Christian McCartney, Andy Merrill, Lorenzo Parker-Pillow, Gus Percy, Oscar Percy, Gosha Polishchuk, Ozzie Smith, and Alex Tokita for a wonderful season. Many thanks, also, to our faculty, the operations staff, administration, and parents for helping make this season successful!
 
A shoutout to those who earned awards presented at our end-of-season team celebration, including MVP Isaiah Adams, Most Improved Player Oscar Percy, Coaches’ Award recipient Zander Smith, Impact Player of the Year Trey Provost, Leadership Award winner Maya Royer, and Defensive Player of the Year Boston Ballard.
 
Swim Team Finishes Strong
by Amelia Wolfgramm, Head Coach
 
It was another very successful season for the Rowland Hall swim team. The girls team captured their second-consecutive Region title and went on to earn a second-place finish at the State 3A Meet, a mere one point behind first-place Carbon High! The boys team finished in 11th place at State, an amazing feat for a meet squad of only four swimmers!
 
Assistant coaches Cole Jackman and Hope Feliciano and I watched in awe at the progress of the team as a whole this season. The team grew to 27 athletes this year, all of whom showed exemplary leadership, work ethic, and dedication to the sport. Led by captains Mia Chamberlain, Grace Macintyre, Ali Puri, Connor Johansson, and Lucas Erickson, the Winged Lions swam their way to successful results.
 
During the Region Meet at South Summit Aquatic Center, our girls scored 443 points—88 points ahead of second-place Judge Memorial. Finishers in the top six at Region included Alison Puri (first in 50 Free, fourth in 200 Free); Grace Smith (first in 200 IM and 100 Breast); Ella Vitek (first in 100 Free and 100 Back); Katie Moore (sixth in 100 Fly and 100 Back); Charlotte Orford (fifth in 200 IM and 100 Breast); and Isabelle Louis (third in 50 Free). The 200 Medley Relay team of Katie Moore, Samantha Lehman, Olivia Milavetz, and Isabelle Louis placed third; and the 200 Free Relay team of Ella Vitek, Grace Smith, Isabelle Louis, and Alison Puri placed first, as did the 400 Free Relay team of Puri, Moore, Smith, and Vitek.
 
At Region, our boys team finished sixth. Top-six finishers in their events included Lucas Erickson (second in 50 and 100 Free) and Matthew Goh (fifth in 200 IM and 100 Breast). The 400 Free Relay team of Erickson, Goh, Daniel McNally, and Connor Johansson placed third. The boys and girls combined score gave us an overall third-place finish at Region.
 
​State Meet notable performances included four of our boys team members swimming personal best times. Junior captain Lucas Erickson won two medals by taking fifth in both the 50 Free and 100 free. Sophomore Matthew Goh placed 11th in the 200 IM and 13th in the 100 Breast. Both the 200 and 400 Free Relays, consisting of junior Lucas Erickson, senior Connor Johansson, sophomore Matthew Goh, and freshman Daniel McNally, finished sixth.
 
Nine members of our girls team competed at State: junior Ella Bagley, senior Mia Chamberlain, freshman Samantha Lehman, freshman Isabelle Louis, sophomore Katie Moore, junior Charlotte Orford, senior Alison Puri, sophomore Grace Smith, and junior Ella Vitek. We had an excellent mix of achievements: personal-best times, an individual state champion in two events, and first-place finishes in two relay races!
 
Grace Smith swam to state titles in both the 200 IM and the 100 Breast; Ella Vitek took second in both the 50 Free and 100 Back; Alison Puri placed fifth in the 100 and 200 Free; Mia Chamberlain was 14th in the 500 Free; Samantha Lehman took 12th in the 100 Fly; Isabelle Louis placed 10th in the 50 Free and 7th in the 100 Free; Katie Moore finished eighth in the 100 Fly and ninth in the 100 Back; and Charlotte Orford took ninth in the 100 Breast. The girls also finished as State Champions in the 200 and 400 Free Relay races, swam by Ali Puri, Isabelle Louis, Ella Vitek, and Grace Smith.
 
A thank you to all of the swimmers who went to State as well as teammates Caroline Applegate, Cate Christiansen, Sasha Diamandis, Maddy Eatchel, Ava Erickson, Jaden Jensen, Alex Kahler, Grayson King, Grace Macintyre, Patrick McNally, Olivia Milavetz, Max Murphy, Cambrin Taylor, and Sarah Wahlen—it was an amazing season with you all!
 
Congratulations to those who were honored at our team awards celebration, including Most Valuable Swimmers Grace Smith and Lucas Erickson; Coaches’ Award recipients Isabelle Louis and Matthew Goh; and Most Improved Swimmers Grayson King and Daniel McNally.
 
Way to go, “Finned” Lions!
 
Girls Basketball Players and Program Receive Academic Honors
 
Three of our Winged Lion girls basketball team players were named to this year’s Region 17 Academic All-Region Team. Congratulations to Leah Button, Sam Carlisle, and Kat Lanham on receiving this prestigious honor.
 
These three led the way for our Utah Interscholastic Athletic Administrators’ Association (UIAAA) designation as the 2A Girls Varsity Basketball Team with the Top GPA. We had a team average GPA of 3.96—the highest of any high school classification in the state! The UIAAA recognized the Winged Lions at halftime of the State 2A championship game, held at Weber State University. Congratulations!

Postseason Basketball Honors for Winged Lions
 
Several Winged Lion basketball players on both the boys and girls teams have received postseason honors.
 
Senior Trey Provost was named to the Deseret News 2A All-Tournament Team following an outstanding performance at the State Tournament; the Deseret News All-State Third Team; and the All-Region Team. He was also tapped to participate in the Monroe Lions Club 2A All-Star game.
 
Junior Isaiah Adams earned All-Region Team status, and radio station 1280 The Zone named him player of the week for his outstanding performance at the State Tournament. Deseret News also named him to their All-State First Team.
 
Senior Zander Smith and junior Boston Ballard were selected to the 2A All-Star Team and invited to play in the Monroe Lions Club All-Star games on March 9. In addition, Boston Ballard was named to the All-Region 17 Team, and the Deseret News Honorable Mention All-State squad. Junior Oscar Percy was also named to the All-Region 17 Team and the Deseret News Honorable Mention All-State squad.
 
Three players on our girls team were named All-Region, including senior Claire Sanderson, senior Ally Hansen, and junior Sophie Stinnett. Sanderson and Hansen were also selected to participate in the 1A vs. 2A Senior All-Star game held March 16 at Stansbury High School.
 
Congratulations to all of these student-athletes—you represented yourself and our school community with class!
 
Winged Lion Soccer Coaches Honored
 
Both of our head soccer coaches were recently recognized as the Coach of the Year by different organizations.
 
Boys Head Coach Scott Langone was named the 2017-2018 Utah Coach of the Year for Boys Soccer by the Utah High School Activities Association in conjunction with the National Federation of State High School Associations. This comes on the heels of Coach Langone being named the 2017-2018 Utah High School Boys Soccer Coach of the Year for Private/Parochial Schools. Scott led our boys team to a Region title last spring and to a second-place finish at the State 2A Tournament. 
 
Girls Head Coach Bobby Kennedy was recently selected by the United Soccer Coaches organization as the 2018 Utah High School Girls Soccer Coach of the Year for Private/Parochial Schools, the second-consecutive year he’s been so honored. Coach Kennedy led our girls team to a Region title this season and followed that with a second-consecutive State 2A championship.
 
Congratulations, Scott and Bobby!
 
Thanks to Booster Club Parent Liaisons     
 
Upper School Athletics would like to give a shoutout to those who volunteered as Booster Club parent liaisons for our winter teams. A huge thank you to Ashley Holbrook for boys basketball; Sarah Button and Jackie Stinnett for girls basketball; and Gwen Creel-Erickson for swimming. They put endless time and energy into communicating with other parents, scheduling ticket/concession table volunteers (basketball), covering snacks and drinks for teams, and making arrangements for end-of-season awards celebrations. Your help is invaluable, and we could not function at full steam without you. Many thanks!
 
A heartfelt thank you to all parents of our winter athletes—your willingness to help as needed is truly appreciated.

Athletics

Another successful season of Upper School fall athletics is in the books with four new Region titles, a State championship, and all five varsity teams qualifying for and playing well at their State competitions. Additionally, the Utah Interscholastic Athletic Administrators' Association recognized three of our teams for having the highest GPA in their 2A sport: boys cross country, girls soccer, and volleyball. This made for an amazing finish to the fall 2018 Winged Lions athletics campaign.

Congratulations to our outstanding coaches, including Susan Daynes and Lee Molen-Chase, girls tennis; Martin Ellis and Stacey Camacho, boys golf; Mark Oftedal, Laura Johnson, and Giselle Slotboom, cross country; Bobby Kennedy and Scott Langone, girls soccer; and Kendra Tomsic, Lauren Carpenter, Kathy Howa, and Kacie Turcuato, volleyball. And congrats to the over 100 student-athletes who wore the green and white this fall—you represented yourselves and our school community with much heart and pride. Way to go, Winged Lions!

 

Girls Soccer State 2A Champs Second Year in a Row
By Head Coach Bobby Kennedy

We started our soccer season on a warm summer morning July 30 and ended on a spectacular fall day October 20. Along the way, 24 girls worked hard on and off the field to come together and build a championship team. We amassed a 17–1 record while playing teams from four separate classifications. The varsity team earned a share of the Region 17 title and then repeated as 2A State champs. Our junior varsity (JV) team went undefeated, and for the first time in five years, the teams were blended in every training session and game.

The highlights of the season included a convincing 3–0 victory on the road against Real Salt Lake Academy, and a stunning 7–0 result in the State final against Waterford. I've rarely seen a team execute a game plan so flawlessly under pressure as this team did in the State final. Special thanks to all of the faculty, staff, and students who supported the girls during the season.

This year's team consisted of Sam Carlisle, Kat Lanham, Aislinn Mitcham, Olivia Bikhazi, Giselle Bodeen, Jordan Crockett, Sofia Espinoza, Anna Fukushima, Sally Logue, Sophie Stinnett, Mia Vinding, Izzy Cox, Alexandra Hodson, Ellie Hyde, Lily Scaife, Grace Baranko, Kaitlyn Bates, Faustine Ainsworth-Beaudot, Mary Bocock, Lizzie Carlin, Summer Connery, Julia Graham, Camryn Kennedy, and Micha Nenbee.

