Highlights from the CMS spring sports season (updated to include results from Nationals):
Match point: The Stag and Athena tennis teams showed why they are among the best in the country, with both teams competing in their respective NCAA Division III national championship matches. Both earned second place finishes-out of more than 300 teams. Following last year’s national title, the Athenas (27-2) were Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and NCAA regional champions. In an all-CMS NCAA Division III doubles national championship match, Catherine Allen (SC ’20) and Caroline Cox ’21 defeated teammates Nicole Tan ’20 and Sarah Bahsoun ’22 for the individual title.
The Stags were also SCIAC and regional champions. They have now won 14-straight SCIAC titles, with a conference match win streak of 133. This was the fifth time in the last 10 years that the Stags have played for the national championship. Nikolai Parodi ’20 advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III singles championships.
Aiming high: The defending national champion CMS women’s golfers were once again in the mix for a title this season, placing fourth at the NCAA Division III Championships in Houston. Amy Xue ’22 placed fourth individually at Nationals. She was also the conference’s individual champion this year and helped lead the Athenas to the program’s third-straight SCIAC title.
For the second season in a row—and the third time in the last five seasons—Stag golfers placed in the top-10 nationally at the NCAA Championships. Led by SCIAC champion and conference player of the year Mason Chiu ’21, CMS placed eighth overall at Nationals. Alex Wrenn ’19 and Ken Kong ’21 were named to the PING All-West Region team by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Wrenn was also named a Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar.
SCIAC sweep: The Stags had eight athletes (four individuals and one relay team) at the NCAA Division III track and field championships, while three Athenas qualified. Highlights included Evan Hassman (HMC ’21) placing eighth nationally in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Jacque Desmond (SC ’19), who finished fourth in pole vault, both earning All-America honors. Prior to Nationals, the Stags and Athenas both won the SCIAC championship this season. For the Athenas, it was their fifth conference championship in a row. The Stags also won in 2017. CMS had 31 All-Region selections between the two teams.
Three-peat: The Athena lacrosse team won the SCIAC championship for the third year in a row. The Athenas have won 30-straight conference matches dating back to the 2016 season. In the NCAA Tournament, the Athenas fell in the second round, 14-8, to Amherst College in a hard-fought match. Corie Hack ’19 ended her career as CMS’ No. 2 all-time goal scorer (213 goals), earning a spot on the Google Cloud At-Large Academic All-District team. She also joined Sally Abel ’21 and Zoe Ryan (HMC ’20) on the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-West Region first team.
Back on top: The Athenas softball team had not won a SCIAC regular season title since 2011. That all changed as CMS earned its sixth conference championship with a 31-13 record, 24-4 in SCIAC play. The Athenas advanced to the NCAA Regionals before being knocked out by Linfield. Designated player Megan Perron ’21 was named second team All-American and first team All-Region, while utility Chloe Amarilla ’19 and catcher Maddie Valdez ’21 were second team All-Region.
Moving up: With a 19-14-1 record, the Stags baseball team registered its most wins since 2011. For much of the season, CMS was in contention for a SCIAC Postseason Tournament berth (top four), ultimately placing fifth in the standings. For the fifth-consecutive year, the Stags won more games than the previous season. Zach Clarke ’20 and Justin Hull ’20 were All-West region selections.
Close calls: The Athenas water polo team had a 9-15 overall record, 7-7 in conference play. CMS placed fifth this season in the SCIAC standings, just missing out on a berth in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament. CMS had four conference losses this year by one goal. Aracelia Aldrete ’20 and Amelia Ayala ’21 were both second team All-SCIAC selections.
—Chris Watts