Women’s golf

The women’s golf team wrapped up its season 9-4 in dual and triangular matches under Head Coach Mr. Eric Bruns. 

In an email, Bruns said the team’s major accomplishments included winning seven matches in a row during the end of the season. The team also placed second in the City championship and at Sectional as well as advancing to the Regional for the 16th year in a row. 

Bruns said the biggest highlight was seeing the team come together. “We returned one full time varsity player from last year, so seeing all the girls gain experience and confidence as the season progressed was the most fun,” he said. 

This team differed from previous years because, Bruns said, the “team had far less experience than teams in the past. We had multiple seniors but three of them were brand new players this season (and) one was returning from missing all of last season because of an injury. To see this group succeed in the manner they did a fantastic experience,” he said. 

Natalie Schorr was the only senior with substantial varsity experience, and according to Bruns, she did a great job leading by example of showing all the players how to conduct themselves at practice and during matches.

In an interview with Schorr, she said the best part of the season was getting to play beautiful and well-kept golf courses with  what she called her “best pals.” She said, “I enjoyed strengthening the friendships I already had with the golfers and making new ones with freshmen and new golfers.”

Schorr has played for the past three years, but this season was the most fun and lighthearted, she said. “This season fulfilled my expectations because we did well, we improved our golf game, but most importantly we had a great time enjoying the scenery and each other’s company,” she said. 

Senior Emily Veigel was a rookie player entering the season, but she said the best part about this senior season was getting to know the girls on the team and creating a strong bond with every player. Veigel decided to play golf this season because she wanted to participate in a fall sport. “I had a natural swing because of softball, so I thought I would give it a try. This season definitely fulfilled my expectations. Every time I stepped out on the course, I had an amazing time and I loved having my teammates there with me,” she said. 

Bruns said the roster grew from nine to 17 players this season, and the team needs that depth again next year as it looks to fill the regular season varsity roster.

There will be a callout meeting for the 2020 season sometime before spring break and a few practices after the meeting for those not participating in a spring sport. 

Women’s soccer

Head Coach Mr. Marc Behringer ’84 led the women’s soccer team to a 7-7-2 season with the fourth toughest regular season schedule in the tristate area. The team was ranked first or second the entire season. 

Behringer said there were three major accomplishments this season: going 3-0 against the northside rivals Bishop Chatard, Brebeuf Jesuit and Guerin Catholic, winning the City championship against Chatard (which marked the seniors’ fourth City title), and the team showing sportsmanship toward opponents. “Senior Maddie Wirth helping an injured Carmel player off the field after she was injured, senior Bridget Stratman checking on an injured opponent in Sectional play and freshman Kate Phillips checking on an injured opponent also in Sectional play were all displays or sportsmanship,” said Behringer. 

The team wanted to repeat its Sectional, Regional, Semistate and State championships but fell short against Batesville in the Sectional.  

According to Behringer, the majority of the players will play with their club teams from now until summer. “The returning (and) new players will weight train and have workouts beginning in June and continuing through the summer,” he said. 

The strengths of the program, according to Behringer, include the tradition of excellence established throughout the years, a family atmosphere that creates lifelong relationships, the intelligence of integrity of the players and the incredible support of the players’ parents. The weaknesses of the program is smaller than usual number of players due to small turnouts the past two seasons. 

Leaving a legacy in the program is important to any Senior Class, and Behringer said the seniors did a “wonderful job of continuing the high expectations, the family atmosphere and the high level of play that are hallmarks of the program. The Senior Class was a big part of the 2018 team that won the school’s third State championship in women’s soccer. Just as they were fantastic players on the field, they are equally amazing as students and, most importantly, as Christian young ladies. The coaches are excited to see how successful they will be in all their future endeavors,” said Behringer. 

Stratman plans to continue playing at Marian University in the fall, and senior Sidney Swindell will continue her playing career at Indiana State University. 

Men’s tennis

Under Head Coach Mr. Mark Noe, the men’s tennis team finished 11-7 on the regular season and was City champions for the 14th straight year. 

Noe said, “Watching these young men progress and make improvements in their games and strategy during the season” was a highlight. “Hopefully, everyone sees that they improved as a player and a person, on and off the court,” said Noe. On the court, the highlights include upsetting third ranked Floyd Central and seventh ranked Brebeuf Jesuit, as well as coming back from and earlier defeat by Hamilton Southeastern to winning the last match 3-2 in regular season. 

Even though the season is already over, Noe said 80% of the Irish netters take lessons or are in clinics to strengthen their games. “The most important step to improvement is to put yourself on the line in a singles or doubles tournament. Playing under stressful situations and growing through the experience is the key to improvement. All the student athletes who are participating in their sport, should be cross training with our world class trainer, Mr. Cody Johnson. He will guide and monitor your fitness to an entirely new level. I will offer summer tennis workouts starting in June,” Noe said. 

The strengths of the team included the desire to win, impressive work ethic and a determined attitude. The juniors proved to be the backbone of the team. Noe said, “They provided great leadership and led with a positive attitude. This type of behavior is contagious to the underclassmen. The seniors were all just great people to be around and as a coaching staff, we had a blast and hope they have enjoyed their four years of tennis.”

 More than 70 student athletes went out for the tennis team this year, and Noe hopes they continue to play next school year. 

Noe also wanted to thank his coaching staff for their hard work and patience. They include Mr. Joe Calandro, Ms. Caroline Combs, Mr. Eli Eckhart, Mr. Dan Jamell, Ms. Renee Noe and Mr. Luke Wojtalik. 

Men’s soccer 

The men’s soccer team completed its season 9-9-2 under head Coach Mr. Paul “Whitey” Kapsalis with City and Sectional championships. The highlight of the season for Kapsalis was the growth of the team throughout the season and the way the team finished strong over the last six games in particular. 

The team set goals early in the year and accomplished most of them, but fell short in their desire to win a Regional championship, according to Kapsalis. In the Regional, which was played at Carmel’s Murray Stadium, the team lost to Zionsville 3-2. 

Three or four seniors are being recruited to play in college, according to Kapsalis, but final commitments have not been made yet although they do plan to play at the next level. 

Regarding the legacy the seniors left on the program, Kapsalis said they set a precedent for years to come. “Our Senior class, including our four team managers, excelled in terms of work ethic and leadership and they accounted for most of our offensive and defensive productivity. They set a great example of the commitment and dedication that is expected of our team and they continued to build on the legacy of that foundation,” said Kapsalis.

Preseason workouts will begin in June.