Postseason team awards went to Aislinn Mitcham, Most Valuable Player (MVP); Jordan Crockett, Coaches' Award; and Sam Carlisle, Most Improved. Players named to the All-Region 17 Team included Aislinn Mitcham, Jordan Crockett, Sam Carlisle, Kat Lanham, and Lizzie Carlin. Seven of our players earned Deseret News All-State honors: Aislinn Mitcham, Sam Carlisle, Kat Lanham, Jordan Crockett, Sophie Stinnett, Summer Connery, and Lizzie Carlin. Deseret News also named junior standout Jordan Crockett the 2A girls soccer MVP. And during halftime at the State Championship game, we were proud to accept an award from the Utah Interscholastic Athletic Administrators' Association for being the 2A team with the top GPA.

 

Boys Golf Region Champs and Third at State
By Head Coach Martin Ellis

The boys golf season was a huge success: as a team, we won every Region match and then finished the sweep by winning the Region 17 championship.

The team was led by Giorgio Gianoulis, who played the best golf of his high school career throughout the season and finished fourth individually at State. Zach Rohovit was also a major contributor to the team's success, as he finished 12th at the State tournament. Team newcomer Jack AbuHaidar, who also competes for Rowmark Ski Academy, played exceptionally well this season. Alex Baughman and Isaac Holbrook showed great improvement over the course of the fall and were also key to clinching the Region championship. Daniel Damico stepped up his game to join us at State. This year's junior varsity team consisted of Josef Sueoka, Shoji Mori, Zydaan Siddiqi, and Zach Baughman.

Assistant Coach Stacey Camacho and I are proud of the effort our athletes put in this fall and are already looking forward to 2019. A special shoutout to Giorgio Gianoulis and Zack Rohovit who made the Utah PGA All-State First and Second Teams, respectively.

Congratulations to team award recipients Giorgio Gianoulis, MVP; Isaac Holbrook, Most Improved; and Zach Rohovit, Coaches' Award.

 

Girls Tennis Finishes Strong
By Head Coach Susan Daynes

The Winged Lions girls tennis team took to the courts this fall without a senior on the roster and with many new faces on the squad. First-year Assistant Coach Lee Molen-Chase and I were excited by the talent and potential we saw as practices started in early August, and our hopes for a successful season with a young team came to fruition as the season progressed.

Every team member worked hard throughout the season and showed substantial improvement with each practice and match. In a tough 3A Region, we won four matches and lost four matches, and played well enough at the Region tournament to qualify players at all five positions for the State 3A tournament.

The following players represented Rowland Hall in a strong field at State in late September: Violette Truong, #1 Singles; freshman Madeline Frazier, #2 Singles; junior Tala Shihab, #3 Singles; junior Caroline Applegate / freshman Tennyson Seethaler, #1 Doubles; and junior Grayson King / junior Kajal Ganesh, #2 Doubles. Our players battled hard and were fantastic representatives of our school, ending the State competition tied for fifth place. We're so proud of the great effort they gave with every point played.

We're excited to have all of these hardworking players plus JV team members Sasha Diamandis, Laura Summerfield, and Olivia Tracey returning to the court next season. Thanks much to parents and families for their support during the season.

Our team award recipients included Tala Shihab, MVP; Caroline Applegate, Most Improved; and Violette Truong, the Lionhearted Award. Congratulations!

 

Cross Country Teams Race to Region Titles
By Head Coach Mark Oftedal

Rowland Hall's 2018 cross-country running season ended on a beautiful autumn day in Sugar House Park, the place where it all began back in mid-August.

Our varsity boys team of juniors Aksel Anderson, Logan Bateman, George Bee, and Cyrus Johnston, and sophomores Carson Burian, Max Eatchel, and Matthew Goh finished third in the Utah State Cross Country Championships. Carson finished third overall and Logan snagged seventh, while Max, Aksel, and Matthew rounded out our top-five scoring positions in very respectable 18th, 19th, and 21st positions, respectively.

Our girls team of senior Grace Macintyre, juniors Brenna Davison and Ella Vitek, and sophomores Laisha Padilla and Samantha Paisley earned their spot on the starting line at State by securing the Region 17 championship one week earlier. A quote from Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko perhaps best describes both the Region and State races: "True sport is always a duel, a duel with nature, with one's own fear, with one's own fatigue, a duel in which body and mind are strengthened." The girls team exhibited a huge amount of grit to come together—many bringing late-season injuries and the reasonable accompanying apprehensions due to the less-than-healthy state of the team—to win the Region race. Unfortunately, Ella, our only returning team member from last year and our only team member with experience on the State course, had given it her all to be on the podium at Region with an overall fourth-place finish. She set aside knee pain to race for the team championship at Region, and a second go for the team at State was not an option. But teammates Brenna, Grace, Laisha, and Samantha all toed the line for the first time in the girls 2A championship race with Ella cheering them on. Brenna was our top finisher in 30th place.

We welcomed 10 newcomers to our team this year, some of them already mentioned. Senior Grace Macintyre, juniors George Bee and Brenna Davison, sophomores Laisha Padilla and Samantha Paisley, and freshmen Max Locke, Wynn Mellor, Lorenzo Parker Pillow, Max Smart, and George Wintriss joined 17 returning team members to make up our focused and determined squad. With the spring track and field season still coming, I always dislike saying goodbyes at this point, but as far as cross-country races go, we bid farewell to our four-year team members Jonah Borgenicht and Robert Welt, three-year member Ricky Sanchez, two-year member Connor Johansson, and one-year member Grace Macintyre. However, I'll save my final goodbyes for when they round that last curve and make their way into the finish line on the track in May.

Our 2018 cross country team awards recipients were as follows.

• Most Valuable: Ella Vitek, first for the girls team each time she raced, and fourth place overall at Region; and Carson Burian, seventh place at Bob Firman, fourth at Sanpete Classic, first at Region, and third at State.
• Most Improved: Brenna Davison and Cyrus Johnston.
• Coaches' Choice: Max Eatchel and the five-member girls' team.
• Tough-as-Nails: Samantha Paisley and Ricky Sanchez.

Congrats to all on a great 2018 season!

 

Volleyball Team Eighth at State Tournament
By Head Coach Kendra Tomsic

"Lionhearted" continued to be this year's team mantra, and the 19 volleyball players who stepped on the court in each competition always proved that energy and heart.

The team included senior captains Leah Button, Tess Edgley, Cody Googin, and Claire Hyde; juniors Leonie Anderson, Livia Anderson, Chloe Coleman-Houghton, and Lily Roberts; sophomores Jacque Park and Ke'ea Ramirez; and freshmen Ella Houden, Samantha Lehman, Isabelle Louis, Casey Maloy, Enna Mustajbegovic, Ally Smith, Kit Stevens, Tina Su, and Charleigh Vitek. They came to practice each day with a mindset to improve. They knew they'd sometimes fail, but stayed determined to learn from their mistakes and get better as individuals to ultimately make our team stronger. That mentality paid big dividends.

A tough preseason schedule included an early tournament at Skyline with top volleyball teams from across classifications, and matches with always-strong 3A Manti and South Summit—all competitions during which we tweaked our varsity lineup. Come mid-September, the team was well prepared to start Region play.

League play brought with it much success for our teams. JV posted a 9–2 record, the freshman team went undefeated at 5–0, and varsity ended the season at 10–2. The only varsity losses came at the hands of archrival Waterford in exciting contests with lengthy rallies. Varsity highlights of the league season included a come-from-behind, four-set road win over Wasatch Academy, an amazingly well-played first set at Waterford that ended in a heartbreaking 26–28 loss, and another first-set-down, gritty, comeback, four-set victory over Wasatch Academy at home in our Pink Night match before a rowdy crowd of Winged Lion fans. That victory topped off a very special night for our team, as we dedicated the match to beloved, longtime Rowland Hall staff member Linda Hampton, who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With the help of the Rowland Hall community, the team raised over $4,000 to be donated in Linda's name to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation for cancer research.

Our second-place finish in Region 17 sent us to the State 2A tournament held October 26–27 at Utah Valley University in Orem. We faced a tough North Sevier squad in our first match of this double-elimination tourney. Despite battling every point, we were unable to overcome the offensive firepower of the Wolves and lost, putting us into the tournament's consolation bracket. We next faced St. Joe in a match scheduled for 8:30 pm Friday evening; however, earlier matches went long, so our team didn't take the court until 9:45 pm. This epic five-set, two-hour match became a highlight of our season, as every set featured lengthy rallies and see-saw scoring. With the welcomed help of our loyal parents and friends who stayed and cheered us on until the final point, our determined Winged Lions celebrated a huge win, walking off the court at midnight with a decisive fifth-set score of 15–5.

As a reward for that incredible performance, we played Merit Academy 8 am Saturday. Our team came ready and defeated the Knights in three straight sets to advance to the consolation championship match against Duchesne. Although all three sets were hotly contested and featured numerous exciting rallies, we lost to the Eagles to ultimately place eighth at State, our best finish at the tournament in a number of years.

Thanks to my coaching staff—Lauren Carpenter, Kathy Howa, and Kacie Turcuato—whose support of the team and me was invaluable. A special shoutout to our four Seniors, Leah, Tess, Cody, and Claire, who anchored the team and whose talent on the court and leadership by example was a key to our success. Thanks for all you've given to the volleyball program these past four years—you'll be missed.

End-of-season honors went to Chloe Coleman-Houghton, MVP; Leah Button and Tess Edgley, Offensive Co-MVPs; Claire Hyde, Coaches' Award; Cody Googin, Most Improved; and Jacque Park, the Lionhearted Award.

Postseason recognition to date has gone to All-Region 17 players Leah Button, Tess Edgley, and Chloe Coleman-Houghton; Utah Volleyball Coaches' Association (UVCA) All-State to Leah Button (Honorable Mention), Tess Edgley (Honorable Mention), and Chloe Coleman-Houghton (Third Team); and selection to UVCA Senior 2A All-Star Team to Tess Edgley. We're also proud to say that our varsity team was recognized at the State tournament as the 2A team with the highest GPA (3.87) for 2018.

