Recapping the 2023-24 Spring Athletics Season
This spring, a total of 284 student-athletes competed for 14 teams across nine sports in a season that would see St. Michael’s College School (SMCS) compete in what was easily the busiest season of the year.
“The fall and winter seasons provided us with maximum participation, exciting games and tournaments, and multiple championships. The spring season would be no exception in putting the cap on a highly successful year for St. Michael’s College School in athletics,” says Alex Frescura ’92, Director of Athletics. “The Annual Athletic Awards Banquet had over 460 attendees, reaching the gymnasium’s capacity, allowing the community to pay tribute to the team and individual achievements and honour our graduates as they move on to the next chapter of their academic and athletic careers.”
Badminton
Following an excellent regular season and a fantastic OFSAA gold medal run by James Zhang, the senior varsity badminton team travelled to Trinity College School to compete in the CISAA championships. With a strong showing in the preliminary rounds, all five of our flights progressed to the quarter-finals. Four of those flights moved into the semi-finals. The end result was a gold individual medal by Zhang, a doubles silver medal by Maxi Li and Nathan Lo, a fourth place overall by Carlos Liu, and an overall CISAA team bronze medal.
Baseball
After a strong regular season, a young squad headed into the CISAA Final Four as the #3 seed. The team battled hard en route to a 14-4 upset of Crescent School. Despite a strong effort, they came up short in the final, earning the CISAA silver medal. However, they still moved on to the OFSAA Provincial Championships in Durham, where they advanced to the second round.
Golf
Junior:
The Junior Golf Team completed another perfect season, capturing the CISAA crown in resounding fashion. Grade 8 phenom Joseph Totino fired a one-over 73, winning the tournament by two strokes. Teammates Luke Olynick and Hudson Kelahear finished tied for the silver medal. Tyler Young and Ethan Reid were one shot behind them at 76. The team finished the year by capturing the CISAA Junior Boys Championship.
Senior:
The senior team, led by Carter Albiani, Evan Amato, and Sasha Cooke, battled the tough conditions but came up just short in their quest for a medal. The coaches thank graduating players Andrew Plock, Evan Amato, and Connor Castellarin for their leadership and dedication.
Lacrosse
U14:
Having won the last two U14 Lacrosse Championships handily, the 2024 outlook was unknown. This year’s edition of the squad was a rebuild in the truest sense of the word, as there were no returning players. Despite some early growing pains, the U14 Blue Gaels Lacrosse team had an exceptional season, finishing with a 5-3 record and a CISAA silver medal. With strong defence and solid goaltending, our Gaels scored less than a handful of goals in each game. The young offence began to click as the team moved through the playoffs, and the future looks bright for returning players and those moving up to play on the senior team.
Senior:
The 2024 Senior Blue Gaels began their campaign on the road against top programmes in Rochester and Buffalo.
Building on their tradition of excellence, the team faced tough competition at home and on the southern side of the border all year. Season highlights include a big win over Michigan rival Clarkston, returning to the Mid-Atlantic Prep Tournament, and an undefeated CISAA regular season. In the league final on our field, the team bested St. Andrew’s College 9-6 for the CISAA Championship.
Rugby
Junior:
Character, work ethic, and commitment are the three pillars of this team. Led by co-captains Joshua Foss and Lucas Crockford, the Jr. Shamrocks competed fiercely in all competitions. An enthusiastic group of players, several with no prior rugby experience, showed up on the pitch two to three days a week to learn a new aggressively athletic sport that requires immense conditioning and intestinal fortitude. Entering the CISAA playoffs as the fifth seed, the team ran the table on the way to the consolation championship.
Senior:
The team started training twice weekly in January with 23 players, most of whom have never played rugby or touched a rugby ball before. As the defending undefeated CISAA champions, the team would have a target on their backs from the get-go. After a .500 regular season, the squad headed to Ridley College for the CISAA Finals. The boys left everything on the field, finishing in a respectable fourth place with a very young roster.
Softball
Following a 4-3 regular season, the team headed into the playoffs as the #3 seed. Cole Barrett was a menace on the mound, with run support from a balanced lineup of Grade 7 players and Grade 8 veterans. After upsetting Royal St. George’s College 16-6 in the semi-finals, the team fell just short with a 14-13 loss in the final to earn the CISAA silver medal.
