Our winter sports season wrapped up, so take a look at all of the amazing accomplishments by our student-athletes in this recap. There is a lot to celebrate, and be sure to check out the Rams Rewind video at the end!
Boys Basketball
Travis Wallace
Wins in the Metro League Conference and MICDS Holiday Championships
The Boys Basketball team hit some tremendous highs, including Top 5 ranking by MBCCA and the St. Louis Post Dispatch, winning the MICDS Holiday Championship, and finishing first in the Metro League Conference for the second year in a row. The team ended the season 20-4. Losing 10 seniors (Ben Brooks ’21, Aaron Hendricks ’21, Henry Jones ’21, Will Kacmarek ’21, Erik Kuznetsov ’21, Jack Pronger ’21, Nick Roper ’21, Dillian Sant ’21, Hasani Spann ’21, and Sam Wienstroer ’21), who posted a record of 43-9 the past two seasons, will not be easy. Next year, three-year starter Brandon Mitchell-Day ’22 will take the reins for his senior season along with a strong senior class.
Girls Basketball
Scott Small
Tournament Success in a Challenging Season
Despite all of the challenges inherent in trying to pull off a high school athletic season in the midst of a pandemic, the MICDS Girls Basketball team was able to not only safely find a way to preserve the majority of its scheduled games but was able to persevere and earn meaningful accomplishments along the way to a strong 16-9 finish. The Rams won both the MICDS Holiday Tournament and the Lindbergh Tournament and finished 2nd in the District tournament. The Rams do not graduate any seniors this year, so look forward to building on this success next season with the roster intact. Congratulations to the players who earned Metro League accomplishments: Zaire Harrell ’22, 1st Team; Ellie Gira ’21, 2nd Team, Binta Fall ’23, Honorable Mention.
Boys Squash
David Doherty
Undefeated Season
After some logistical discussions about the safest way to play a close-contact, high-exertion, indoors sport during the pandemic, the Boys Varsity Squash team, captained by Jon Raclin ’21, succeeded in holding a full season albeit with fewer and shorter practice times. Ongoing pandemic concerns precluded any travel to a competition and clearly demonstrated the athletes’ devotion to the sport; it’s difficult to go an entire season with only your teammates’ abilities as a measure of your progress! Players wore masks during practices and matches and kept six feet apart when off-court, further developing the team’s stamina and game strategy. The team hosted John Burroughs School for one match and defeated the Bombers in a match held in their newly-repurposed squash facility. They ended the season winning a home match against the men of the Missouri Athletic Club, closing a particularly challenging year with an undefeated record. Additional thanks go to Coach Muhammad Tahir for working with many of the players throughout the season both during and after practice times, and to team parent Mary Chou (mother of Jackson Chou ’23) for keeping morale up!
Girls Squash
Robyn Williams
Season Record: 3-0
Despite not being able to travel to the east coast to play in the Mercersburg Invitational and the U.S. Squash High School Nationals tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic, the girls made the most of their limited season. One of the season highlights was playing in their first-ever St. Louis away match at John Burroughs School’s new squash facility. The team was excited to only travel a few minutes away for a match against a local school. They took on the JBS co-ed varsity team twice and the Washington University Women’s squad. The varsity girls were victorious in all of the matches. The team bids farewell to several outstanding senior players; Raneem Alzahabi ’21, Imaan Amin ’21, Katie Nuzum ’21, Courtney Shands ’21, Livie Warren ’21, co-captains Annalisa Goot ’21 and Lily Baker ’21, and managers CeCe Nourie ’21 and Andi Blackard ’21.
Girls Swimming and Diving
Chris McCrary
Records Fall to Finish Girls’ Swimming and Diving Season
Senior Captain Madigan Kinsey ’21 and Junior Captain Anna Scott Baur ’22 led a talented girls’ team this season. Sophie Henriksen ’22 returned after missing last year for knee surgery, and finished second at State in both her individual events, breaking team records in both swims. Baur also scored at State in her individual events. Kinsey joined them to score in the 200 Medley and 400 Free Relays. They were supported by a talented freshmen squad consisting of State qualifier Everdine Ferguson ’24, Isabella Phillips ’24, and Mikaela Mikulec ’24.
Wrestling
Vito Krischke
Working Hard and Preparing for a Great Future
Wrestling worked hard this year, and the team brought in several new athletes. While COVID kept meets and tournaments limited, as with many of our teams, the wrestlers competed hard, hosted a meet at home, and came away with victories. Thank you to our seniors, Jack Baptist-Jarvis ’21, Will Schaumburg ’21, and Raphy Sowah ’21 for their leadership during this challenging season. The Rams wrestling program is set up for a very successful 2021-2022 season, and the athletes look forward to competing again.
Ice Hockey
John Mattingly
Played a Shortened Season with Spirit
The 2020-21 MICDS Rams Hockey team finished the shortened season 6-6-1. This young squad was led by senior captains JT Williamson ’21, Hugo Englehardt ’21, and Will Giles ’21. The season’s big surprise was freshman Ameer Hajjil ’24 leading the team in points. Riley Clinton ’21 and Deren Peligreni ’23 split time in the net as a very strong goaltending duo. The Rams, unfortunately, battled multiple COVID-related player and full-team quarantines, making it difficult to maintain a steady flow of games and practices. The team expects big things in the coming years with 15 returning starters, all freshmen and sophomores.
Dance
Summer Beasley
Online Concert Showcases Creativity
This year’s rehearsal process and concert proved that we can really do anything when we embrace our passion. The dance concert consisted of first-time choreographers alongside experienced choreographers as well as MICDS alumni. Paige Naughton ’22 performed a dance choreographed by Alyssa Przygoda ’09 with elegance and emotion. Emma Scally ’22 filled the stage with beauty and grace while performing her solo choreographed by Chiao Shih. Shelly Bhagat ’22 shared the charm and artistry of Indian dance and Angel Pura ’23 made her debut as a choreographer sharing her talent and creativity. With students on and off-campus, every day someone was learning material over Zoom. It was not until the week of the concert that everyone was on stage rehearsing together—and what an amazing feeling. Although the production was only 15 minutes after editing, the dance concert proved to be a success.
Cheerleading
Lauren Fletcher
Showcasing School Spirit
The Rams Cheerleaders showed their school spirit throughout the winter season, leading the crowd in cheers, chants, and halftime performances at the Boys Varsity Basketball games. A main highlight of the season included performing a routine choreographed by the seniors. The team loves the opportunity to showcase their hard work. The team will miss its six seniors, Captain Mimi Brown ’21, Captain Lily Dooley ’21, Nikki Garaygay ’21, Ilana Meissner ’21, Captain Rowan Taylor ’21, and Lillie Wurdack ’21.