A huge congratulations to the team on a wonderful finish to an exciting, fun, and successful season—you're champions in my book!

 

Fall Sport Academic Awards

Each season, the Region 17 Board of Managers recognizes with Academic All-Region honors seniors who are regular starters or performers on the varsity team, and have at least a 3.75 cumulative, unweighted GPA. They recognized six of our fall athletes: girls soccer players Aislinn Mitcham, Kat Lanham, and Sam Carlisle, and volleyball players Leah Button, Cody Googin, and Claire Hyde.

The Utah High School Activities Association also recognizes excellence in the classroom with the designation of Academic All-State status for seniors who are regular starters or performers for their varsity team, and have an unweighted, cumulative GPA of 4.0 or who meet a new index based on GPA and SAT or ACT scores. Three of our fall-sport student-athletes earned that award: Aislinn Mitcham (girls soccer) and Claire Hyde and Cody Googin (volleyball).

Congratulations to these Winged Lions on achieving excellence not only in the competitive athletics arena, but also in the classroom.

The Utah Interscholastic Athletics Administrators' Association this year started a program to recognize one school per varsity sport, per classification with a Top Team GPA award. We're proud to say that three of our fall teams received the plaque for this award: boys cross country (3.77), girls soccer (3.76), and volleyball (3.87). Congratulations!

 

Fall Athletics Postseason Awards

Several of our fall-sport athletes have received postseason recognition for their performance in their respective sport.

All-Region girls soccer players include Sam Carlisle, Kat Lanham, Aislinn Mitcham, Jordan Crockett, and Lizzie Carlin. Radio station 1280 The Zone recognized Carlin and Summer Connery as South Towne Auto Mall Players of the Week at a ceremony held in late October.

Jordan Crockett was named the 2A Girls Soccer MVP for 2018 by the Deseret News. Coaches from across 2A selected Sam Carlisle, Kat Lanham, Aislinn Mitcham, Jordan Crockett, Sophie Stinnett, Summer Connery, and Lizzie Carlin to the Deseret News 2A Girls' Soccer All-State Team.

Volleyball players named to the All-Region Team were Leah Button, Tess Edgley, and Chloe Coleman-Houghton. The Utah Volleyball Coaches' Association selection panel named to their All-State Team Leah Button (Honorable Mention), Tess Edgley (Honorable Mention), and Chloe Coleman-Houghton (Third Team). In addition, that same group named Tess Edgley to the 2A Senior All-Star Team. All-State volleyball for the Deseret News has not yet been announced.

Boys golf team members who earned Utah PGA All-State honors included Giorgio Gianoulis (First Team) and Zach Rohovit (Second Team). They'll be recognized at an award banquet this spring.

Boys cross country team members Carson Burian and Logan Bateman earned 2A All-State designation by the coaches' association.

Congratulations to our hard-working athletes on these well-earned honors.

 

Davison Earns Rowland Hall Wendy's High School Heisman

Rowland Hall senior baseball standout Austin Davison was recently named a Wendy's High School Heisman school-level winner. From a total applicant pool of nearly 42,000 high school scholar-athletes graduating in 2019, Austin was one of 7,500 named school winners in Wendy's annual scholarship competition. He is now eligible for state, regional, and national recognition.

Austin has set numerous Rowland Hall and state records with his outstanding play on the baseball diamond over the past three seasons, and he'll anchor the Winged Lion team in the spring. Congratulations, Austin!

 

Langone Named USCA Coach Of The Year

The United Soccer Coaches Association (USCA) recently named our very own Scott Langone the Boys Private/Parochial School Coach of the Year. His coaching peers here in Utah selected him due to his success with our Upper School boys soccer program. Coach Langone led our Winged Lion boys varsity team to a 15-win season last year—they captured the Region 17 title, followed by second place at the State 2A tournament. Congratulations, Scott!

 

Thank You to Booster Club Parent Liaisons

As the athletics director, and on behalf of all of our fall coaches and student-athletes, I want to thank the following Booster Club team parent liaisons who volunteered countless hours of their time and energy to help make the athletics experience better for all involved—you were amazing!

Many thanks to Ashley Holbrook, boys golf; Cindy Burian, cross country; Tammy Park and Phuong Bodeen, girls soccer; Gretchen King, girls tennis; and Karen Edgley and Angelina Beitia, volleyball.

Thanks also to all the parents who provided drinks and snacks for our teams, as well as staffed the concessions/ticket table for home volleyball events. Our programs could not function without your volunteer help. Thank you!

 

Athletics

It was a great season for all of our Middle School teams. A heartfelt thank you to every one of our Winged Lion families for your support throughout the season. We are fortunate to have a dedicated coaching staff who put in so much time, effort, and care to develop our student-athletes. Please read on for a recap of each team’s season highlights.

A Soccer
Coaches Chelsea Vasquez and Mary Lawlor
This year’s A soccer team had a strong season with many well-fought games in a new, more challenging conference. Our seventh graders showed many improvements throughout the season, and our eighth graders stepped into leadership roles, creating a true team mentality. The difference in cohesive gameplay from the first game to the final was astonishing. The team learned to communicate and trust each other, which significantly improved their performance on the pitch. A memorable moment was beating McGillis on our practice field after losing to them in an earlier match. Even their coach congratulated the players on their dynamic play, connected passing, and determination throughout the game. It was a fun season filled with lots of laughs, and we look forward to seeing what’s next for our seventh graders and “graduating” our eighth graders to the high school program.   

C Soccer 
Coach Campbell Ainsworth
The C team had a fantastic season this year. All season long, they worked on skills, moving with and without the ball, and above all, how to play as a team. Their hard work paid off in the WAC tournament as the team, losing 1-0 at halftime in the semifinal game, came back to win 2-1 in overtime, and then won the championship the following day. Drew Lipson and Anthony Goorman led the attack, Freddy Gowski and Noa Fukashima were unstoppable in the middle of the defense, and Madsen Varner and Milan Mickelson were outstanding goalkeepers. This team never gave up, and their championship trophy reflects the hustle and 100% effort they put into games all season long. The players should be proud of their pluck and determination, and we look forward to seeing them play for the A team next year.

A Volleyball 
Coach Doug Booher
What a great season for an amazing, talented, and fun group of volleyball players! The A Team, with a huge emphasis on team, worked hard, laughed hard, and played hard all season. There was great skill improvement, some practice with mental performance techniques, a few tears (those darn Waterford Ravens!), some baked goods, increased strategic and game knowledge, and a little bit of fire, as we went from a team that gave up points for being out of rotation early in the season to a strong second place finish in the tournament. I look forward to watching the eighth graders take their skills to the Upper School program and am already hoping and planning for next year for the seventh graders.

B Volleyball
Coaches Mike Roberts and Sarah Yoon
The B2 team saw continuous improvement throughout the season. They consistently improved both their skills and their understanding of the game each and every week. Additionally, they were very supportive of one another and became an extremely tight-knit group by the end of the season. Highlights of the season included multiple three-hit rallies, consistent serving (including some overhand serves), and even a few hits at the net! The team hit their stride during the tournament, and as a result, they were able to walk away with the third-place trophy. The team should be proud of their effort, and I look forward to seeing them continue their volleyball journey next year!

B Volleyball
Coach Jen Schones
The B1 team had a great season, and all of the girls showed a lot of improvement. Some goals for the season were to move to the ball, call the ball, have controlled passes, and have fun! The entire team accomplished these goals, and it was an exciting season. I had a great time watching the girls mature as volleyball players and learn to play different positions. The team had several games that were super close, and it was fun to watch everyone fight to the final point. In our final game against Waterford, we played our best, and it was great to see beautiful, controlled passes, high sets, and some strong attacks on the net. Between playing some good volleyball, making up new cheers, and overcoming some mental aspects of the game, it was a good season and I enjoyed coaching this group of girls. Thanks for the great season!

C Volleyball
Coach Chad Obermark
The sixth-grade girls volleyball team showed amazing improvement this season. For many of the players, this is their first real exposure to volleyball. To see them grow from learning the fundamentals of passing and serving to playing intense points with multiple volleys is incredible! I appreciated the grit and perseverance this team showed all season. We started with a few losses, but they rallied back and our improvement by the end of the season was impressive. I look forward to seeing each of them develop their skills and build on this strong start to their volleyball careers.

BACK TO FINISH LINE

ATHLETICS

It was a wonderful season for all of our Middle School teams. We had two Middle School soccer teams and 60 athletes participated in Cross Country this season! A heartfelt thank you to every one of our winged lion families for your support throughout the season - for sharing your children, for coming out to the games, and for all the snacks!  Thank you also to our Middle School Boosters for providing every athlete with a colorful pair of Rowland Hall socks and for helping to host a successful Cross Country meet. We are fortunate to have a dedicated coaching staff who commit so much time, effort, and care to develop our student-athletes. Please read on for a recap of each team’s season highlights.

 

Girls A Soccer

Coach: Campbell Ainsworth

Our soccer team had a fantastic season! The A team battled throughout the year and had ended up winning the WAC tournament. This was truly a team effort, as the defense and forwards worked together to pressure the opposing team and have a cohesive attack. These Winged Lions never gave up; games were played under the searing sun and the freezing rain, rarely with substitutes, and the girls played with pluck and joy. Three times during the season, they came back to win the game after being down a goal, a true testament to their grit and positive attitude. Despite coming into the season with no true goalkeeper, several players stepped up to volunteer to be goalie; shout outs to Molly Friedman, Maddie Carlin, Mei Mei Johnson, Maile Fukushima and Rachelle Prasthofer for giving it their all between the goal posts. This team’s hustle and fun-loving spirit made this a memorable season. We look forward to seeing these skilled players contribute to the high school team in the upcoming years!

 

Girls C Soccer

Coach: Bobby Kennedy

While the weather was a little unpredictable this spring the results for the soccer team were not. They had lost only one game entering tournament play and earned the number one seed. After handling LCA in round one they were poised to avenge the only loss of the season in the final against Waterford. The Ravens got off to a quick start scoring twice in the first twenty minutes. Rowland Hall responded with back to back goals in the dying minutes of the first half. After a few adjustments at half time both teams battled for the balance of the second half. Waterford scored with three minutes remaining and the Winged Lions never really threatened in the limited time in the second half. Of course, results matter but the true winner was the game of soccer. While we have players that play outside of school, we also have student-athletes that play very little and they were part of a great experience.  

