Contact: Jenni Brockman
Telephone: 804-443-3357
Fax: 804-443-6781
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Scotty Sports Corner: Volleyball, Cross-Country Off to Strong Starts
Tappahannock (October 1, 2001) - Fall sports teams at St. Margaret's School are hitting their stride, coaches say - an impressive feat this early in the season, given that a number of starters are new to the school or to varsity play.
Photo left: Local students form the core of the St. Margaret's School varsity field hockey team. On ground: Tess Cooney, co-captain Ruth Redfearn of Kinsale, Heather Porter of Walkerton, Sarah Weakley of Montross, co-captain Sarah Taliaferro of Center Cross, Catherine Chilton of Lancaster. Standing: Manager Laura Caton, Assistant Coach Latané Dillard, Palmer Ware of Dunnsville, Neillee Katona of Dunnsville, Patricia Van Pelt, Jessica Hinson of Warsaw, Hannah Lee, Olivia Longest of Tappahannock, Yoo-Ri Jung, Margaret Moncure of Tappahannock, Nikki Clark of Lively, Taylor Ellis of Dunnsville, Sarah Copeland of Tappahannock, Erin Kelley of Lancaster, Becky Clark of Lively, Claire Hopkins of Oak Grove, Head Coach JoJo McKinley.
Cross-Country: The SMS cross-country team used top-15 finishes from seniors Anne Czechanski and Kelly Proctor to finish fourth and third, respectively, in back-to-back meets hosted by The Collegiate School in Richmond on September 19 and 25. The Scotty squad returns six from last season's team that finished fifth at the League of Independent Schools championships.
One of the top returnees is 2000's Most Valuable Runner, Urbanna resident Kelly Proctor. She ran the 5,000-meter course on September 19 in a quick 25:04. Right by her side was rookie Anne Czechanski. Choosing running over volleyball this year, the Bowie, MD, native kept pace with the more experienced Proctor, nipping her classmate by two seconds to finish thirteenth in 25:02. Six days later, Czechanski placed fourteenth in 24:35, while Proctor placed eleventh in 23:44.
Other noteworthy SMS finishers were Alston Moore (28:26; 37th and 27:55; 31st), Beth Brinkley (30:14; 44th and 27:30; 28th), and Merritt Allaun (30:25; 45th). Collegiate won both meets with 17 points, a mere two points shy of a perfect score. But by year's end, a solid mix of veterans and talented newcomers should have St. Margaret's competing at the top of the LIS.
"I'm very excited for the girls," said Head Coach David Cook. "With the team we have returning and the influx of some very talented newcomers, we're looking at a bright future."
The Scotties' next meet will be the SMS-sponsored Rappahannock River Run on Saturday, October 6.
Volleyball: This year's SMS varsity volleyball team has both the talent and the perseverance it needs to make a mark in the LIS, said Head Coach Natalie LaPrade.
"When we've won matches, we've won in three straight games, and when we've lost, we've gone down fighting," she said, a reference to five-game matches against powerhouse teams.
The Scotty varsity began its season with a September 13 win over Richmond Christian, 15-5, 15-13, 15-7. Following tough September 15 and 18 losses to Virginia Episcopal and St. Catherine's, SMS rebounded to beat Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot on September 21, 15-6, 15-2, 15-7.
SMS dealt Trinity Episcopal a similarly resounding defeat on September 26 at home. Freshman Meredith Rimkus, a standout from Texas, made five serving aces in the third game to seal a Scotty victory in record time. She averaged two kills per game in the match, and Callao senior Brittany Walker averaged one kill per game.
In addition to Walker, local girls on the team include Shannon Davis, Lindsay Neist, Ann Kramer Osburn and Rachelle Slotnick, all of Tappahannock, and Lisa Magness of Urbanna.
The volleyball Scotties' next match is at St. Catherine's on October 4.
