Unsung Senior Athletes, Fall 2017

Meet the latest class of Unsung Seniors, a group of athletes whose effort and influence – albeit often beneath the radar – contributed to their teams’ success during the fall of 2017.
Grace Stratford competed in volleyball at Collegiate for six years.  The past two, she played on the varsity, primarily as a right side hitter.

“Grace has an incredible perspective and a very natural instinct,” said Coach Beth Kondorossy, whose team reached the semifinals of the League of Independent Schools tournament. “She listens and executes. She was always where she needed to be on the court, and she really was a strong leader

“Grace is a mature, attentive, reliable and overall invested teammate. She's level headed and has a team-first mentality. When there was silence, Grace knew exactly what needed to be said and how to say it.”

A three-year varsity football performer, Andrew Cooke was the starting free safety on the team that finished 8-3, earned a share of the Prep League championship, and reached the VISAA title game.

His senior-year stat line read 27 tackles (including 22 unassisted), four interceptions, six pass break-ups, and one forced fumble.

“Andrew was the defensive field general,” said Coach Mark Palyo. “He called the coverage for the secondary and made sure his teammates were all on the same coverage call. These calls were based on his recognition of the offensive formation and then adjusting the call if there was a motion or formation change. He has a calm demeanor that kept the secondary focused.”

As a sophomore, Katie Fleming began her varsity field hockey career as a forward who provided a spark off the bench with her inspired, relentless play. As a senior, she earned a starting spot as a sweeper whose job it was to provide a final line of defense in front of the goal keeper.

“Katie is a quiet leader, unselfish, and team-focused,” said Coach Karen Doxey. “She’s the ultimate team player. She listens, takes instruction, and makes adjustments according to her coaches' feedback. She was always ‘present’ and totally involved mentally and physically. While she had great focus on her own play, Katie was also known for her willingness to proactively help others learn a skill or understand a concept.”

In soccer, the cohesion between center backs is crucial to a team's defensive organization.  Integral to that working relationship is the players’ ability to provide positive leadership, complete fearlessly, and “read the field” well. This fall, Alex Hartmann and Ethan Ruh manned the center back position with aplomb.

“Alex and Ethan embraced their roles,” said Coach Charlie Blair.  “They worked hard to develop the chemistry necessary to be effective and earned the respect of their teammates for their toughness, work rate, efforts to organize the defense, and positive energy. Alex's positioning and heading ability were complemented by Ethan's tough tackling and willingness to run down an opponent. They brought physical and mental toughness to every practice and match and were selfless in doing all that they could to help the team find success.”

Catherine Clark, a three-year varsity tennis player, served as a tri-captain of the team that won the LIS and reached the championship round of the VISAA tournament.

In singles play, she was 1-0 at No. 3 and 2-1 at No. 5. In doubles, she was 1-0 (with Bailey Andress) at No. 2 and 2-1 (with Saanvi Mittal) at No. 3.
 
“Catherine came into the season playing her best tennis,” said Coach Karin Whitt.  “She had to step in early and win matches against some of our toughest opponents.  Unfortunately, she was sidelined by injury early in the season.  She continued working on her personal ‘Captain Goal’ of helping each teammate feel welcome and developing a team that was very close, on and off the court.  The girls are now like sisters and have Catherine to thank for that.”
  -- Weldon Bradshaw




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