 

Cross Country

Coaches Mary Lawlor, Chelsea Vasquez, Sara Donnelly

This has been an excellent and fun cross country season with our largest team yet!  Even in freezing temperatures and torrential downpours, our runners showed up, ran quickly, and worked hard to improve their times. A highlight of this season has been our dynamic group of awesome eighth graders, who, without being asked, led by example during each practice and meet. They acted with intention and modeled kindness and effort for our whole team, and they truly made our season more fun and fulfilling! We also had a great bunch of six and seventh grade runners. Whether they were returning runners or trying out the sport for the first time, it’s been great to watch their progress and feel their positivity! As a team, we placed in every meet, and often had multiple runners in the top ten slots for each respective age group. Nice work! Special shout-out to Will Cunningham (A Boys) and Nina Martin (C Girls) who consistently placed in the top three in their divisions. We had so much fun with you all and can’t wait until next spring!

 

Mountain Biking

Coach: Jen Schones

Despite a few meetups being foiled by rain or thunder, we enjoyed some fun rides down in Draper at Corner Canyon with our awesome group of bikers. Our team consisted of a mix of skill levels, ranging from beginners to some advanced riders and everyone enjoyed honing our jumping skills on the Draper Bike Park. We loved learning from (and trying to keep up with!) the more advanced riders while seeing the beginners grow their confidence and skill climbing and descending. Parent volunteers made the rides more diverse and we appreciate your participation!

 

 MS Athletics Spring 2019 Season Info

Season results:

Coaches	Soccer	WAC Season Record	WAC League	WAC Tournament
Campbell Ainsworth	A1 Team	3-1	2nd	1st
Bobby Kennedy	C Team	6-1	1st	2nd
Coaches	Cross Country			WAC League
Mary Lawlor, Chelsea Vasquez, Sara Donnelly	A Team			2nd
Mary Lawlor, Chelsea Vasquez, Sara Donnelly	C Team			3rd

 

It was a great season for all six of our basketball teams and all 75 of our athletes! A heartfelt thank you to every one of our Winged Lion families for your support throughout the winter: for sharing your children, for coming out to the games, and for all the snacks! Thank you, also, to our Middle School Boosters for providing every athlete with a colorful pair of Rowland Hall socks and hosting fan-appreciation nights. We’re fortunate to have a dedicated coaching staff who put in so much time, effort, and care to develop our student-athletes. Read on for a recap of each team’s season highlights.

A Girls Basketball
Coaches: Zack Alvidrez, Mike Roberts, Sarah Yoon, Brian McCloud
These outstanding young ladies consistently shared their high energy during both practice and games. They worked hard to improve their fundamentals, and they learned the basic offensive and defensive formations in preparation for the Upper School basketball program. After a successful regular season, the girls rounded out the season with a dramatic come-from-behind championship. We hope these young ladies continue to develop their love of the game, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to share time with them on the court. 

B Girls Basketball
Coaches: Zack Alvidrez, Mike Roberts, Sarah Yoon, Brian McCloud
The B team was full of intensity throughout the season, and the girls gained a better understanding of all aspects of the game. As the season progressed, the team really started to gel, and they consistently showed a solid grasp of competitive basketball. The coaches were proud of their attitude and behavior on and off the court, and we look forward to seeing these ladies continue to develop their skills. 

C Girls Basketball
Coaches: Zack Alvidrez, Mike Roberts, Sarah Yoon, Brian McCloud
The C team had a fantastic season. Players committed to early morning practices and honed skills on dribbling, cuts, and properly executed passes. These athletes showed incredible spirit and high energy during practices and games. After each match, win or loss, they huddled together and danced to the “Ole, Ole” song. They were inspirational! Their team spirit and love of the game was infectious, and strengthened the group as a whole. As the season progressed, they gained confidence, made excellent shots, and played aggressively. They also adopted “Hippo the Whale” as a team mascot—they continue to pass Hippo around, and it inspires them to play basketball. The athletes finished their season in third place. Go, Winged Lions! The coaches are proud of the C team and look forward to each player returning next season.

A Boys Basketball
Coaches: Zack Alvidrez, Mike Roberts, Sarah Yoon, Brian McCloud
The A team had a great year. They went 5-2 in the regular season, finishing second in the league. During the end-of-season tournament, they stepped up their game to play their two best matches of the year. In the end, they pulled off a well-deserved tournament championship. Throughout the season, the coaches were extremely impressed with the team’s focus and commitment. They consistently represented Rowland Hall in a positive manner on and off the floor, and the coaches are proud of everything these young men accomplished.

B Boys Basketball
Coaches: Zack Alvidrez, Mike Roberts, Sarah Yoon, Brian McCloud
The B team’s season was filled with improvement in all areas of the game. Practices focused on shooting, making smart passes, and moving without the ball. After a solid regular season, the boys performed well in the tournament, improving their play in all aspects of the game. The coaches are proud of the team’s effort and growth, and we look forward to seeing these athletes continue on their basketball journeys.

C Boys Basketball 
Coaches: Zack Alvidrez, Mike Roberts, Sarah Yoon, Brian McCloud
The C team played hard and had a terrific season. Players committed to early morning practices and honed their dribbling, screens, cuts, and passes. Their increased accuracy and precision helped them clinch an impressive seven wins. They also learned more about the value of team sports: they kept team spirit alive and well throughout the season, and supported each other through wins and losses. At the tournament, they played with heart, gave it their all, and took second place! Congrats, C team! Their growth and development is commendable. The coaches are proud and look forward to the players returning next year.
 

Middle School

It was a great season for all eight of our Middle School teams. A heartfelt Thank you! to every one of our Winged Lion families for your support throughout the season. We are fortunate to have a dedicated coaching staff who put in so much time, effort, and care to develop our student athletes. Please read on for a recap of each team's season highlights.

A Soccer

Coaches Campbell Ainsworth & Christian Waters

We were fortunate to field two highly competitive teams this year. Players began the year working on developing fundamental skills and learning how to play together as a team. We emphasized defense, how to use the whole field, and making smart decisions with and without the ball. They consistently had a positive attitude and put a lot of effort on the field. Some of the most exciting games this season was when A1 played A2; players gave it their all during the game and finished with hugs and high-fives all around. Both teams were successful this year. A2 finished 2nd in the league and 3rd in the tournament, and A1 finished 1st in both the league and won the WAC tournament. We hope to see some of our 8th graders back on the same pitch next fall; their hustle and dynamic play will be a great boost to the high school team!

C Soccer

Coach Campbell Ainsworth

What a fantastic season the C team had this year! All season long they worked on skills and movement with and without the ball, and learned how to play as a team. These plucky 6th graders never gave up, no matter the odds. Their resilience was particularly evident in the WAC tournament at the end of the season. During the semifinal game, the team was one goal down at halftime and came back to win the game. The next day in the championship, the team was losing 2-0 with 20 minutes left and came roaring back to win 4-2. They finished with huge smiles and their signature team dance moves. These players should be proud of their hustle, determination, and great camaraderie.

A Volleyball

Coach Doug Booher

Wow. What a wonderful season! Vast skill improvement, learning new things about volleyball, ourselves, and others, laughing together, sweating together, playing together. From placement practice through the tournament, bus rides, team huddles, practices, and games, this group of Winged Lions (phonetically pronounced) embodied the word team with everyone willing to play their role while also being capable and eager when asked to step into less familiar positions. I look forward to watching the impact this awesome group of young people has on the Upper School programs they choose to be a part of.

Oh, and we completed the first undefeated volleyball season in memory at Rowland Hall.

B Volleyball

Coach Mike Roberts

The B2 team saw continuous improvement over the course of the season. They improved both their skills and their understanding of the game each and every week. Additionally, they were very supportive of one another, and became a very tight-knit group by the end of the season. Highlights of the season included multiple three-hit rallies, consistent serving, and even a few hits at the net! The girls should all be proud of their efforts, and I look forward to seeing them continue their volleyball journey next year!

B Volleyball

Coach Jen Schones

The B1 team had a great season and all of the girls showed visible improvement. Some goals for the season were to move to the ball, call the ball, have controlled passes, and have fun. I would say that the entire team accomplished these goals and it was an exciting season! I had a great time watching the girls mature as volleyball players and learn to play different positions. We were challenged in the final game against Waterford but the girls fought hard to win the championship. We consistently had beautiful passes, nice high sets, and some great attacks on the net. Our serves were also spot-on in the championship with a 98% success rate. Between playing good volleyball, making up new cheers, overcoming some mental aspects of the game, and pushing Waterford to work for those last two points, it was a super successful season and I'm so proud to have coached this group of girls.

C Volleyball

Coach Chad Obermark

The 6th grade girls volleyball team showed amazing improvement this season. For many of the players, this is their first real exposure to volleyball. To see them grow from learning the fundamentals of passing and serving to playing intense points with multiple volleys is incredible! I loved this team's positive energy and willingness to work together. They had fun in practice and games while being willing to play hard. I look forward to seeing each of them develop their skills and build on this strong start to their volleyball careers.

