September 11, 2008 Issue
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Classified Chestnut Hill Local Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or Winner of Two |
Local SportsCHA cross country cruises past Shipley
Freshman Dustin Wilson showed why he is considered one of the rising running talents in the Inter-Ac League, and other Chestnut Hill Academy harriers provided a strong supporting cast as the Blue Devils won their opening dual meet last Friday. Wilson won by more than a minute and senior Mike Fitzkee, sophomore Mike Fuery, and junior Dylan Ward placed third, fourth, and fifth respectively, as the Devils knocked off visiting Shipley School, 20-38. Wilson needed just 15 minutes and 53 seconds to complete the CHA course, which measures just about three miles even. Arne Anderson led the visiting Gators by taking second place overall in 16:54, while Fitzkee, Fuery, Ward and Shipley’s Nate Kuntz (sixth place) all finished in the 17-minute bracket. Ryan Ansel was Chestnut Hill’s fifth scorer and the seventh finisher overall, and his junior classmate Justin Anglin came in eighth. The compact, streamlined Wilson took command early and was never challenged after that. “He’s on target to break Ned Cunningham’s [‘08] school and course record,” longtime CHA coach Paul Hines said. “Right now he’s only six seconds off of that.” The Blue Devils’ mentor added, “Michael Fitzkee, Michael Fuery, Justin Anglin and Ryan Ansel all ran PR’s today. I can’t remember a team we’ve had that’s run this well this early. We had six guys go 18:32 or better.”
Just seven names appear on the 2008 Springside School cross country roster, but with only five runners making up the official score in a dual meet, the Lions had enough womanpower to overwhelm visiting Shipley School last Friday afternoon. Taking the top five places, Springside scored a technical shutout against the Gators, winning 15-44 in the first race of the season. On Chestnut Hill Academy’s three-mile course, junior Katie Fitzkee led the Lions with a time of 21 minutes, 32 seconds, and freshman Toni Hall was just 18 ticks behind in second place. The other scoring runners for the Lions were sophomore Gabi Novo (third place), senior Teghan Boyle (fourth), and junior Stephanie Sherman (fifth). Lauren Scott, who came in sixth in 27:13, was the first Shipley runner to cross the line, and her Gator teammate Elizabeth Owens took seventh place. Kate Butler, who was presiding over her first meet as Springside’s coach, is new to the team but not to the school. She played field hockey, squash, and lacrosse for the Lions, and when she graduated in 1992 she went on to play lacrosse at Georgetown University. Looking to stay active after graduating from college, Butler took up running and began to race in 10K events and half-marathons. While teaching school in Massachusetts she began to coach cross country, and she stayed with it when she moved out to the West Coast. Last season the squad she coached in Pasadena, CA finished third in the state.
GFS senior Abdus-Salamm Muwwakkil — humble, patient
When it’s 95 degrees outside and you are in the middle of a hot, long practice, there is nothing more refreshing than a cold bottle of Gatorade or a cool cup of water. But for Germantown Friends senior soccer tri-captain Abdus-Salamm Muwwakki those feelings of refreshment and cooling off are a distant memory. Muwwakkil is a devout Muslim and until Oct.1 is observing Ramadan, which takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. During this time, observing Muslims do not eat or drink anything from dawn until sunset. This time of fasting is supposed to teach humility, patience and sacrifice. Muwwakkil has exhibited all of those traits in the first two weeks of Ramadan. He never complains about being tired, or dehydrated, but just goes about his business as the center midfielder on the team even though he has to be exhausted. “Since this is something religious, it is more of a will or me to do it,” Muwwakkil explains. “That (will) carries on to me being able to put the best effort I can into doing it and playing soccer.”
Griffin volleyball nets long-awaited win
Who could’ve anticipated this? Last Wednesday evening, Chestnut Hill College not only won its first volleyball match in 23 months, but did it in a three-set sweep in the 2008 home opener. Despite the program’s previous performance, a fairly large crowd was on hand to witness the Griffins’ 25-11, 25-16, 25-15 win over the Rosemont College Ramblers, a victory that brought CHC’s record back up to 1-1. Noting improvement since an opening-day loss at Ursinus, first-year CHC coach Kim Feeny said, “We definitely picked up our passing. We did a better job of getting the ball to our setters so that we were able to use our strong hitters. We’re trying to wipe the slate clean from last year and get the players to have greater aspirations and to expect more from themselves.” Senior outside hitter Marianne Finfrock led the CHC offense at the outset, recording four of her six total kills during the first set. The focus then shifted to the middle of the net, as sophomore Nicole Corrado ramped up her game and wound up with a team high eight kills for the night.
|
