Boys’ Tennis State Title Highlights Strong Spring Season Finish

team state championship in Boys’ Tennis, runner-up state finishes in Girls’ Lacrosse and Girls’ Track and Field, and several individual state Track and Field titles highlighted a busy postseason stretch for Country Day’s spring sports.

THE BOYS’ tennis team beat Greensboro Day to win the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) Division I championship, capping off a 17–0 season. The Bengals—whose only regular season loss this year was at the hands of Country Day—jumped out to a 2–1 lead after doubles competition. Country Day rallied in singles with victories at Line 3 (Nathan Jackson ’22), then Line 2 (Noah McDonald ’24), and then Line 5 (Aaryan Chopra ’24). With the teams tied 4–4, Sammy Baumstein ’21, closed out the match in dramatic fashion with a third-set tiebreak win at Line 6. The championship was the program’s third in the past four years—a streak of titles interrupted only by the pandemic-forced cancellation of the NCISAA championships in spring 2020. It is the program’s 20th state title overall.

Girls’ Lacrosse, a frequent championship contender, squared off against reigning state champion, Charlotte Latin. Country Day opened the scoring in the first half before the Hawks responded and took a 7–4 lead into halftime. The Bucs came out of the gate strong in the second half, tying the score at 11 midway through the frame before the Hawks pulled away late for an eventual 18–12 victory. Country Day finished the season with a 14–7 overall record.

In Track and Field, Country Day earned a second-place team finish for the girls and a third-place team finish for the boys. The day was highlighted by several strong individual event performances, including state championships for Carter Gallo ’22 (Boys’ Pole Vault), Spencer Mermans ’23 (Boys’ Discus), Kaia Putman ’21 (Girls’ 100m), Harper Shaw ’22 (Girls’ 800m), Katie Sluder ’22 (Girls’ High Jump), the Girls’ 4X100m Relay (Putman, Linde Fonville ’22, Lela McMichael ’23, Azariah Miller ’22), and the Girls’ 4X800m Relay (Emma Lewis ’24, Ava Goggin ’24, Anna Maynard ’22, Addison Pignetti ’21).

Country Day’s five other spring sports qualified for postseason competition and achieved the following results:

Baseball reached the quarterfinal round of the NCISAA 4A playoffs and finished the year with a 14–11 record.

Boys’ Golf competed in the NCISAA 4A championships with a fifth-place team showing.

Boys’ Lacrosse made the quarterfinals and finished the season with a 12–9 record.

Girls’ Soccer played in the quarterfinal round and finished the season with nine wins against seven losses.

A first-round bye placed Softball in the quarterfinals, and they finished the year with a 10–6 record.

Country Day finished the year as the runner-up in the 4A division of the NCISAA’s Wells Fargo Cup competition, which awards points for postseason finishes across all sports. The Bucs’ second place finish in the competition matched their finish from 2018-19, the last time the scoring covered a full three seasons.

Country Day hosts Olsen Champions Back-To-Basics Football Camp

In July, Country Day hosted the Olsen Champions Back-To-BasicsFootball Camp for athletes ages 7 to 14. The weeklong camp teachesyoung athletes the principles of offense and defense, with position-specific coaching and a great deal of fun! This annual event helpssupport the work of The HEARTest Yard initiative at Levine Children’sHospital, which was created by Greg and Kara Olsen to support familiesof children with congenital heart disease. Their son TJ, third grade, hada successful heart transplant this past summer. All proceeds from thecamp were donated to The HEARTest Yard with the hopes of furtheringcare and research and showing support for TJ, the Olsen family,and others in their situation.

We are also grateful to the Olsens fortheir generosity in support of ourstudent-athletes. The training roomin the new Performance Gym and KleinAquatic Center will be named in theirhonor when it opens in winter 2022.