Unsung Senior Athletes, Fall 2016

Lydia Aveson joined the cross country program as a seventh grader and competed on the varsity the past four years. In the Milestat.com Invitational at Pole Green Park on October 15, she ran a personal best 24:02 for 5K.

 

“Lydia is a hard working athlete whose devotion to her team and commitment to giving her best each day are clearly apparent,” said Coach Matthew Richardson. “It will be hard to imagine Collegiate Cross Country without her. Her positive attitude, love for her teammates, and consistent effort are defining features of Lydia's legacy.”

 

Will Woods is a four-year varsity cross country veteran who served his final season as team captain. In the Milestat.com Invitational, he ran a personal best 5K time of 19:20, which was 1:20 faster than his top mark at the end of his junior year.

 

“Will has a true passion for distance running,” Richardson said. “A true student of the sport, Will has spent many an hour poring over results and statistics. He's what his teammates might call a ‘Milestat junkie.’ He has overcome an injured hip and chronic shin pain and dedicated himself to improving every season.”

 

The contributions of Emma Klein enabled Cougar volleyball to finish 18-7, its best record since 2010. A two-year letter recipient and defensive specialist with a strong, consistent serve, Emma recorded 39 aces (second on the team) and 115 digs (fourth).

“Emma is a player you don’t have to worry about because she’s always where she’s needs to be, doing what she needs to do,” said Coach Beth Kondorossy. “She has a quiet, humble presence on the court, and her ability to stay calm in stressful situations is remarkable. To say she’s a great teammate is an understatement.”

 

This past spring, Ben Granger, who last played football as a freshman on the JV, stopped by the office of head coach Mark Palyo.

 

What’s up? Palyo casually asked.

It’s time to suit up again, the 6-0, 210-pound Granger told him.

 

“From that time,” Palyo said, “Ben has been fully engaged and committed to the team. He soon saw his hard work pay off when he became the starting defensive nose guard, which is a thankless position. Ben knew his role and embraced it through continued focus and hard work. I'm proud of all Ben has accomplished this season.”

For the past two years, Elizabeth Howell has been a goal keeper on Collegiate’s field hockey squad. In her final fall, she was credited with 55 saves including four in the Cougars’ 1-0 triple-overtime victory at Albemarle October 4.

 

“Elizabeth came to us as a shy, not-so-sure-of-herself teammate,” said Coach Karen Doxey. “It’s been amazing to see her steady rise in perseverance in ways that we believe surprised even her. This summer and fall we noticed more determination, more hard work, and better results. She was committed in the weight room and vocal on the field and steadily showed more confidence.”

 

John Bullock, a second-year central midfielder on the varsity soccer squad, logged anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes in matches during the season in which the Cougars went 13-5 and earned the No. 5 ranking in the VISAA poll.

 

“John goes by ‘The Iron Bull,’ ‘Iron,’ or simply ‘The Bull,’ which are perfect names for him because he’s physically unafraid of mixing it up with anyone, no matter their size,” said Coach Charlie Blair. “Teammates respect him for his work ethic and hypercompetitive nature. He loves being part of the team and filling a role.

         -- Weldon Bradshaw