Fall sports teams wrap up their seasons and say goodbye to seniors

By Madeleine Lee

Photo courtesy of @turkey.nation, the St. Mary's Student Council Instagram account.

As the fall sports seasons come to a close, team members take time to reflect on the highlights of the seasons and say goodbye to their seniors.

The volleyball season ended on Oct. 15. Cecilia Boswell (12) said, “I am very thankful that we got to play because I was nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to have a senior season.” Both Gracie Gerhart (11) and Boswell noted that the highlights of the season were beating Hutchison and making it to the regional tournament, which had not been done in either Gerhart’s or Boswell’s previous years on the team. 

“I will miss my teammates the most. Most of us have been playing together since freshman year, and it’s sad that I have to say goodbye. I wish them the best of luck in the upcoming years, and I will always be cheering them on,” said Boswell.

Gerhart said, “I’m going to miss the seniors’ leadership and energy that they brought to the team and just having fun with them at practice and games.”

The soccer season ended with a hard-fought state quarterfinal match against Harpeth Hall, which ended after double overtime. When asked about this game, head coach Patrick Kabano said, “We were missing older players, but the younger players stepped up and played an amazing game.” The soccer team also had an impressive 3-1 win over ECS. Kabano said, “We controlled the game from start to finish and showed that we are becoming a program to respect. It’s the best game we played all year.”

“I am looking forward to continuing where we left off. The future looks bright, so we will have to continue to develop and learn everyday,” Kabano said.

Emily Taylor (12) said, “My favorite parts of the season were practicing with the team and beating Hutchison. I will miss [trainer] Bob’s gatorade, Joy Field, the freshman kidnapping and my teammates.”

The cross country team had an amazing season that ended with an impressive performance at state. Jessica Joshi (12) finished second in the state, and Lizzie Moody (12) finished fifth in the state. Caroline Gramm (12) said, “I would say the highlights of the season were the times we spent bonding as a team. Whether we were carving pumpkins at Coach’s house, talking at a team dinner, supporting each other at races, or just sharing our Thursday Feelings, I really got to grow close with my team, which was important for my growth as a runner.” Gramm also mentioned that she will miss the Shelby Farms course, which she has been running for four years.

The younger team members also reflected on the team’s successful and enjoyable season. Anna Douglas Piper (10) said,“I enjoyed watching our top seven runners compete at regionals, and I will miss the seniors leading warmups and discussions about what it means to be a team; our seniors this year were really amazing.” 

Finally, the varsity golf season was filled with excitement and hard work. “At one of our tournaments, we were delayed for about 30 minutes because of heavy rain. I remember everyone was panicking a little bit because we had not seen Coach McCalla for at least 15 minutes, so we were wondering if he had gotten lost in the pouring rain. I wasn't a big deal, but we just thought it was just funny because we thought we had lost our Coach,” said Elizabeth Wen (10). 

Wen explained that golf can be different than many other sports. She said, “On the course, everyone is wonderful and there is no judgement if you aren’t playing well. Everyone is just supportive and relaxed. There's not really a sense of competitiveness; it's just do your best and have fun.”

“I look forward to next year and being out on the course with the other golfers,” said Wen. 

If it weren’t for the hard work of the school and especially the athletic department, these fall sports seasons may not have happened. Athletes are grateful this season got to happen, and seniors are glad they could enjoy one last season.