The Crusader Newspaper - Cardinal Gibbons High School

the crusader 16
may 29, 2011
Men’s tennis wins state championship
Team wins title for first time in 3A classification
The 3A State Championship winning men’s tennis team consisted of (left to right) junior
Matt Daly, junior Killian Steer, sophomore Pierce Beary, sophomore Sean Solik, junior Greg
Galush, freshman Robert Kelly, senior Chris Geaslen, senior Wade Tuttle, senior Andrew
Rinderer, sophomore Nicholas Dodson, sophomore Greg Scurtu, sophomore Jackson
Freeman, and coach Andrew Tuttle. This was the team’s first 3A State Championship.
Track runs big at
state meet
Photo Courtesy of Andrew Tuttle
Donna Steinbacher
Copy Editor
The men’s varsity tennis defeated Charlotte
Catholic 6-0 on May 21 in the state championships
to claim its first state championship at the 3-A level.
“The best part of the playoffs was winning the State
Championship match against Charlotte Catholic. Our
team played great in each of the five playoff matches,
not losing a single court and winning by a 6-0 score
in each match. After last year’s close loss in the State
finals, it was important for us not only make it back
there this year, but to win the championship and I am
proud of the team for accomplishing that goal,” said
head coach Andrew Tuttle in an email interview.
The team finished second in a national
tournament in Louisville earlier in the season, as
well.
“The best part of the regular season was our
trip to Louisville, we got to play a lot of competitive
matches but also had a lot of fun as a team,” said
senior Chris Geaslen in a Facebook interview.
The final record of the season was 26-2 with a
conference record of 10-0. It was the team’s fifth
state championship overall. Men’s tennis won every
year from 2006 to 2009 at the 2-A level.
Also, Matt Daly was selected as Conference
Player of the Year and was also named MVP of the
championship match.
“The biggest strength of the team is our players’
competitive drive and desire to play their best every
match. Regardless of the opponent, each of our player
have a high level of tennis talent and experience
that they each bring with them to make our team
successful,” said Tuttle.
Women’s soccer returns
to state title match
Caitlin Donovan
Sports Editor
The men’s and women’s track
teams ended their seasons competing in
the 3A NCHSAA state championships.
The girls came in 2 nd while the boys
came in 17 th .
Both teams believed that the spring
season was successful overall.
“The spring track season
went pretty well with lots of great
improvements across the entire team,”
said junior Steven Phillips.
“Everyone continued to improve
from the beginning to the end of the
season, so I think that means we were
successful,” said junior Megan Cuomo.
Both teams trained hard to make it
to regionals and then on to states.
“Everyone put in hard work to
get us to regionals,” said sophomore
Samiiah Wilson.
Some team members were able
to move onto states. These players
included juniors Patrick Wolf, Tommy
Schotzinger, Megan Kunkel, Kate
Donato, Cuomo, Wilson, and Phillips,
and senior Sarah Rapp.
Phillips placed third in the two
mile, Wolf came in 7 th in the two mile,
and Schotzinger placed second in the
mile
Ẇilson, Kunkel, and Rapp won the
4 x 800 relay. Kunkel also placed 2 nd
in the 800, and Cuomo placed third in
the two mile. Rapp won the mile and 2
mile and placed third in the 800.
The season was an overall great
experience for everyone and was a lot
of fun.
“I enjoyed the overall
experience of running with friends,
laughing at practices, and pushing
myself at meets,” said Donato.
“[My hopes] for next year are that
we win Conference and regionals by
beating Chapel Hill and we qualify
more people for the state meet,” said
Wolf.
“I hope next year will be as fun as
this year was. I hope the people who
ran this year come back for another
great season and I hope we get a new
load of freshman to help build the team
even stronger,” said Donato.
Photo courtesy of Greg Mintel
Sophomore Jose San Miguel hurdles past a Chapel Hill High School
runner in a recent meet. The men’s track team later participated in
the state meet, where they finished 17th.
Haleigh Nelson
Copy Editor
The women’s varsity soccer
team found themselves down for the
first time all season in the NCHSAA
3A Eastern Regional final against
Jacksonville.
The Crusaders, however, were able
to keep their composure despite the
unfamiliar feeling of being behind and
prevailed 2-1, setting up a return to the
3-A state championship match.
This is the second year in a row
the team has beaten Jacksonville in
the regional final, and they competed
Saturday, May 28 for the 3-A state title
against Charlotte Catholic. (Results
were unavailable as of press time).
After an early goal by Jacksonville
sophomore Meredith McCarty put
them up 1-0, Gibbons freshman
Morgan Reid tied the game with a goal
assisted by senior Kiki Davis in the
middle of the first half.
In the 54 th minute of the match,
Davis scored the winning goal with
an assist from sophomore Christina
Gibbons, and the girls were able to
heave a sigh of relief after their most
intense match of the season.
They ended regular season play
undefeated in conference with an
overall 20-1 record. They ended
conference play with a win over Webb
8-0 on May 4.
The Crusaders dominated the
playoffs by outscoring every team in a
combined ratio of 23-1.
“I am so proud of how far our team
has come, and we are playing every
game our hardest to prepare for the
state championship game again, and
finish the season the right way,” said
Reid.
“The main focus for improvement
has been [taking] chances and
opportunities because [we] never
know when [we] will get another one,
and we have been successful because
everyone has given 100 percent effort
wherever and whenever the team
needs it,” said Gibbons.
“Our strength is the depth in our
team. The quality of play stays really
high no matter how many people we
sub in. We also play as a team and trust
each other which is the key to success,”
said Reid.
Leadership from the seniors and
captains has also been an important
part of the season this year as well.
“They always bring a positive
attitude to the field, [and] give great
pep talks. They are so trustworthy
even off the field. They basically have
everyone’s backs,” said junior Kathleen
Davis.
“Our seniors are great! They are
supportive and reinforcing, and they
know how to make us push ourselves
to be our very best,” said Reid.
Photo courtesy of Landmark Yearbook
Junior Monica Trickett passes the
ball in the regional final against
Jacksonville last Tuesday. The
team played Charlotte Catholic
in the state championship game
yesterday.
Page design by Section Editors Caitlin Donovan and Erin Welsh