CA Athletics enjoyed another successful season, including earning an Eastern Independent League (EIL) title, a New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) championship, a NEPSAC runner-up trophy, and a victory over Bancroft School in the fifth annual Spring Cup rivalry event. Student-athletes consistently demonstrated teamwork and competitive grit.

The varsity all-gender Ultimate Frisbee team enjoyed a historic campaign. The team posted an undefeated season, including winning the Class A NEPSAC tournament championship for the first time in program history. A banner will be hung in the gym to honor their achievement. They also impressively earned the tournament’s Spirit of the Game trophy for their gracious fair play. At the season’s end, they were ranked first among New England prep school programs and 25th among public and private school programs on the East Coast. 

Boys varsity tennis posted another stellar campaign in 2026. The team capped off an undefeated league record by capturing the EIL championship and a NEPSAC tournament bid for the fifth consecutive year! CA earned the No. 2 seed to the Class C NEPSAC tournament and went on to beat the Pingree School and Beaver Country Day School in the quarter- and semifinals, respectively. The team competed in the NEPSAC title game at Deerfield Academy against the No. 1 seed, King School. Despite an excellent performance, they were unable to overcome the strong King team. They came home with the New England runner-up trophy to add to their collection of hardware in recent years. On the strength of his undefeated league record, Brayden Yuan ’28, was selected as the EIL Player of the Year by the league coaches. The boys junior varsity tennis team also enjoyed a very successful season, posting a 5–2 record and continuing to improve their skills. 

The girls and boys track and field teams enjoyed standout seasons. Both the boys and the girls teams posted undefeated league records in regular-season meets. At the EIL championships, °ä´ˇâ€™s boys team earned the program’s second championship while the girls finished third in a hotly contested battle. Several individual athletes earned EIL championships. Alex Tarantino ’26 in javelin and shot put, Daniel Ng ’26 in the 100m and 200m, Jonathan Aish ’27 in discus, Pearl Yu ’26 in javelin, and Jaylin Sanchez ’27, Daniel Ng ’26, Alex Tarantino ’26, and Ta​l Richmond ’26 in the 4×100 relay. CA track and field wrapped up the season at the NEPSAC Division III Championship meet at Marianapolis Preparatory School. This was the largest NEPSAC meet ever, with over 37 schools participating. The boys team finished fourth, a program best, and the girls team finished 10th, with an outstanding 20 CA athletes earning All-NEPSAC honors and Alex Tarantino ’26 winning a NEPSAC championship in javelin.

Varsity softball continued its winning ways with another strong campaign. After a slow start, the team ripped off seven wins in its last nine regular-season games, earning another EIL tournament bid. As the No. 4 seed, they faced a powerful No. 1 seed, Beaver Country Day School, in the semifinals. They nearly pulled off the upset but ultimately succumbed in a one-run loss. 

The varsity baseball team enjoyed a breakout season. The team earned an EIL tournament bid for the first time since 2019. As the No. 4 seed, they nearly knocked off the No. 1 seed, Berwick Academy, in a close and well-played game. 

The girls varsity tennis squad posted another winning record this spring. Despite a successful regular season record, the program’s 11-year run of NEPSAC tournament berths came to an end, a testament to the competitiveness of NEPSAC Class B girls tennis.

The all-gender varsity sailing team once again secured a winning record in the very competitive Mass Bay League (MBL). The team also finished in second place in the B West division.

The boys varsity lacrosse program improved throughout the season. After a slow start, the team posted six victories in eight games to finish third in the EIL. The girls varsity lacrosse team was a young squad that improved as the season progressed in the ever-competitive EIL.

°ä´ˇâ€™s baseball, tennis, and lacrosse teams hosted the Bancroft School for the fifth annual Spring Cup rivalry event on April 24. By winning four of the five games, CA dominantly defended the cup, having won it the past four years. We look forward to traveling to Bancroft for the 2027 Spring Cup event. Go, Green!

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91łÔąĎÍř winter teams have wrapped up a very successful season!