Tennis
Following a successful season with only one team loss, the SMCS Varsity Tennis team was dialed in and ready to play at the CISAA Finals. Doubles players, graduating Grade 12 students Ryan Ware and Sean Ware, came fourth after some tough tiebreakers. First doubles players Joseph Tatone and Dylan Bultje finished with the bronze. Singles player Jaden Mitrovic came away with a senior bronze medal, an outstanding achievement as he is only in Grade 8. Second singles player Nicolas Burton earned a silver medal, and finally, first singles player and graduating Grade 12 student Tyler Mitrovic won the gold medal as CISAA champion! A well-earned gold. Best of luck to him as he moves on to an NCAA career at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) next year. Overall, the team walked away with a senior boys’ team silver medal.
Track and Field
U14:
This season, Grade 7 and 8 student-athletes competed in multiple CISAA meets. At the championship meet at York University, our athletes competed enthusiastically and with integrity. Key performances were Jackson Ward and Hunter Salo placed first and second in the 1,500-metre and then reversed positions for another 1-2 finish in the 800-metre; Matthew Magarelli finished sixth in the 100-metre; Cale Scott finished third in the 400-metre, fourth in the long jump and first in the high jump; and the 4×100 team relay won the silver medal. Congratulations to all the participants who showed good sportsmanship and great skill both on the track and on the field.
Varsity:
St. Mike’s Track and Field Team competed at York University for the CISAA Championship, showcasing remarkable performances across various events. Novice Boys: Haowen Zhang won bronze in discus; Noah Hunter placed second in the long jump and third in high-jump; Lorenzo Romano won a bronze in the 200-metre; Chanoh Song tore up the track, winning a silver in the 200-metre and gold in the 400-metre and 800-metre. Junior boys: The 4 x 100-metre team won bronze; Dylan Easson jumped his way to a gold medal in the high jump; Cruz Molina won silver in the 800-metre; Evan Stark won a silver medal in the 400- metre. Senior boys: Phoenyx Wyse and Max Barret won bronze in the shot put and discus, respectively; Tobias Sealy won gold in the 100 and 200-metre events; Dallas St. John captured gold in the 400 and 800-metre; Matthew Kmecz won silver in the 1,500-metre. The senior boys 4 x 100-metre team also captured gold, setting a new meet record. The team continued well at the Metro and OFSAA championships, with the final event of the entire season ending with a 4 x 400-metre OFSAA gold medal.
Ultimate
The Varsity Ultimate Team had another successful regular season placing third in their CISAA division. In the playoffs, the team battled to a thrilling overtime loss against Greenwood College. Congratulations to graduating players Ian Carvalho, Callum Corkery, Achille di Rosa, Owen Doig, Matthew Fortier, AJ Irving, and Sean Murakami.
Athletic Awards Banquet
The Annual Athletic AwardsBanquet was again a tremendous affair. Head table guests included Harvard Volleyball student-athlete Andrew Lobo ’21, past Buzzers player and current OHL general manager Mike McKenzie, former professional player and current TSN soccer analyst Steven Caldwell, and sports specialist Dr. Alex Francella ’07.
The crowd enjoyed excellent and personal speeches from the guests on how their time at St. Michael’s or athletics helped support their future successes in sport and professional life.
MVP awards were given to 50 teams. Outstanding Junior and Graduating Athlete recognitions were awarded to 22 student-athletes. The Major Award Winners were as follows:
| MAJOR AWARD | AWARD WINNER |
|---|---|
| Athletic Director’s Award | Alexander Irving Mr. Miko Romano |
| The Fr. Mohan, CSB ’48 Award Presented to the Grade 7/8 Student-Athlete of the Year | Joseph Totino Carson Walsh |
| The Fr. Mulcahy, CSB Award Presented to the Gr. 9/10 Student-Athlete who best combines Sportsmanship and School Spirit with Athletics | Luke Adorante |
| The Jack Fenn ’54 Award Presented to the Gr. 9/10 Student-Athlete Who Best Combines Academics with Athletics | Stefan Lukowski |
| The Paul Dignan ’59 Award Presented to the Most Outstanding Student-Athlete in Gr. 9/10 | Timothy Fortier |
| The Dobie Award Presented to a student whose work supports Athletics at St. Michael’s | Sean Murakami |
| The Hugh McDougall Award Presented to the Graduating Student-Athlete who has displayed excellence in History & Athletics | Nikolas Begic |
| Marc Santi ’01 Award Presented to the Graduating Student-Athlete Who Displays Leadership in Sport | Gianluca Caporicci Cristian Colle |
| Enzo Montemurro ’81 Trophy Presented to the Graduating Student-Athlete Who Combines Sportsmanship and School Spirit | Maxim Barrett |
| Fr. Mallon, CSB ’26 Trophy Presented to the Graduating Student-Athlete who best combines academics and athletics | Cole Christie |
| John Drohan ’69 Memorial Trophy Presented to the Graduating Student-Athlete of the Year | David Green |
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