We had a great fall season for Rams athletics, including a State Championship win! Check out our individual team recaps.
Girls Golf
Diane Gioia
Team captures District and State titles in unforgettable season
The Girls Golf team wrapped up an incredible season marked by teamwork, resilience, and record-breaking performances. With an impressive 7-3-1 finish, the team secured both District and State championships, establishing themselves as one of the top teams in the state.
A key moment came on October 14 when the girls clinched the District title for the first time since 2015. Leading the way was sophomore Lisa Zhang ’27, who earned individual medalist honors. Close behind were co-captains Morgan Withington ’25 and Mac Froedge ’25, finishing 5th and 7th, respectively. Zhang’s success was a continuation of her strong regular season, where she medaled in eight matches, including a remarkable -7, 28. Her consistency was instrumental in the team’s overall success.
The season culminated in a dominating win at the state championship—the team’s first since 2015. Seniors Withington and Froedge played pivotal roles, with Withington placing 5th and Froedge securing 13th place. Their leadership throughout the year, both on and off the course, provided the stability and motivation the team needed. Zhang shone again at State, finishing 2nd, while junior Claire Kaiser ’26 capped off the team’s success with a solid 28th-place finish. Seniors Lilly Loeb ’25 and CeCe Harris ’25, along with sophomore Saara Pandey ’27, cheered on the team during the final round, providing crucial support that helped bring home the title.
“This season was unforgettable,” said Withington. “Our success came from working closely as a team and always pushing each other to improve. Every player contributed, and our coaches kept us focused and determined. Winning the State Championship was an amazing feeling and a reflection of all the hard work we put in. It was a great way to end the season.”
While losing Withingon and Froedge to graduation will be a challenge next year, the future of the program looks promising. With Zhang, Kaiser, and Pandey—who gained valuable experience as the team’s 5-seed—returning next season, the team is poised to continue its winning tradition. The foundation is strong, and the future promises even more excitement and success for Girls Golf.
Cyclocross
Chris Ludbrook
Falk leads all junior riders in total points, wins Cyclocross State Championship
Rams Cyclocross started the 2024 season on the east side of the Mississippi in Alton in early September. In the first three weeks on the east side, Ash Falk ’26 took home the top podium spot twice and finished second another week in the Juniors race. As the team moved back to St. Louis, Falk’s success continued in the Bubba Memorial Cyclocross Series held in various St. Louis County parks throughout the region. Falk leads all junior riders in total points. The season officially wrapped up at St. Vincent Park in late October with the team’s best finish of the year. Sawyer Merlin ’25 just missed a spot in the top five of the Men’s C race with a sixth-place finish, followed closely by Joe Intagliata ’25 in eighth, and Falk in 11th. Many of the team continued to race into the colder weather, gearing up for the Missouri State Championships at the start of December. Falk nabbed the Missouri State Cyclocross Championship title in the Junior category (age 15-16) held at Vlasis Park in Ballwin. It was a tight race until he pulled away in the final curve before the sprint to the finish.
“Winning the Cyclocross State Championship was an incredible experience, and I’m glad I got to have such a special moment at my first state competition,” said Falk. “It was one of the most demanding races I’ve been in, and came down to a few seconds at the finish line, but I was able to pull through with the encouragement of my family.” The race was tight, but Falk managed to pull away in the final curve before the sprint to the finish.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the constant support of my teammates and coaches, and I’m so proud of all the accomplishments we’ve made this season,” he continued. “As a team, we’ve won several races across two series and taken many podium positions, and I think our success is a testament to the cooperation and commitment we have with each other.”
“Ash has come so far as a cyclist since he joined us as a freshman,” said Cyclocross Head Coach Chris Ludbrook. “He is a dedicated athlete who has embraced the value of hard work and, most importantly, truly enjoys spending time on his bike. The team is super proud of him for his efforts and the success that has come from them.”
Despite a rainout for this year’s Pedal the Cause, Merlin continued his efforts, raising more than $50,000 with the help of Intagliata, Dalton Costick ’26, and many others in the MICDS community.
Cheerleading
Katherine Fraley ’15
Camp, football games, and school support define successful season
The MICDS Cheerleading program had a fantastic season which kicked off with a Universal Cheerleaders Association Home Cheer Camp where all of our seniors—Elyse Abramov ’25, Alyssa Harris ’25, Sophia Huddleston ’25, Macy Lubak ’25, and Simra Qayyum ’25—were honored as All-American Cheerleaders! Cheering on the football team all the way to the semi-finals in Kansas City resulted in 1,820 pushups for the cheer squad. This year, the team focused on supporting the entire school by attending Middle School Meeting, the Lower School Trunk or Treat, and a Field Hockey Game to make sure everyone felt the school spirit. The team learned advanced stunts, participated in the time-honored tradition of the bonfire walk, and performed two routines. Led by captains Harris and Huddleston, the 2024 Fall Cheerleading team reached new heights and new levels of engagement from the school!