Varsity Squash

The CA squash programs once again traveled to Philadelphia to compete in the U.S. High School National Championships at the Arlen Specter Center this February after their inaugural trip in 2025. Both teams earned the opportunity to compete in a higher division based on the strength of their regular-season records. The boys earned the No. 2 seed in Class V and impressively went on to earn the national championship! A banner will be hung in the squash atrium to honor their efforts. The girls finished 10th in the competitive Division IV bracket. The teams went on to compete at the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) championships the following weekend. The boys moved up a level once more and finished eighth in Class C after competing in Class D in 2025. The girls finished third in Class D NEPSACs, one spot better than their 2025 showing. To cap off a strong season for the squash programs, Flora Xu ’27 earned °ä´ˇâ€™s first Eastern Independent League (EIL) Player of the Year award in well over a decade!

Varsity Wrestling

The all-gender varsity wrestling team had another strong campaign. CA finished second at the EIL tournament behind only powerhouse new official league member Eagle Hill School. Nine wrestlers earned individual medals, including Alexander Meredith ’28, who finished first in his weight class. In addition, 12 wrestlers competed at the NEPSAC championships, where the team finished 22nd, five places better than in 2025. Alexander Meredith ’28 (who placed seventh) and Laura Montoro ’26 (who placed third) each medaled in their weight class.

Boys Varsity Basketball

Building on last year’s momentum, the boys varsity basketball team posted another strong season. The team secured the No. 3 seed in the EIL tournament and traveled to cross-town rival and No.2 seed Lexington Christian Academy (LCA) for a semifinal game. The squad led the entire game, earning the upset and a berth in the EIL tournament championship game at No. 1 seed Beaver Country Day School (BCDS). While CA couldn’t overcome the hot shooting of BCDS and ultimately succumbed, the team should be proud of back-to-back EIL tournament championship berths.

Varsity Alpine Skiing 

°ä´ˇâ€™s Alpine ski team enjoyed another successful season in the Central Massachusetts Ski League (CMSL). The boys and the girls team each finished third, taking home two league trophies for their efforts. At the NEPSAC championships at Pats Peak, both teams finished 12th in the always competitive Class B division.

Girls Varsity Basketball

A young girls varsity basketball program posted some highlights and built a strong foundation for the future this season. In January, the team earned the decisive victory over LCA in the Battle, giving CA the coveted Red Drum trophy for the first time since 2019. They narrowly missed earning the program’s third consecutive EIL tournament berth with a close loss in the last game of the regular season. With only one senior graduating this year, the future looks bright.

Boys Junior Varsity Basketball 

The boys junior varsity basketball team delivered a winning campaign, including a thrilling overtime victory at the Battle that was key to CA ultimately winning back the Red Drum. Go, Green!

Post-Season Honorees  

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Community

CA community members reaffirmed our shared commitment to common trust.

• April 19 marked the 250th anniversary of the battles of Concord and Lexington. CA sponsored the special occasion, and CA students celebrated by doing original artwork and historical research commemorating the event. 
• In May, construction of the new 37,000 square foot Centennial Arts Center (C.A.C.) was completed. The innovative space has provided ample new opportunities for student creativity and collaboration.
• Commencement on May 30 celebrated the accomplishments of graduating students. Former CA science faculty member Max Hall served as the Commencement speaker and encouraged students to “delight in the hard work of becoming.” 
• June 6–8, Reunion and Alum Weekend brought together over 200 alums for three days of celebration and connection in the C.A.C., around campus, and around town.
• The new school year began on September 2 with Convocation, where this year’s convocation speaker, counselor Jeff Desjarlais, spoke about the importance of togetherness.
• More than 400 families joined us for Family Weekend, experiencing student classes and performances firsthand.

Love of Learning

A love of learning drives every part of life at CA.

• Last winter, students in science teacher Brad Moriarty’s Topics in Engineering course constructed cantilevers that demonstrated their understanding of structural integrity.
• In late February and early March, all ninth grade CA English classes traveled to see a new adaptation of The Odyssey at the American Repertory Theater, comparing and contrasting the performance with their reading of the classic text. 
• In November, history teacher Topi Dasgupta P’22 ’25 and her Making of Modern India class participated in a documentary film screening about Mahatma Gandhi as part of the United Nations’ Second World Summit for Social Development. Students provided feedback that was included in the U.N.’s official documentation.
• Doreen Young English Department Chair Sabrina Sadique’s British Romantic Poetry Class created inventive original artworks inspired by their close reading of poetry by Keats and Coleridge. 
• Throughout the year, °ä´ˇâ€™s Strive workshop series provided space for student- and staff-led conversations about culture and identity.

Arts and Athletics

CA student-athletes and artists honed their craft.