MS Athletics Fall 2018 Season Info

Season results:

Coach	Soccer	WAC Season Record	WAC League	WAC Tournament
Campbell Ainsworth	A1 Team	7-1	1st	1st
Christian Waters	A2 Team	7-2	2nd	3rd
Campbell Ainsworth	C Team	3-1	2nd	1st
Coach	Volleyball	WAC Season Record	WAC League	WAC Tournament
Doug Booher	A Team	8-0	1st	1st
Jen Schones	B1 Team	8-2	1st	2nd
Mike Roberts	B2 Team	7-3	3rd	-
Chad Obermark, Amaya Hoglund	C1 Team	5-7	4th	-
Chad Obermark, Amaya Hoglund	C2 Team	7-5	3rd	2nd

 

Athletics

 

 

 

 

Middle School Sports Roundup, Spring 2018

It was a great spring season for Middle School Athletics. Thanks to all of our players for their dedication, and thanks to their families for their support throughout the season. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated group of coaches who continue to invest countless hours to develop our student-athletes. Additionally, I'd like to thank our Middle School Boosters for providing every athlete with a sport-specific T-shirt to show our school spirit. A huge shout out to Melanie Bates, Ashley Holbrook, and Erica Keil for representing Middle School Athletics. We will miss you! Read below for a recap of each team's season. —Shannon Casson

 

Girls A Soccer
Coaches Bobby Kennedy & Campbell Ainsworth

The girls soccer teams had a fantastic season. The A2 team improved throughout the year. Not only did their individual skills improve, but they learned how to work as a team and became stronger with a more cohesive attack and defense. They had a good season and played hard against tough competition. The A1 team finished the season undefeated and won the WAC tournament, yet the road was not always easy. Twice during the regular season, they were losing by two goals at halftime, yet they were undaunted and came roaring back to win both games with inspired second halves. The WAC tournament was tense, with both games at 0-0 until late goals by Maddie Carlin spurred the Winged Lions to victory. A special shout-out to the defense and goalkeeper Micha Nenbee who had six shutouts this year. The team never gave up all year, and though they rarely had any substitutes, their hustle and positive attitude made this a memorable season. Go Winged Lions!

Cross Country
Coaches Mary Lawlor, Chelsea Vasquez, Sam Lawlor

What a season for this dynamic group of sixth- through eighth-grade racers! It's been quite an experience running through the 9th and 9th business district with over 50 Middle School runners. Each of the six meets was held in a different location along the Wasatch Front. We competed against the same nine schools at every meet. The season began with the girls battling Saint John the Baptist and the boys went head-to-head with McGillis, St. Joe's, and SJTB. Towards the end of the season, it became obvious that every runner needed to give their best effort in order to accumulate the points to win each meet, and the most possible meet wins to finish first for the 2018 season. The last two meets in Draper and Layton included dramatic finishes for every age group. Rowland Hall earned first place for both the A Team (seventh and eighth grade) girls and boys. The C Team (sixth grade) girls earned a third-place season finish, and the C Team boys brought home a fourth-place finish. Special shout-outs to our top A-Team runners: Will Cunningham (seventh) and Jasmine Le (seventh). We are already looking forward to next season with this special group of runners.

Mountain Biking
Coaches Jen Schones, Chelsea Vasquez

Despite a few meetups being foiled by rain or thunder, we enjoyed beautiful days of Park City pedaling with our awesome group of bikers. We had a mix of skill levels this year, ranging from never-evers to cross-country mountain bike racers. Needless to say, this kept our ride sessions exciting and allowed students to teach each other. We have loved learning from (and trying to keep up with!) the more advanced riders while seeing the beginners grow their confidence and skill climbing and descending. We are psyched to get more kids on bikes!

 

2018 MS Spring Sports Rosters

2018 WAC Sports Season Results

2018 Spring Sports Photo Album

Athletics

We had a total of eight Middle School basketball teams and 80+ basketball players on our rosters this season! It was a huge turnout with high participation numbers for both boys and girls in our Middle School Athletics program. Thank you to all our families for your support during the season and thanks to our Middle School Boosters for providing every athlete with a sport specific t-shirt and for hosting fan appreciation game nights to show our school spirit. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated group of coaches who put in countless hours to develop our student-athletes. Please read on for a recap of our basketball seasons.

A Girls Basketball
Coach Zack Alvidrez
First place season, first place WAC tournament

These 12 outstanding young ladies shared their high energy in practice sessions and game play this season. They worked hard to improve fundamentals and learned the basic offensive sets and man-to-man defensive principles in preparation for the Upper School basketball program. As the season progressed, they found their stride, displayed more confidence, and meshed well together as a team to execute during pressure situations in the final moments of competitive game play. I hope that these young ladies will continue to develop their love for this game and play in our Upper School program, and I encourage each of them to play on their own outside of school to continue to build their basketball skills.

B Girls Basketball
Coach Zack Alvidrez

These 15 young ladies were full of intensity on the basketball court and unafraid to be aggressive and play threatening defense against our opponents. These players used their lightning speed on the court to force turnovers and create scoring opportunities during gameplay. Throughout the season the girls gained a better understanding of help defense and fought hard to get rebounds during close game situations. This season also included a buzzer-beater three-pointer by Elisabeth Bocock to go into overtime with McGillis! Overall, the girls were fun to coach and they started to come together more as a team as the season progressed. I look forward to seeing these girls next season for more basketball action in the Middle School and encourage them to play on their own outside of school to continue to build their basketball skills.

C Girls Basketball
Coach Shannon Casson

These seven young ladies made huge gains in their fundamental basketball skills this season. Additionally, they gained a better understanding of basketball strategies and rules of the sport. Each practice focused on a specific skill such as dribbling to the hoop, give and go, v-cut to get open or how to rebound. The girls played well together and looked out for each other on and off the court. By the end of the season, their shooting improved as did their rebounding. The girls genuine excitement for the game and competitive spirit came alive during our end of season tournament as did our rowdy fans who cheered positively and loudly in the stands! I look forward to these girls improving as basketball players throughout their Middle School years and encourage them to play outside of school.

A Boys Basketball
Coach Zack Alvidrez

The A team had a great year that culminated with a championship over a tough St. Joseph's team. The boys all did a wonderful job of staying focused and committed throughout the season. The A team represented Rowland Hall in a positive manner on and off the floor. I am very proud to have coached these young men and hope they continue their journeys as athletes in the Upper School.

B Boys Basketball
Coaches Zack Alvidrez and Mike Roberts

The B teams had a season filled with improvement in all areas of the game. Time in practice was spent working on shooting, making smart passes, and moving without the ball. After a successful regular season, the teams both performed well in the tournament, taking home second (B1) and third (B2) places. Overall, we are very proud of the effort and growth of the teams, and we look forward to seeing all of them continue on with their basketball journeys.

C Boys Basketball
Coaches Zack Alvidrez and Shannon Casson

The C team had a tremendous season of growth. Many of our players were new to the sport and progressed throughout the season in their basic fundamental skills including the triple threat position, passing and cutting, and rebounding. Although players were divided into two teams during game play to maximize playing time, all players studied the same concepts during practice sessions. The players learned the importance of moving without the ball, court spacing, and communication both on and off the court. We are proud of their effort and growth and look forward to seeing them continue to improve throughout their Middle School basketball careers, and beyond.

Middle School Athletics Winter 2017-18 Season Info

GIrls Basketball Team Rosters

Boys Basketball Team Rosters

Season Results - Girls & Boys

It was a fun fall season for all six of our Middle School Athletic teams. Thanks to all of our athletic families for your support throughout the season and a shout out to thank our Middle School Boosters for providing every athlete with a team T-shirt to show some spirit during the school day. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated coaching staff who put in countless hours to develop our student athletes. Please read on for a recap of each team's season highlights.

A Volleyball
Coach Doug Booher

Recipe for an Awesome Volleyball Season
Ingredients:
Five 7th grade players (make sure one is new to Rowland Hall and one has not played organized volleyball before)
Five 8th grade players (a mixture of two returners to the A Team and three B Team veterans)
Great attitude
Hard work
Volleyball skill
Laughter
Teamwork
Family support and cheering section
Adversity and challenges

Mix the ingredients for eight weeks through nine matches and one tournament. Yields ten wonderful, strong young women, one 2nd-place tournament trophy, and unlimited delightful memories.

B Volleyball
Coach Mike Roberts

This year's B team had a great season from start to finish! The players steadily improved their skills, and by the end of the season, three-hit rallies had become the norm. All of the girls brought a positive energy to the court, and even when they weren't in the game, they could be seen (and heard) cheering for their teammates from the bench. And while the tournament didn't quite turn out as hoped, the girls played hard, and in the end, they brought home the third-place trophy. I enjoyed the opportunity to work with all the players, and I look forward to seeing them continue their volleyball careers.

C Volleyball
Coach Chad Obermark

The 6th grade girls volleyball team showed amazing improvement over the course of the season. For many players, this was their first exposure to volleyball. To see them grow from learning the fundamentals of passing and serving to playing intense points with multiple volleys is incredible! I loved this team's positive energy and willingness to work together. They had fun in practice and games while playing hard. I look forward to seeing each of them develop their skills and build on this strong start to their volleyball careers.

A Boys Soccer
Coaches Campbell Ainsworth & Christian Waters

The A team had a fabulous season. Through practices in the heat of late summer and crisp, windy October mornings, players worked on their defense, their individual skills, and learned how to play as a team. The A2 team, after some tough losses, finished the year in style by winning their last game. The A1 team, despite some tough competition, rolled to an undefeated season. The championship game was tense; McGillis was winning 1-0 at halftime before Rowland Hall stormed back to win the championship 3-1. This group of young men jelled as a team and supported each other with enthusiasm and humor all season long. For our eleven 8th graders, winning the WAC tournament and the division was a fantastic capstone to a great middle school soccer career!

C Boys Soccer
Coach Campbell Ainsworth

Sliding gleefully in the mud at an away game in early October. A valiant comeback to tie Waterford after losing by two goals at halftime. Diving headers off of corner kicks. Players at practice, laughing as they played 'ninja', 'wa', or 'boppity-bop-bop-bop'. These are some of the memories from this year's C team soccer season, which featured a lot of energy, effort, and enthusiasm. The team finished with a tense penalty shootout for the last game of the season ultimately won by the Winged Lions to secure a 3rd place finish. These talented players will certainly contribute to the Rowland Hall soccer program for years to come.

MS Athletics Fall 2017 Season Info

Volleyball Team Rosters

Boys Soccer Team Rosters

Season Results

Google Photo Album

It was a great spring season for Middle School Athletics. Thanks to all of our players for their dedication and families for their support throughout the season. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated group of coaches who continue to invest countless hours to develop our student athletes. Additionally, I'd like to thank our Middle School Boosters for providing every athlete with a sport-specific T-shirt to show our school spirit. A huge shout out to Ashley Holbrook and Erica Keil for representing Middle School Athletics. We will miss you! Read below for a recap of each team's season. —Shannon Casson

Girls A Soccer

Coaches Bobby Kennedy, Tyler Fonarow, & Campbell Ainsworth

Both A teams had strong seasons, and the girls showed resilience and pluck under pressure. The A2 team played hard all year long, and the girls gained valuable experience despite some tough luck losses. The A1 team was undefeated this year, and their balanced attack and ferocious defense made these Winged Lions impossible to beat. Their season culminated in a 1st place finish in the WAC tournament. We hope to see some of our 8th grade girls back on the same pitch next fall; their hustle and dynamic play will be a great boost to the high school team!