Girls Cross Country
Jim Lohr
Team wins in the Metro Conference Championship and JV Conference Championship
The 2024 Girls Cross Country season had many highlights. The team finished 7th at the State Championship behind some outstanding running from Frances Applegate ’27 and Elise Tourais ’28, who finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Both athletes earned All-State honors. It was Applegate’s second season to finish in the top 10. Senior captain Grace Coppel ’25 had been running in the top ten in the race for three kilometers but succumbed to exhaustion after fighting the effects of a weeks-long virus and was ultimately unable to finish. Coppel qualified for the State Championship each of her four years and earned All-State in last year’s race. Narya Phatak ’26 finished in 52nd place after earning All-District honors the previous week. Abby Walsh ’28, Carrie Clennan ’26, and Maitland Michaelson ’27 were also on the State team. It was Michaelson’s second trip to the State Championship. This season, the team won the Metro Conference Championship and the JV Conference championship. The future for the team looks bright as several freshmen, including Tourais, Walsh, Lucy Black ’28, and Kennan Miller ’28, ran in the Varsity lineup this season. Addie Farmer ’26 was a solid runner in our lineup for a good portion of our season, having her best race at the Indiana Twilight meet where she set a personal best. Senior Carli Salazar Estrada ’25 saw several meets on the Varsity lineup and had the best season of her four-year career. Captains Coppel, Norah Wright ’25, and Addison Small ’25, who battled an injury, did an outstanding job of leading these girls. Coppel won the Harriet Green Award for the most inspirational athlete.
Boys Cross Country
Chris Rappleye
Significant personal record times in the District Meet
Highlights of the 2024 Boys Cross Country season included all of the team setting significant personal record times in the District Meet:
- 5th Heru Bey ’27 (16:40.80)
- 25th Shil Penilla ’26 (17:42.72)
- 35th Will Fendler ’26 (18:13.99)
- 40th Dylan McDonough ’27 (18:27.45)
- 45th Luke McGinness ’26 (18:38.58)
- 50th Forest Gong ’27 (18:48.49)
- 52nd Alexander McCarter ’25 (18:50.54)
Bey’s time in the race was the fastest 10th-grade finish in a 5K cross country race in MICDS history, and his 5th place finish and Penilla’s 25th place finish qualified them to represent MICDS at the State meet.
Our first-year runners showed up strong for the Metro league meet, setting personal records across the board.
Our representation at the State meet by Penilla (who finished 76th) and Bey was capped by Bey’s All-State recognition for his 24th-place finish on the rain-drenched, muddy course.
In addition to McCarter, we are saying goodbye to senior co-captains Jacob Daus ’25 and Alex Bierling ’25, as well as four-year varsity award winner Jason Song ’25, along with stalwarts Arjun Bodavula ’25, Hale Foster ’25, and Colin Martin ’25, who will all be missed.
Happily, we will be returning all of our scorers from the District race to next year’s squad and look to continue to build on this year’s growth and success.
Field Hockey
Lynn Mittler
Back in the semi-finals after a two-year hiatus
The varsity field hockey team had a remarkable season, finishing with an impressive 18-5 record and making it all the way to the semifinals of the Midwest Championship after a two-year hiatus. Scoring as time expired to tie the game and eventually win in overtime against Ladue as well as coming back from 3-1 to beat the eventual State Champion Assumption 5-3 were two of the exciting moments from the season. The final victory of the year featured a blistering six goals in the first half against Cor Jesu to move on to the Final Four. This season was a true team effort, with players from all four grade levels stepping up and contributing at crucial moments, showcasing resilience and tenacity.
Our first team All-Metro League members are
- Ellemieke Ferguson ’27
- Mallory Jerlecki ’27
- Victoria Noble ’28
- Katherine Schott ’27
- Katie Sheehan ’26
- Georgia Lochhead ’26
Our second team All-Metro League members are
- Caroline Birkel ’25
- Mia Brauer ’26
- Mia Pacifico ’28
We are grateful for our proud second-year managers Brooke Bernstein ’25 and Leena Daud ’25, and our seniors Birkel, Caroline Bryan ’25, Caroline Danforth ’25, Anna Giles ’25, Sophia Goodwin ’25, Victoria Neill ’25, Hattie Sloane ’25, and Nina Willis ’25. Many thanks to our captains Birkel, Goodwin, and Lochhead.
