St. Margaret’s varsity sports teams ended their fall seasons in the first round of league tournaments.

Volleyball: On November 1, in their first and last tournament match of the 2005 volleyball season, St. Margaret’s varsity went up against St. Catherine’s in Richmond, losing 3-1 to post a record of 8-8 overall, 3-4 in the League of Independent Schools.

At St. Margaret’s final home match of the regular season on October 18, Head Coach Sue Ball recognized the team’s senior players in a pre-game ceremony. Local seniors include Allison Ryan, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. William Ryan of Tappahannock; Katy Saunders, daughter of Ms. Sue Ball of Tappahannock and Mr. Frank Saunders of Mechanicsville; and Jackie Brunk, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Brunk, Jr. of Sandy Point and Jackson Hole, WY.

Senior boarders include Brooke Shafer of Fredericksburg, Kate Sednew of McLean, Kara Casey of Vienna, Lauren Guiffre of Fairfax Station and Melissa Farara of the British Virgin Islands. All of the girls were honored with roses and balloons for their sportsmanship and dedication.

The team went on to play St. Anne’s-Belfield of Charlottesville, losing the first game by just a 2-point margin on the way to a 3-0 loss.

Field Hockey: Despite their best efforts, the St. Margaret’s varsity field hockey team lost in the first round of the League of Independent Schools’ tournament game on November 1 to Richmond’s Steward School, 1-0. Thanks to the skill of junior goalie Hannah McKee, Steward only scored once; McKee blocked seven shots on goal.

At their last home game on October 27, St. Margaret’s faced off against the undefeated Covenant School of Charlottesville. The regular season champs had previously beaten SMS, 7-0. This was perhaps the best game of the season for the Scotties, whose strong defense and improved stickwork limited Covenant to a single goal in the last five minutes.

Ending their SMS field hockey careers along with the season were seniors Caroline Arnold of Fredericksburg; Alle Davis of Chestertown, MD; Rebecca Dickinson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fielding Dickinson of Loretto; Ashley Leake of Marietta, GA; Jennie Lynne Leonard of Richmond; Sarah Reilly, daughter of Ms. Robin Reilly of Bruington; and Eileen Tsai of Taiwan.

Cross Country: At the League of Independent Schools championship meet on November 4, the Scotties’ top five runners set personal records in the 5-kilometer run. Junior Taylor Miller of Warrenton finished with a time of 21:54, followed by junior Aubrey Sozer of Fairfax Station, who crossed the finish line in 22:07. Freshman Caroline Casey of Richmond whittled her time down to 23:38, finishing just before junior Courtney Gibson of Glen Burnie, MD, who clocked in at 23:45. Rounding out the top five was Meghan Sisk, an eighth-grader from Richmond, who set a personal record of 24:59.

In a cross-country season that has dealt St. Margaret’s runners more than their fair share of illnesses and injuries, Coach Tracy Harter is proud of her athletes. “The fact that each of these runners still beat her personal record in this last race tells me they bounced back hard, and this is a feat of which they should be proud.”

The team said farewell to only three seniors—Allyson Childress, daughter of Mr. Edward Childress of King George and Ms. Carla Childress of Kuwait, Sally Giles of Lynchburg and Taylor McEwen of Upper Marlboro, MD—promising another strong season in 2006.