Girls C Soccer

Coaches Campbell Ainsworth & Fodé Doumbia

Through rain, snow, and sunshine the girls were all smiles all season long, as they played hard right until the end, winning the WAC tournament. The players not only improved their passing, dribbling, and shooting skills but also learned to effectively play as a team. The defense, led by our sweeper Maile Fukushima, and our goalies, Katerina Mantas and Layla Hijjawi, were consistently rock solid, only allowing three goals all season. The offense kept the pressure on and spurred the team to victory. Kudos to the girls for their energy, enthusiasm, and team spirit!

Cross Country

Coaches Mary Lawlor, Andrea Beckman, and Sarah White

Our cross country team excelled this season, both in victories and in growth. Our seventh and eighth grade girls fought for a first place finish in the final meet of the season, beating out their rival St. Joe's of Ogden. Special shout out to Tate Beasley for finishing in first place in all her races. Our seventh and eighth grade boys also won the championship. The fellows, lead by Carson Burian who won every race, earned a perfect score of 10 at the meet hosted by Waterford. Our sixth grade girls team, led by Heidi Paisley, finished second and our sixth grade boys, lead by Will Cunningham, finished first. Most importantly, each of the runners improved throughout the season by running their tails off! Way to go!

Softball

Coaches Kathy Howa, Kendra Tomsic, Harper Coleman-Houghton, and Josephine Anderson

Middle school softball played in the Taylorsville League this year and the team did extremely well! The team finished in first place with a mixture of grade levels competing in gameplay. We had four sixth graders, two seventh graders, and five eighth graders to make up the squad. Thanks to strong pitching from Sophie Dau, and great leadership from Maddie Keil, Kat Moore, and Mena Zendejas-Porgutal we had a fabulous season on the softball diamond.

Mountain Biking

Coaches Shannon Casson, John Bercaw and Chelsea Vasquez

The mountain biking club had loads of fun riding this spring! We explored our local trails in the Park City area and made progress in basic bike handling skills. A huge thanks to all the parents who were able to join in on our group rides. We hope you take advantage of our local trails and get out riding this summer.

2017 MS Spring Sports Rosters

2017 WAC Sports Season Results:

MS GIRLS SOCCER
TEAM	Season Record	WAC Season	WAC Tournament
A1	6-0	1st	1st
A2	2-4	5th	n/a
C	5-1	1st	1st

MS CROSS COUNTRY	WAC Season
A Girls	1st
C Girls	2nd
A Boys	1st
C Boys	1st

By Todd Brickson, Rowmark Program Director

Italian born Alessandro (Ale) Gandini joined our school and ski academy team for his senior year. Ale is a strong student and an elite ski racer who has proven very quickly to be a great teammate as well. He is quickly integrating into our team and rapidly increasing his English fluency. Ale was gracious enough to allow me to interview him about his upbringing, his choice to attend our school and ski program, and his experience so far.

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Venice, Italy. I grew up in Treviso until I was five years old and then our family moved to Cortina.

Do you have siblings?

I have two brothers: Enrico, who is 16 years old, and Clemente, who is 12 years old. They are both ski racers.

How long have you been skiing?

I have been skiing since I was five years old and ski racing since I was eight as part of the Sci Club Cortina. The ski club is organized by age and is mostly based on having fun and freeskiing at the younger ages with some gate training. Then I joined Sci Club Drusce this past season which gave me a big boost and really helped my technique and tactics to be even more competitive.

Did you play other sports?

Yes, I played ice hockey from five until 14 years old. When it became too difficult to do both ski racing and hockey, I chose ski racing.

How did you get interested in Rowmark?

I heard about it from a friend of my parents, who described a place in Utah that had a school with a great combination of academics and ski racing, so they looked into it and I applied.

Have you ever been to the United States before your arrived in August?

Yes, once in 2004 at three years old I went to Miami with my family, but I was too young to remember it.

How is Utah different from where you grew up in Italy?

Utah is a place with a big city, but not huge, that also has all the facilities and mountains slopes where you can reach everything so fast and everything is so close. It feels like the center of the US. You can do everything here.

Italy is a wonderful place where everything is also close. Every corner has a particular story and a lot of history everywhere you go. Venice is two hours away from Cortina, Bologna is four and a half hours, and Milan is five hours. Innsbruck, Austria, is also close, about three hours.

How is the food here?

It is so different. Much more variety than where I come from. The burgers are so good here, especially with bacon! In Italy you eat Italian food and maybe sushi sometimes.

How is your school in Italy different from Rowland Hall?

In Italy I went to a public school with no connection between sport and academics. There were some good teachers who really helped, but most didn’t understand the time and commitment to do sport at a high level. At Rowland Hall there is a lot more support, but you still need to do your best and work hard. Then it works well.

Is Rowland Hall difficult for you so far?

It’s harder than my Italian school but the organization is much better. It is tough to stay on time with assignments. I can’t be lazy anymore.

How was it to go back to Italy in late September for the Italy Rowmark ski camp?

It was emotional at first. My good Italian friends were only three hours away and I was able to see them one night. Being with an American team in Italy was a pleasure. My friends realized that I was skiing with Americans and they said that was so cool. They know of Salt Lake City and Park City because of the 2002 Olympics. Many Italians know how good the skiing is in Utah. 

What are your academic goals?

One thing that is very interesting for me is skiing for a US college with strong academics, possibly Williams or Dartmouth. Another possible goal is going back to a college in Switzerland or Italy. At those schools I would be able to enter the University FIS races but it would be on my own. I don’t know yet, but a US college is very interesting to me because I can continue to pursue both academics and ski racing like I can here at Rowmark and Rowland Hall.

What are your skiing goals?

Reaching the World Cup is a dream. The real dream is racing the World Alpine Ski Championships in my home town, Cortina, in 2021 or in the Olympics in Bormio/Cortina in 2026. Even forerunning these events would be amazing. Another goal is being part of the Italian Army ski team. You have to be very good to make this team, between 30–40 FIS points.

What is your best experience so far over the first three months you have been in the United States?

A long weekend in New York three weeks ago was unbelievable. I went there with some Italian friends of my family who live in Sweden and spend a lot of time in New York because of business. It is huge, spinning around, alive. Mountains of buildings. Great to visit but I can’t see myself living there.

How is your host family?

They are lovely. They include me in everything and give me a lot of support. It has been fantastic. I feel like I am part of the family. The bond will last a long time.

Any difficult experiences so far since you have been in the United States?

Nothing yet! One thing is my first CrossFit workout with my host family at 5:45 am and it was overwhelming and really hard. I hadn’t eaten yet; I wasn’t in the best shape. It was a tough experience. Then afterward the Rowland Hall shower before school was cold!

What are you looking forward to this school year experience?

I want to bring from the United States back to Italy something that will last a long time: good values, taking as many good things as possible, and bringing them back to my country, but not to gain too much weight!

BACK TO FINISH LINE

ROWMARK

by Troy Price, Rowmark Junior Program Director

Training Update
This fall, our athletes have focused on physical fitness with daily sessions after school. They have seen significant improvements in balance, agility, coordination, and strength. We have also enjoyed several sessions of in-line skating. Our Academy Prep group had a productive on-snow camp in Winter Park, Colorado, in early November. Our All-Star and Academy Prep groups concluded a prep camp in Sun Valley in late November. The athletes have worked hard and are all looking forward to the racing season ahead.

New Members
We extend a warm welcome to our new members. In the Academy Prep group, we welcome Kendall Kanarowski, Drew Lipson, and Delcan Morasch. In the All-Star group we welcome Luke Kanarowski, Tallaulah Proulx, and Teo Shamah. Plus, we have several new members starting their Rowmark journey with our youngest All Mountain Ripper program.

Team Advancement
We want to recognize all the athletes who have advanced within our development pipeline this year. Advancing from the All Mountain Ripper group to the All-Star group is Andrew Hanrahan, Jameson Moore, Eli Rankin, Wyatt Williams, Jett Winkler, Kendra Larson, Darshan Pani, and Abi Quinn. Advancing from All-Star to Academy Prep is Julian Bamberger, Joe Lennon, Milan Mickelson, Lukas Postneiks, Jack Hoffman, Kristen Mannelin, and Dean Hijjawi.

Staffing
We are pleased to have all three head coaches returning this year, with the addition of two new amazing hires. Please welcome Tristian McInnis and Charley Smith. Tristian is a recent college grad and Rowmark/Rowland Hall alumnus. He started coaching our Academy Prep group last June at our summer camp in Mammoth. He has already made a remarkable impact on our program, and we are so happy to have him. Charley will be joining the All-Star staff for our Sun Valley camp. She is a recent college graduate and enjoyed racing at Snowbasin during her youth. Also, a quick shout-out to Carl Noble, who dedicated his summer to expanding his coaching skills all summer in Mount Hood, Oregon.

The Junior Program, athletes, and coaches, are a very cohesive group, and everyone is actively encouraging and pushing each other to new success. We are fortunate to be part of a rich culture made up of supportive parents and faculty and staff. Our team's success would not be possible without the tremendous support we receive.

We look forward to the season ahead.

BACK TO FINISH LINE

ROWMARK

By Todd Brickson, Rowmark Program Director

Our Rowmark Ski Academy team had a busy summer and fall in preparation for our fast-approaching competition season. We've had several on-snow camps with important conditioning blocks in between the camps, and we are working hard both on and off the snow. Below is a summary of our last six months.

Our first ski camp was June 8–17 at Mammoth Mountain, California, where we enjoyed some of the best ski training conditions of all time due to a snowy winter and cool spring. The mountain still had top-to-bottom snow coverage, which provided the perfect terrain for directed free skiing, drills, and full-length giant slalom and slalom training.