Football
Dr. Fred Bouchard
A run to the State semifinal filled with heart and drive
The 2024 Football Rams entered their third season in Class 5 due to MSHSAA’s multiplying factor based on the team’s recent success. During week five of the regular season, the team secured a 29-0 win over rival John Burroughs for a Homecoming victory. In post-season play, the Rams dominated McCluer HS, Chaminade Prep, Hazelwood East for the District Championship, and Fort Zumwalt West by a combined score of 186-31 while securing the second Class 5 District Title in MICDS history. The State Semifinal game was played against the #1 ranked team in Class 5, Platte County, in suburban Kansas City. Although the Rams scored more points than Platte County had given up all year, the Pirates managed to win 44-30. The Rams ended the regular season 11-3 and earned a top-four finish in all of Class 5. Ironically, the Rams’ three losses are to teams with the potential to win State Championships in Class 4, Class 5, and Class 6. It’s also the fourth year in the past five that the Rams’ final loss in the playoffs was to the eventual undefeated state champion. Near the end of his fifth season at MICDS, Coach Fred Bouchard became the third all-time winningest coach in MICDS Rams football history, trailing only the legendary pair of Ron Holtman and Pop Hughes. In those five seasons, the Rams have secured a record of 50 wins and 10 losses.
The 2024 team was represented by team captains Luke Allgeyer ’25, Peyton Simon ’25, Brian Gould ’25, Adrian Ritchey ’25, Miles Coleman ’26, and Graham Faust ’26. They did an amazing job of keeping the team focused and working toward continual improvement over the course of the year. The following Rams earned All-Conference: Offensive Player of the Year in the Conference for the second consecutive year was ATH Gould; First Team All-Conference Selections in addition to Gould included offensive stalwarts: OL Coleman, WR Gabe Weaver ’26, and OL Caleb Otten ’27; First Team Defensive Selections included: DB Faust, DL Allgeyer, LB Simon, LB Ritchey, and DL Ben Petersen ’26. For Special Teams, both Ret Henry Rohan ’26 and K Malik Orsan ’25 were First-Team Selections. Second-Team selections included TE Joe Walsh ’25, OL Gokhan Yilmaz ’25, OL Andrew Ford ’26, DL Sam Glasser ’26, and DB Will Frank ’25. QB Noah Menneke ’27, DB Peter O’Leary ’26, RB Rodney Freeman ’26, DB LJ Triplett ’26, and LB Lucas Starks ’25 were picked as Honorable Mention selections.
We received final stats! Congratulations to the following players:
All-District
First Team: Lucas Allgeyer ’25, Brian Gould ’25, Malik Orsan ’25, Peyton Simon ’25, Miles Coleman ’26, Graham Faust ’26, Henry Rohan ’26, and Gabe Weaver ’26
All Metro (STL)
First Team: Lucas Allgeyer ’25, Malik Orsan ’25, and Miles Coleman ’26
Second Team: Brian Gould ’25 and Peyton Simon ’25
All-State as Named by the Missouri Football Coaches Association (MFCA)
First Team: Lucas Allgeyer ’25, Brian Gould ’25, Malik Orsan ’25, and Miles Coleman ’26
Second Team: Peyton Simon ’25, Graham Faust ’26*, Henry Rohan ’26, and Gabe Weaver ’26
Academic All-State: Lucas Starks ’25, Joe Walsh ’25, Gokhan Yilmaz ’25, and Gabe Weaver ’26
*Graham Faust is the first football player (at least in the past 30 years but perhaps ever) at MICDS that achieved both offensive All-State and defensive All-State accolades in two separate seasons.
The Rams will return at least 15 starters for the 2025-26 year and look forward to continued high-level success in the years to come. Congratulations to the seniors, and best wishes as they matriculate into their collegiate careers.
Boys Soccer
Scott Laneman
A long and difficult season filled with positives
The 2024 Ram Varsity soccer campaign was an exciting season filled with plenty of positives! A long and difficult season resulted in a 12-12 record. The senior captain core of Faris Ahmed ’25, Ben Gelven ’25, Aryan Tibrewala ’25, and Evan Kamat ’25 provided excellent leadership throughout the season. The Rams played against a number of large Class 4 opponents, such as SLUH, Mehlville, Lafayette, Eureka, Pattonville, Northwest (Cedar Hill), and Fox. The Rams were able to secure wins against Eureka, Pattonville, Northwest, and Fox while playing powerhouses SLUH and Lafayette to hard-fought losses of 3-1 and 2-0, respectively. The Rams finished 2nd in the Northwest Tournament, falling just short against Mehlville 1-0 in an exciting and spirited overtime championship game. Early on in the season, the Rams defeated Class 3 District 3 Champs Ladue, at Ladue, in a double OT/PK thriller. The Rams outlasted a very strong Ladue side in PKs.
The future looks bright for the Ram soccer program! The coaching staff would like to give a special thank you to all of the seniors who finished their Ram soccer career this season: Ahmed, Tibrewala, Gelven, Kamat, Ryan Jan ’25, Abhinav Katyal ’25, Noah Coen ’25, Jude Cullen ’25, Elliot Bauer ’25, and Reed Risner ’25.
