The Bucs’ sports this year were very successful, and some sports from the fall, winter, and spring seasons were triumphant.
Upper School Athletic Director Ryan Smith has watched each team play throughout the year and was impressed by the student-athletes and the coaches. “Overall, we have had an incredibly successful year, with our many teams getting many trophies and being very competitive,” Smith remarked. “The coaches we have are spectacular, and are always looking for ways to get the job done.”
The boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams both had different results. The boys lost in Districts, while the girls advanced to the State Championships and lost.
Sophomore Gavin Venoff sees only positive actions moving forward. “I felt great about it and know we will improve next year. We began our daily training in the summer, and our coaches were supportive. It felt great to watch my times improve after each race,” Venoff explained.
The girls’ and boys’ golf teams had tremendous seasons, with both being District champions. The girls advanced to the State Championships but lost, while the boys eventually won the Regional and State Championships.
Sophomore Jake Valentine is ecstatic about the team’s performance this season. “It feels great to win states. The team played well throughout the regular season, and we really deserved every part of it. We were scoring really well, and that is what lead to a great postseason,” Valentine said.
The boys’ and girls’ swimming teams were victorious. The girls won Districts, while the boys came runner-up.
Sophomore Caroline Smith felt that she learned so much this season. “The Aqua Bucs were nothing but positive this season in my eyes. We were always excited to be at practice
and had fun together. In the following years, we will only get better,” Smith said.
The football team won the regular season and became District runner-up in the postseason.
Senior Amaree Williams is happy with how the season went. “This season was so much fun for me. I got to have fun with my friends and win for the school. I will miss playing for Coach Kresser and the rest of the team,” Williams explained.
The final sport in the fall, girls’ volleyball, also had a great season, finishing as District Champions.
Junior Grace Havlicek had a great time winning and being with the team this season. “We had an excellent finish this year because it was the first time in history that we had won a district championship! It took a lot of practice to figure out our pairs and team chemistry,” Havlicek expressed. “I am super sad that I will be leaving my team. We were all such close friends,
and it hurts me to say that I won’t be able to play with this team again.”
Winter sports followed a similarly positive trend. For basketball, boys and girls had tough seasons, losing in Districts.
Senior Christan Balestreri was sad that he couldn’t have done anything more in his last year. “It sucks that we couldn’t win districts. We did not have a lot of players this year, and I hope that more people play next year so we can continue Benjamin Basketball,” Balestreri explained.
Moving on to boys’ and girls’ soccer, both teams finished their season on the same note. They both were District Champions and lost in the Regional Quarterfinals.
Sophomore Sienna Barboni sees a bright future for girls’ soccer. “I felt like this year, we could have gone farther than we thought. We could have won states easily,” Barboni remarked. “We have a very young team, but without Lily White, it will be hard for us to get back to the level we were at this year. I feel like we have the grit to do so.” While the spring season is still finishing for a few sports, all of the teams had a strong season.
The girls’ lacrosse season was successful, with the team being District Champions. However, they eventually lost to Saint Andrew’s in regionals.
Sophomore Piper Tuohey felt they could have done better this season and hopes to learn from it. “I knew we could have done so much better because we had all we needed. Ava Schulites is our goal scorer, and now she is off to college. It will be tough for us to find another Ava, but most of the first-year students will have to step up next season,” Tuohey stated.
The boys’ and girls’ tennis teams were District Champions and Regional runner-ups.
Senior Zack Smith thinks this team will be good in the future. “As my last season ended in a heartbreaking loss, this year, the team took a rebuilding year. Our new coach is great and wants to bring in people to help both teams. We all had team chemistry and fun during the season,” Smith expressed. Both teams lost regionals, however, because they won Districts, freshmen Maria Navarro and Milana Ronert went to the state championships. For both singles and doubles, Navarro with Ronert won the state championship for her side of the bracket and advanced to the overall finals, where they were runner-up.
“It feels awesome to know that you have a state title under your belt. It’s a really nice feeling,” Navarro stated. “I think in these next upcoming years the team will definitely beable continue this. I feel we have a strong enough team to make it far and possibly win states.” Ending the spring season, the boys’ baseball, boys’ lacrosse, and track and field teams are still going strong. All three teams won districts and are all moving on through the postseason.
With the year coming to wraps, the Bucs’ sports were overall victorious. Players are ready to put in work during the summer to be even better next year.