This camp was followed by a seven-week summer conditioning block to lay down a foundation of cardio fitness, core, and basic strength. Our local Rowmarkers and coaches got together three days a week for group workouts both at school and in the mountains.

In mid-August, we traveled to Mt. Hood, Oregon, for our second ski camp of the summer, where the Palmer Snowfield provides year-round skiing. This productive camp and also included afternoon hiking and swimming in and around the beautiful Mt. Hood National Forest and Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

Once school was back in session, we jumped into physical testing to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of each athlete. Physical testing was followed by daily after-school workouts filled with varied and periodized dry-land training, including cardio, strength, power, core, interval, and agility training. Our sports psychologist met with us once per week to sharpen our mental skills in a sport that demands clear focus, imagery skills, and confidence.

On the second weekend of September, our academy team headed out for our annual Rowmark Orientation Weekend. We traveled to San Rafael Swell in southern Utah and enjoyed hiking in Goblin Valley State Park, camping, and a full day of canyoneering in the challenging Ding and Dang slot canyons. As in past years, the weekend focused on important social and team-building activities, where we continued our work on our team's new Value Statement.

In late September, our U19 team traveled overseas to beautiful Schnalztal, Italy, to train on a glacier in the Northern Italian Alps. Excellent snow conditions and mostly cooperative weather greeted the team for the two-week camp. Carving out time each day for study hall was a priority to help the team keep up with their schoolwork while on the road. Missing school is a necessary and frequent occurrence for our team, and the Rowmarkers learn the critical skill of managing their studies while away.

It is mid-November, and our team is in Aspen, Colorado, for a week of slalom and giant slalom training before we return to Utah to enjoy local snow in late November. The early season snow conditions in Colorado have been ideal, and the Rowmarkers continue to work hard and make steady progress. Our race preparation will also include a final training camp at Jackson, Wyoming, in early December, where we will take advantage of training on the same trails where our first races will be held later in the month.

Once December starts our team transitions to our winter schedule, where the Rowmarkers take the core classes in the weekday mornings and then head out in the afternoon for daily on-snow training as well as morning training on the weekends. We are looking forward to our new training venue at the Utah Olympic Park (UOP) as well as our traditional training site at Park City Mountain Resort. The UOP will be a game-changer for our team. This facility will increase our training quality and volume on a slope specially prepared for alpine race training. It will feature state-of-the-art snowmaking and lighting, hard snow, varied terrain features, and quick ski lift turnaround to maximize our practice time.

It has been a busy and successful summer and fall for our Rowmark team and we are confident that this hard work and preparation will pay off with strong results during fast-approaching competition season. Even more importantly, our team is learning sportsmanship, leadership, and work ethic to balance their academic and athletic pursuits.

We give a shout-out of appreciation to the Rowland Hall faculty and staff for their critical support of our efforts to be successful in school despite our need to miss significant class time along the way. We couldn't do it without you, and we are incredibly grateful.

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We welcome Lauren Samuels to our staff as our new Rowmark Ski Academy FIS assistant coach and academic liaison; she will work with Graham Flinn and Dave Kerwynn to coach our FIS women's and men's teams. Lauren is a Minnesota native and 2011 graduate of Rowmark/Rowland Hall, where she spent her senior year of high school and two post-graduate years. Prior to Rowmark, she skied on Team Gilboa in Minneapolis, Minnesota, until the age of 15, when she was named to the US Ski Team. While attending Rowmark, Lauren spent much of each season traveling as an invitee with the US Ski Team. As a J2 National Super-G Champion, US Nationals and World Juniors Championships competitor, and with years of elite racing under her belt, she brings extensive experience to her coaching.

After Rowmark, Lauren attended the University of Utah, earning a BS in athletic training (graduating cum laude) while she competed as a member of the prestigious University of Utah Alpine Ski Team. She captained the team her senior year when the Utes won the 2017 NCAA National Championship. Lauren returns to Rowmark, this time as a coach, from Team Gilboa, where she coached FIS athletes this past season.

Lauren is also a mentor with ZGiRLS, an organization mentoring girls in sport to build confidence, resilience, and courage. In her free time, she enjoys photography, flying drones, off-roading in southern Utah, dirt biking, camping, and mountain biking. 

Please join us in welcoming Lauren to our staff!

BACK TO FINISH LINE

ROWMARK

Rowmark Summer and Fall Ski Camps:

Congratulations to all our Rowmark Ski Academy and Junior Program athletes and staff for a great season and a big thank you to the parents for all their support.  We would like to especially thank Rowmark parents John Hijjawi, Ken Jacquin and Marcy Stearns for their exceptional volunteer efforts at our team tents at various race series throughout the season. 

Rowmark has a busy summer and fall ahead of us starting with our first on-snow camp of our 2019-20 preparation period at Mammoth Mountain, CA June 8-17.  We have over 50 Rowmarkers from U12-U19 ages attending this camp. Mammoth had record snow fall this winter, so we expect great ski conditions.  

After Mammoth we transition into an eight-week dryland conditioning block before our U14-19s head to our second ski camp August 9-18 at Mt. Hood just before school starts back up. We then head into conditioning mode through the fall with all age groups.

In late September our U19 juniors and seniors will be off to Schnalztal, Italy for their third ski camp September 27-October 11. Our race season preparation period comes to a close with November camps in Aspen, CO and Sun Valley, ID before getting on snow here at the Utah Olympic Park and Park City Mountain shortly after.

 

Graduates:

Congratulations to our Rowmark graduating class of 2019, including five graduates within the Rowland Hall graduating class of seventy-one students.

Photo from left: Anya Mulligan, Elena Zipp, Anya Biskupiak, Greg Olszanskyj, Jake Bleil

 

Annual Awards:

Each April we enjoy an annual awards banquet to celebrate our season. This gives us a chance to spotlight our athletes both on their athletic accomplishments and character development. We are very proud of each member of our program and enjoy the time they commit to our sport.  Below is a list of the key awards from this past season:

 

Academy Awards:

Dr. Karl Kjeldsberg Senior Award: 
Jake Bleil ‘19

Olle Larsson Skier of the Year Award:
Elena Zipp ‘19

The Northrop Award (Speed Skiing and Academic Achievement):
Mary Bocock ‘21 and Carter Louchheim ’20

Hank Shipman Perseverance Award:
Eliza Hodgkins '19

Alan Hayes Sportsmanship Award: 
Dagny Brickson ‘21

Jim Tschabrun Conditioning Award: 
Ellie Nichols '20 and Greg Olszanskyj ‘19

Most Improved Award: 
Eliza Hodgkins '19 and Mason Schlopy ‘22

 

Junior Program Awards:

Rowmarker Award:  
Elisabeth Bocock ‘23

Sportsmanship Award:  
Layla Hijjawi ’23

Most Improved Female:  
Lucy Nolan ‘25

Most Improve Male:
Henry Cunningham ‘25

Top Performer:  
Molly Friedman ‘24

Leadership Award:  
Arden Louchheim ‘23

 

We would like to further recognize Rowmark Senior Jake Bleil, who also won two prestigious academic awards this spring. Jake was one of only 24 National Merit Scholars from Utah. Jake was also named the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Intermountain Division Scholar of the Year. Bleil intends to put the scholarship funds to good use as he heads to Princeton University, where he plans to study engineering. Congratulations to Jake!

 

Follow Rowmark Ski Academy on Facebook to stay current on all our news! 

 

Rowmark

 

 

March Madness has arrived! Rowmarkers have been traveling across the country to compete in championship events. 
 
U16 Team

U16 Western Regional Championships, Sun Valley, ID, March 14-17
The top U16s from all over the West come together to duke it out to qualify for the U16 Nationals. Six Rowmark athletes qualified for the Western Regional Championships; Mary Bocock, Dagny Brickson, Preston Bolus, Ian Hanrahan, Ford Hodgkins, and Harry Hoffman. These skiers qualified from a season-long series of competitions. Rowmark had some great performances under bluebird skies. In the GS, Ford Hodgkins finished 13th and first for the 2004 age group. Harry Hoffman was second in the SL, first for 2004s, and Mary Bocock was second in the Super-G and also second in the SL. In the GS race, both Preston Bolus and Dagny Brickson won the Hard Charger Award for the biggest moves from their start position to finish position. Preston moved up 48 places and Dagny moved up 41 places. Ian Hanrahan also skied very well, moving up eight spots in the SL and 10 in the SG. 
 
U16 National Championships, Breckenridge, CO, March 31-April 4
Mary Bocock, Jack Hodgkins, and Harry Hoffman qualified for this prestigious event. Mary will be looking to defend her U16 Super G National title!
 
Tri-Divisional Championships, Jackson Hole, WY, March 21-24
The Tri-Divisional Championships are held each year with teams from Intermountain, Alaska, and Northern divisions. Rowmark competes in the Intermountain Division, and three of our U16s competed, earning some great results. Leading the pack was Jack AbuHaidar, who was first in the Super-G, second in the GS, and fourth in the SL. These three top finishes earned Jack the Overall Tri-Divisional Series Championship! Frank Stearns had his best races of the season with a second in the SL and 14th in the GS. Mason Schlopy also skied well, with a ninth-place finish in Super-G and 10th in GS. Way to go, boys!
 
U19 Team

The U19s have been traveling far and wide this year and still have two race series before the season ends. Some highlights up to this point:
 
Western Region Junior Championships, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, CA, March 12-17
Rowmark qualified a full contingent to the Western Region Junior Championships this year, one of our biggest teams ever, where athletes from all over the Western U.S. competed. Qualifying from Rowmark: Charlotte Altman, Anya Biskupiak, Mary Clancy, Eliza Hodgkins, Bridget Lennon, Anya Mulligan, Ellie Nichols, Elena Zipp, Jake Bleil, Andrei Dan, Tommy Hoffman, Carter Louchheim and Greg Olszanskyj. All enjoyed some fast skiing and beautiful weather! 