Boys Swimming & Diving
Amy Fulton
Rams finish season 8-3 and trend up in State rankings under new head coach
The Boy’s Swimming and Diving Team had an outstanding year of elite performances in the pool, diving into the season this fall under first-year Head Coach Amy Fulton. The Aqua-Rams finished the season with a dominant 8-3 overall record, culminating their regular season with a 55-point victory over rival John Burroughs at their annual MICDS Invitational. The Rams also continued their winning streak over JBS on Homecoming weekend, narrowly defeating the Bombers 93-89.
The Rams sent seven to the State Championships (including freshmen Gio Bucci ’28 and Ryan Moore ’28), outnumbered by large schools, yet fighting hard to a 9th place overall finish—moving up from a 14th place in 2023. Senior diver Oscar Sorkin ’25 shined on the boards, securing a team-high 4th-place finish. The 200 Medley Relay team of Daniel Chen ’25, Bryce Kundel ’27, Jacob Genin ’26, and Ian Boon ’25 also made the podium with a 7th-place overall finish. Boon also qualified for the championship finals in his sprint freestyle events, earning 8th and 10th place marks. Also qualifying for the state finals were Bucci (500 free), Chen (100 Backstroke), and Genin (50, 100 Freestyle).
The 2024 squad was led by captain swimmers Boon and Chen and diver Sorkin, who demonstrated their excellence in the pool as key leaders and key point scorers throughout the season. The following Rams earned nods from their peers and coaching staff for key roles played throughout the season. The future looks bright for these up-and-coming Rams!
- Team Co-MVPs: Boon and Sorkin
- Newcomer of the Year: Bucci
- Most Improved: Ford Werner ’28 and Neel Thilak ’28
- Ram Tough Award: Moore
- Outstanding Character Award: Boon
Girls Tennis
Brad Heinemann
Outstanding season despite every match on the road
The Girls Tennis team had an outstanding season, overcoming the unique challenge of playing every match off campus due to the construction of our new facility. Despite the travel, the team excelled, finishing with an impressive 12-7 record. In the postseason, our players demonstrated remarkable resilience. At the Individual State Tournament, Audrey Taves ’28 earned 6th place after a tough first-round match against the eventual State Champion. Bennett Baur ’25 and Elle Faerber ’28 also had an impressive run, securing 3rd place after a close semifinal loss to the eventual champions. In the Team State Final Four, we faced a challenging semifinal match against the eventual State champions, Barstow. Although we fell short, I couldn’t be prouder of our effort and determination. We wrapped up the season with a strong 3rd-place victory over Thomas Jefferson Joplin. The dedication and hard work everyone contributed to this season was truly inspiring! Many congrats to our captains, Baur, Kriya Doshi ’25, and Caroline Koman ’25, for their great leadership this season.
Volleyball
David Owens
First District Championship and first Sectional match win
What a season it was for MICDS Volleyball. Last year, during this season recap, I said that the future was very bright for this program, but I didn’t think that future would come so soon. A District Championship for this volleyball program was always one of the goals. I knew we had the crew to do it. There are a lot of accomplishments for this program this year, including record breakers, firsts, and history made. A 22-10 record was our best in a decade, and the team scored its first Volleyball District Championship and first Sectional match win in school history.
Record Breakers include Sarah Mills ’25 with the single-season Assist record (602) and May Durrill ’27 with the single-season Kill record (420). Durrill also broke the single-season Hitting Percentage record with .507 on the season, and earned our first-ever All-State Volleyball player for MICDS (one of only five sophomores in Missouri across all five classes). Durrill earned First Team All-Conference, while Mills, Izzy Chao ’28, and Alexa Doumit ’25 earned Second Team All-State. Kendall Lay ’28 and Maha Devrapally ’28 earned Honorable Mention All-Conference. Durrill, Mills, and Chao took First Team All-District, Doumit and Devrapally took Second Team All-District, and Lay, Audrey Marino ’26, and Olivia Hill ’26 earned Honorable Mention All-District.
This season wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing, faithful four-year manager Quin Benbenek ’25. Q was the rock of this team, there for everyone if they needed it, and truly the heartbeat of this volleyball program. Q put down her manager duties and served 18 straight points on Senior Night with no volleyball experience. She has watched, learned, and absorbed every second of the way for this volleyball team over the last four years, and I’m sure that’s where her success on Senior Night came from. Q will be missed in this volleyball program, and we couldn’t have done any of this without her!
This is by far the most post-season awards this program has ever had, and it’s growing every year. Big shoutout to our seniors Mills and Doumit. They have been a big part of why this program has gotten to where it has and will continue to be a part of the future of this program like all of our alumni have been. Excited for where we are going and can’t wait to get this crew back in the gym next year.