Athletics Round Up

ATHLETICS UPDATE

Over the course of a long season, Collegiate’s student-athletes maintain within themselves a concentrated poignance and a set of refined skills. This sustained commitment to excellence is not unique to the habits they execute within their arena of play. Their talents on the field, rather, are indicative of excellence in all its forms — excellence of character, excellence of personal accountability and excellence of citizenship. Over the summer, the Richmond Times-Dispatch announced the remaining 2021-22 All-Metro student-athlete recipients, which celebrates this level of character. We would like to congratulate the following Collegiate student-athletes for receiving this distinction.

BOYS BASKETBALL

ALL-METRO Luke Smith ’23 (Honorable Mention)

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

ALL-METRO Stan Craig ’23 (Second Team)

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

ALL-METRO MK Myers ’23 (First Team)

BOYS TENNIS

ALL-METRO Ty Colina ’22 (Second Team); Graham Bor ’23 (Honorable Mention); Reid Coleman ’22 (Honorable Mention)

GIRLS TENNIS

ALL-METRO Elizabeth Mendoza ’24 (First Team)

BOYS SOCCER

Luke Smith ’23 ALL-METRO Matthew Jenkins ’23 (First Team); Colin Ryan ’22 (First Team); Robert Westermann ’22 (Second Team)

Eliza Stone ’22

BOYS TRACK & FIELD

ALL-METRO 4x400 (Ned Bradshaw ’24, Xay Davis ’25, Krystian Williams ’23) (First Team) 4x800 (Bradshaw ’24, Davis ’25, Williams ’23) (First Team)

GIRLS TRACK & FIELD

ALL-METRO Gabi Deglau ’23 (First Team); MK Myers ’23 (First Team); Lauren Lucy ’22 (First Team); Eliza Stone ’22 (First Team)

BOYS INDOOR TRACK

ALL-METRO Lamar Booker Jr. ’23 (First Team); Jones Brackett ’22 (First Team); Ned Bradshaw ’24 (First Team); Will Neuner ’22 (First Team); Krystian Williams ’23 (First Team)

GIRLS INDOOR TRACK

ALL-METRO Gabi Deglau ’23 (First Team); Lauren Lucy ’22 (First Team); Carrington Miller ’23 (First Team)

BASEBALL

ALL-METRO Donovan Williams ’22 (Second Team); Pearse Riendeau ’22 (Honorable Mention)

FIELD HOCKEY

ALL-METRO Madelyn Curtis ’22 (First Team); Izzy Lee ’23 (First Team); Callie Rogers ’24 (First Team) Donovan Williams ’22

James Beeghly ’22 Amani Kimball-McKavish ’22

BOYS LACROSSE

ALL-METRO James Beeghly ’22 (First Team); Bobby Marlatt ’22 (First Team); Eli Petty ’23 (First Team); Warner Lewis ’24 (Second Team); Jay Seevers ’22 (Second Team); Randolph Campbell ’24 (Honorable Mention) ALL-METRO Reynolds Hester ’22 (First Team); Amani Kimball-McKavish ’22 (First Team); Kendall Boggs ’22 (Second Team); Barrett Rowe ’22 (Second Team); Ellie Smith ’22 (Honorable Mention)

BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING

ALL-METRO Dalton Jobe ’22 (First Team); Aaron Moore ’22 (Second Team)

Editor’s note: The Richmond-Times Dispatch announces All-Metro recipients throughout the year. The student-athletes included in this list have not been highlighted in previous issues of the Spark.

GIRLS LACROSSE

ALL-METRO Elle Scott ’25 (First Team)

COACHING HEALTHY STUDENTS

Collegiate’s approach to athletics supports the health and well-being of its student-athletes.

By: Weldon Bradshaw

he road to excellence can be demanding, invigorating and rewarding beyond belief. It can also come at a price. How does one deal with heightened expectations, either internal or external or both? How does one deal with life’s constantly changing landscape? How does one manage and mitigate stress? This year, with funding from the Edward E. Ford Foundation Endowment for Coaching Excellence, Collegiate is teaming with the Peavey Project, an organization whose mission is “teaching mindfulness as a tool to enhance personal health, performance and the communities we serve.” On Aug. 18, Anna O’Connor, a mental health coach based in Severna Park, Md., began the initiative with two presentations, one for coaches and another for JV and varsity athletes and their parents.

“We’ve made a commitment as a program and school to really focus on mental health: the support and well-being of our athletes,” says Andrew Stanley, Collegiate’s Athletic Director. “We have infrastructure in place through the Peavey Project to get that work done. Anna’s presence kicks the year off with someone from the outside getting us on the same page and encouraging us that we’re on the right track.”

A graduate of University of North Carolina with a B.A. in education with a specialty in health and physical education, O’Connor taught and coached before taking time away from the classroom to raise her three daughters. During her journey, she developed a keen interest in helping others manage life’s challenges and attain peak performance, earned professional certification and developed a practice that serves athletes from the high school to college to professional level.

“I’ve created my own way of coaching,” she says. “It’s a framework based on neuroscience. When I went through training, it’s very complex, and I wanted something simple enough for a teenager to do quickly when they needed it and engaging enough for an adult. I use tools that people take with them wherever they go. I always say, ‘I coach you to coach yourself.’ The bottom line is to be able to handle whatever comes your way in the best way possible so you can move forward in a better way.”