Cross Country

  

The WA cross country season has been filled with much to celebrate. On the women's side, the Lady Lions captured their seventh consecutive district championship and 21st since 1975. The ladies have been led all season by a dominant runner in Adair Lyden. Lyden set a new school record for the 5K with a time of 19:01 at Miami Country Day.

 

Lyden's strong performances carried her through last week's district championship meet as she took home the first place medal with a course-record time of 19:36.

 

On the men's side, the Lions captured their 16th district championship since 1982. The men's featured runner is Josh Fitzgibbon, who also ran his way to a first-place medal finish in the district championship.

 

The Lions will run in the regional championship meet at the Athletic Complex this coming Saturday, November 12, looking to capture a birth to the state meet later this month.

 

Football

 

The Lions capped off a solid 6-4 season this past Friday night with a 60-18 victory over Berean Christian on Senior Night. The Lions were led all season by senior Josh Orsino, who set a county record in receptions (85) and matched his own record in receiving yards (1,739). Orsino also scored 18 touchdowns.

 

The game was a wonderful end to the season, as all WA seniors played an impactful role in the victory. Tom Goodall scored his first career touchdown as a result of a blocked punt in the end zone. Tyler Peterson also got into the end zone on a two-point conversion pass from David Imber. Imber also rushed for a touchdown and converted a two-point run in the game.

 

Although 13 seniors who have helped guide the turn-around of the football program will be graduating, the Lions have their sights set on a bright future as many members of the team are young and talented. The Lions look to a skilled pool of underclassmen from the junior varsity team as well as a brilliantly successful eighth grade class (the middle school team has not lost a game in two years) to continue the up-rise of WA football.

 

Golf

 

The Lions' golf team showed tremendous improvement this season as they finished the regular season with seven wins and six losses, while playing a challenging schedule. Overall, the team improved its stroke average by five strokes from the 2010 season. The Lions were led all season with strong, consistent performances from Steven LaMay and Ashley Malinchak.

 

The team finished the regular season with a strong fifth place finish at the Westminster Christian tournament in Miami. The same effort was the result, as the team placed fifth in the district tournament. LaMay and Malinchak both proved to be strong regional contenders as LaMay shot 74, birdying three of the last five holes to qualify. Malinchak was the medal-winner (first-place finisher) with a top score of 71.

 

At the regional tournament, Malinchak placed second with a strong outing, ultimately, qualifying for the two-day state tournament, where she finished in 10th place overall. Congratulations, Ashley!

 

Swimming and Diving 

 

Both the men's and women's swim team finished off their dual meet season with a 12-1 record. The season was highlighted by impressive wins at North Broward Prep, Calvary, St. Edward's and Satellite Beach High School. It was the team's best record since 1996.

 

This year's team is an impressive mix of veteran leadership and talented underclassmen. Logan Johnstone, Caroline Nava, Austin Saunders, and Alex Warters continue to rank very high in their events among all swimmers and divers in Broward County. In addition, five Lion's relays often including Ashley Alfaro, Aaron Bibbee, Charlie Clemons, Amy Kranz, Koral LaStella, Jessica Nava, Nico Shyne, Arthur Soderberg, Jason Woodburn, Daniel Zubero, and Elizabeth Zubero also rank among the top relay teams in the county. 

 

The post-season began on Saturday, October 29th, as WA hosted the 1A - District 10 Championship at the Pompano Beach Aquatic Center. The boys finished third overall with 306 points and the girls were fourth with 251 points. We had a District Champion in three events and a runner-up in two events. Austin Saunders won both the 50 free and 100 fly and freshman Caroline Nava won the 50 free as well. Nava also was the District runner-up in the 100 free. Aaron Bibbee dropped more than five seconds in the 100 breast to shock the rest of the field and finish second.

 

Seven other swimmers also qualified for Regionals by placing in the top 8. They include Aaron Bibbee (100 fly), Logan Johnstone (50 free & 100 free), Amy Kranz (100 fly), Jessica Nava (100 fly & 100 back), Nico Shyne (200 IM & 100 breast), Micah Smith (100 back), and Arthur Soderberg (100 fly).

  

WA swimmers and divers had another successful meet at the Regional Championships held Friday at the Swimming Hall of Fame. Both Austin Saunders and Caroline Nava won the regional title in the 50 freestyle. Austin Saunders was the runner-up in the 100 butterfly. His time was good enough to qualify for All-American status. Caroline Nava was also runner-up in the 100 freestyle. Alex Warters finished 6th in diving, Logan Johnstone was 8th in the 50 free, and Aaron Bibbee was 8th in the 100 breaststroke. All three boys qualified for the state meet. Micah Smith finished in 13th place in the 100 backstroke.

 

The ladies' 200 freestyle relay (Ashley Alfaro, Caroline Israels, Amy Kranz, and Caroline Nava) and the 4 x 100 freestyle relay (Caroline Israels, Caroline Nava, and Jessie Nava) have also qualified for states. Our men's medley team (Logan Johnstone, Austin Saunders, Nico Shyne, and Micah Smith) and their 200 freestyle relay (Aaron Bibbee, Logan Johnstone, Austin Saunders, and Jason Woodburn) have also qualified for states.

 

The ladies' medley team qualified for regional finals (Ashley Alfaro, Koral LaStella, Jessie Nava, and Elizabeth Zubero) finished in 10th place.

 

Volleyball

 

The 2011 volleyball season was a transition for the Lady Lions as they welcomed new players, a new coach, and learned to play without the talented senior class of 2011. Despite the challenges, the team finished with a record of 13 wins and 12 defeats, and came on strong towards the end of the season as well into the district tournament where they lost a very tightly contested semifinal game to Sagemont.

 

Amelia Bohlander had a solid season, leading the team in kills. Caroline Israels was a close second in team kills. The team also looks forward to a promising future, as many of the younger Lady Lions are highly skilled. What's more, the middle school team finished an undefeated season and graduates a strong eighth grade class to high school.

If students are not involved in a winter sport, they are highly encouraged to participate in the various off-season training and skills enhancement programs conducted by our winter and spring sport coaches. Please see the coaches below that are offering off-season conditioning workouts during the winter. Please contact them directly for more information.

 

Baseball:

Head Coach: Nick James

Email: jamesn@wacad.edu 

 

Crew:

Head Coach: Glenn Harcsar

Email: ellisschoolcrew@yahoo.com  

 

Softball: 

Head Coach: Casey Gibson

Email: gibsonc@wacad.edu 

 

Track & Field:

Head Coach: Doria Rickel

Assistant Coach: Evan Cooper

Email (Coach Rickel): dyearic@aol.com 

Email (Coach Cooper): coopere@aol.com or evcoop21@yahoo.com 

 

Tennis:

Head Coach: Russ Conningsby

Email: russ@apexmachine.com 

 

Praise God for His provisions and providential blessings in athletics at Westminster Academy!

  

GO LIONS!