Women

• SL 1: Rowmark had four women finish in the top 25—Ellie Nichols 15th, Anya Biskupiak 16th, Elena Zipp 18th and Bridget Lennon 22nd
• SL 2: Anya Biskupiak finished 17th and Anya Mulligan skied away with the win - first place!
• SL 3: Anya Biskupiak 12th
• GS 1: Ellie Nichols 16th (winning the second run!)
• GS 2: Anya Mulligan ninth
• GS 3: Anya Mulligan fifth

Men

• SL 1: Andrei Dan 10th
• SL 2: Carter Louchheim 30th after starting 68th
• SL 3: Rowmark had 3 men in the top 15—Andrei Dan 10th, Jake Bleil 13th, and Carter Louchheim 15th after starting 70th!
• GS 1: Tommy Hoffman 12th
• GS 2: Andrei Dan seventh and Tommy Hoffman 11th 
• GS 3: Tommy Hoffman 13th, Carter Louchheim 27th, and Greg Olszanskyj 29th

U.S. Alpine National Championships, Waterville Valley, NH, March 23-30
Seniors Anya Mulligan and Elena Zipp both qualified for the U.S. Alpine Championships and Junior National Championships in Waterville Valley, NH. Elena finished 12th and Anya 22nd in the Junior Nationals Super-G. Congratulations!
 
Alumni Update

2019 World Junior Championships
Katie Hensien '18, currently a freshman at Denver University and U.S. Ski Team member, qualified for the World Junior Championships held in Italy. Katie finished 10th in the SL and second in the team event! The U.S. Ski Team had their best showing ever, finishing third overall in the standings. Way to go, Katie! 

Unfortunately, Rowmark’s two U.S. Ski Team World Cup team members and Olympians Alice McKennis ’07 and Breezy Johnson ’13 both suffered season-ending injuries before competitions ramped up. We look forward to their return to the World Cup stage for the 2019-2020 season.
 
Rowmark Spring Banquet April 24

We look forward to celebrating Rowmark accomplishments and announcing our annual awards for sportsmanship, conditioning, perseverance, most improved, and skier of the year. We’ll also honor Team Manager Sarah Getzelman, who is leaving Rowmark after 12 incredible years serving our Academy and Junior Program.
 

Rowmark

The Junior Rowmark Program had another great season.

Youth Ski League Championships, Brianhead, UT, March 9-10 
William Youngtok and Wyatt Williams medaled.
 
Intermountain Division Championships, Snowbasin, UT, March 15-17
Thirteen Rowmarkers attended this championship event. Jack Hoffman won the overall after winning the SL race and placing fourth in the GS.
 
Tri-Divisional Championships, Jackson Hole, WY, March 21-24
Eight Junior Rowmarkers qualified for this high-level event. Congratulations to Lucy Nolan, Kaia Brickson, Morgan Jacquin, Lalya Hijjawi, Alan Dugan, Matt Seigel, Henry Cunningham, and Jack Zipp. Morgan Jacquin and Henry Cunningham both had breakout performances. Morgan was third in the SL, and Henry was fourth in SG and third in GS.
 
U14 Regionals Championships, Big Sky, MT, March 20-24
Molly Friedman, Arden Louchheim, and Elisabeth Bocock were named to the IMD Divisional Team for this prestigious event. Elisabeth and Arden skied their way to a podium finish in the GS, with Elisabeth in fourth and Arden in 10th.

 

Rowmark

By Sarah Getzelman, Rowmark Team Manager

As the days are becoming shorter and colder, Rowmark Ski Academy and Junior Program student-athletes are putting the final touches on their race preparation and gearing up for competitions. Following a challenging snow year in 2017–2018, this season is off to a better start with some natural snow, and cold, snow-making temperatures at the ski areas.

Our Rowmark teams—consisting of some of the best junior alpine ski racers and student-athletes nationally and internationally—worked hard from spring through autumn in our rigorous conditioning program, which gets athletes in shape for winter. This year's program has included the following:

• In June, we kicked off our on-snow camps at Mammoth Mountain, California.
• Before the start of school, our U14–U19 teams traveled to Mt. Hood, Oregon, for our second on-snow camp.
• Over fall break in early October, the U19 team traveled to Schnalstal, Italy, for a 10-day camp. They trained next to world-class athletes from around the region and enjoyed excellent snow conditions, incredible views, and delicious Italian food.
• The next stop for the Academy is Aspen, Colorado, while our Junior Program heads to Sun Valley, Idaho, for a five-day, pre-Thanksgiving camp.

Once the winter trimester starts, our athletes in grades eight through twelve will be out of school at noon daily and skiing full-time at Park City and Snowbird from December through April.

Rowmarkers work together and support one another, and that was a primary focus during our 10th Biennial Rowmark Ski Academy Bear Lake Challenge in early September. The orientation weekend tests Rowmarkers physically, mentally, and socially; identifies and develops leadership, spirit, and cooperation skills; and facilitates team bonding. Also over that weekend, skiers elected their 2018–2019 team captains: seniors Jake Bleil and Elena Zipp, and juniors Eliza Hodgkins and Carter Louchheim.

As our seasoned captains well know, year-round physical conditioning is a critical component to optimal skiing. Graham Flinn—our new women's and conditioning head coach—has already started directing a dynamic, periodized daily physical-training program that includes strength/power, cardiovascular, plyometrics, quickness and coordination, flexibility, and cross-training/games.

In addition to physical conditioning, the Academy team works with a mental-performance coach and a nutritionist starting in October. The mental-performance coach works with the athletes on psychological focus, concentration, imagery, self-talk, mental toughness, and pre-performance routines. These mental skills are as critical as physical strength and can significantly enhance performance. Nutrition education also plays a major role in the athletes' well-being and performance.

As the competition season approaches, Rowmarkers look forward to putting their conditioning to the test. Their days will soon be filled: morning academic classes are followed by afternoon ski training, video review, ski tuning, and evenings of homework. Their race schedule takes them all over the country and for some, to Canada and Europe. The extensive travel means Rowmarkers will miss several weeks of school in the winter, testing their organizational, communication, and time-management skills. The athletes know they must make the grade academically before they can make the starting gate at a ski race. Success hinges on the support of the Rowland Hall faculty and their extra efforts of frequent communication, consultation sessions, and exam preparation, all of which enable Rowmarkers to not only survive the academic load but often to excel. We thank our teachers for their commitment.

Our Junior Program has also added some new coaches to our skilled staff. Please welcome Darryl Whitaker as our Academy Prep Head Coach, Merrick Flygare and Eric Dooley-Feldman with our All-Star team, and Richie Douglas with our All-Mountain Rippers. Junior Program athletes completed a productive fall-conditioning phase and kick off their on-snow prep period with the Sun Valley camp. We have an exciting race series this year—please come out and support our Junior Rowmarkers as they go for the gold!

Our Academy and Junior Program develop young athletes to their fullest potential. This takes place on the race course, in the classroom, and everywhere in between. Working together as a team, building character, embracing struggle, and committing to personal and academic excellence all set our program apart. We look forward to the challenges and successes of the approaching season.

Rowmark

The Rowmark Junior Program had extraordinary success this year! From the older eighth grade Academy Prep skiers to the young All-Mountain Rippers, there were podium finishes and medals galore. This is a true testament to the hard work the athletes and coaches put in all year.

Read on for season highlights.

 

Academy Prep

The following students qualified for the U14 Western Region Championships that took place in Jackson, WY: Harry Hoffman, Preston Bolus, Jack AbuHaidar, Ford Hodgkins, and Ian Hanrahan.

Leading the charge was Harry Hoffman, winning both the super-G and giant slalom (GS). Preston Bolus placed 3rd in the super-G followed by Jack AbuHaidar in 4^th and Ian Hanrahan in 9^th. Other top-10 finishes included Jack AbuHaidar placing 3rd in the giant slalom and Ford Hodgkins finishing 10^th. All five boys collected medals, which was an amazing feat. Harry Hoffman's results qualified him for the U16 National Championships where he will join Rowmark Academy teammates Mary Bocock, Lindley Friedman, and Carter Louchheim in Mission Ridge, WA.

Preston Bolus and Jack AbuHaidar qualified to the 2018 Whistler Cup in Canada April 12-16. This prestigious International Children's event hosts athletes from all over the world. Harry Hoffman will also be competing with his home country of Australia.

Qualifying for the Tri-Divisional Championships at Snowbasin, UT were Arden Louchheim, Kate Altman, Davern Cigarran, Remy Mickelson, Molly Friedman, Hayley Brathwaite, Frank Stearns, and Angus Percy. The weather started off pretty wild with plenty of rain, forcing the cancellation of the super-G. In the GS, Arden Louchheim put together two great runs to capture first place! In the SL event, teammate Molly Friedman won, followed by Arden in 3^rd and Kate Altman 5^th.

All-Stars

The All-Stars consist of U10 and U12 skiers. Qualifying from this group to the U10/U12 Intermountain (IMD) Champs were Kaia Brickson, Sophia Hijjawi, Kirsten Mannelin, Pippa Brathwaite, Lucy Nolan, Morgan Jacquin, Alan Dugan, Henry Cunningham, Jack Zipp, Cooper Percy, Anders Silitch, Lukas Postnieks, Chase Dennis, Jack Hoffman and Cael Eley. The event was held at Grand Targhee in Wyoming and consisted of a GS, SL, dual event and crazy, ever-changing weather.

In the SL event Alan Dugan tied for 3^rd place, while Kaia Brickson finished 4^th. Henry Cunningham finished 14^th, Jack Zipp 15^th and Anders Silitch 19^th. In the GS, Henry Cunningham finished 8^th, Jack Zipp 16^th and Alan Dugan 20^th.

For the U10's, Sophia Hijjawi finished 3^rd in GS and 6^th in the SL, Pippa Brathwaite finished 8^th in GS and 11^th in SL, Lukas Postnieks finished 1^st in the SL, Chase Dennis finished 4^th in SL and 12^th in GS, while Cael Eley finished 8^th in the GS.

To top off the weekend, Olympian and Rowmark Alumna Breezy Johnson '13 stopped by to give words of encouragement.

All-Mountain Rippers (AMR)

Our AMR group had success throughout the season starting with the YSL race on our home hill at Park City. They continued their development and finished the season with two outstanding races: Brian Head Utah and Bogus Basin Idaho. Congrats to Noah Helms, Julian Bamberger, Chase Noteware, Andrew Hanrahan, Eli Rankin, Henry Damico, and Wyatt Williams!

Rowmark