• February 20–22, CA Performing Arts presented the winter mainstage musical Chicago, a timeless story that first graced °ä´ˇâ€™s stage in 2010. 
• CA Athletics celebrated successful winter and spring seasons, highlighted by a victory over Bancroft School in the fourth annual Spring Cup rivalry event.
• November 7–9, CA debuted its first mainstage musical, The Prom, in the Hammett Ory Theater, performing to sold-out audiences. 
• Fall was another dynamic season for Athletics, culminating in a Chandler Bowl victory and a strong showing in the Eastern Independent League and New England Preparatory School Athletic Council competitions.

Heard on Campus

Assembly speakers inspired curiosity and expanded our thinking.

• On February 28, Hall Fellow Adam Geer ’99 took the stage in the P.A.C. to share his work as Philadelphia’s first chief public safety officer and his collaborations with community partners to strengthen neighborhoods. “Organizations that are more diverse, in all the ways you can think of diversity, perform better,” he shared.
• On April 28, Leslie Taylor Davol ’87 and Sam Davol ’88 were awarded the Joan Shaw Herman Award for distinguished service for their nonprofit Street Lab, which transforms city streets through inventive pop-up spaces. 
• On October 15, the Prison Justice Project hosted its annual Wrongful Conviction Day assembly featuring presenters Lisa Kavanaugh P’22 ’25, director of the CPCS Innocence Program for the Massachusetts Public Defenders Office, and exonerees Sean Graham and Steven Pina, who shared their stories and called for criminal justice reform. 
• On December 5, the 2025–26 Hall Fellow Rayner Ramirez ’88 visited campus. The Emmy Award–winning journalist and co-founder of Tilt Shift Media shared his passion for documentary filmmaking.

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Congratulations to 91łÔąĎÍř’s fall teams on another successful season and Chandler Bowl victory.

Go Green!

Cross-Country

The cross-country teams enjoyed a very successful season! On the challenging 5K course at Chase Farm Park in Lincoln, R.I., at the Eastern Independent League (EIL) championships, the boys earned the EIL title for the second time in the past three years, and the girls team placed sixth, with over 30 CA runners setting personal bests. The teams finished the 2025 season with a strong showing in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Division III championship meet at Highland Park in Attleboro, Mass. CA boys varsity placed fifth, just short of a spot on the podium, while the boys junior varsity team placed first in the junior varsity race for the third year in a row. CA girls varsity placed sixth, eight places higher than the previous year and their best since 2015.

Boys Varsity Soccer

The boys varsity soccer program continued its winning ways and NEPSAC tournament bid streak! The team nearly went undefeated, dropping only one game, in the EIL regular season schedule, and earned the No. 3 seed for the league tournament. The squad was unable to overcome the No. 2 seed and eventual EIL tournament champ, The Wheeler School, in the semifinal game, but went on to earn the program’s 10th consecutive NEPSAC tournament bid. They battled the No. 4 seed, Millbrook School, holding them scoreless deep into the second half in the quarterfinals. While CA was unable to pull off the upset, it was yet another strong year for the program overall.

Girls Varsity Volleyball

The girls varsity volleyball team had a season of just-misses with multiple heartbreaking five-set losses. A clear highlight was a 3–0 win over °ä´ˇâ€™s archrival, Pingree School, in the finale of °ä´ˇâ€™s Chandler Bowl victory, which avenged a loss to them at home earlier in the season.

Girls Varsity Soccer

Girls varsity soccer was a very young team this fall. After a slow start and some challenging stretches, the team’s steady improvement resulted in some hard-earned late-season victories. The program will look to build on its youthful foundation next fall.

Girls Varsity Field Hockey

The field hockey team showed great progress throughout the season. After a slow start and some very close losses mid-season, the team finished strong, posting a tie or win in three of their last five games. The program returns a strong core for the 2026 season!

Subvarsity Programs

The future appears bright for °ä´ˇâ€™s fall varsity programs as the 2025 subvarsity teams—boys junior varsity soccer, boys thirds soccer, and girls junior varsity volleyball—all posted winning records.

It was another successful fall athletic season by many measures, but most importantly, the athletes had the opportunity to grow as players and teammates, and represented CA with pride.

Postseason EIL/NEPSAC Honorees

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For lifelong runner Jonathan Waldron, sport is a laboratory for self-study. As a beloved coach at CA, he emphasizes “becoming, not achieving.” 

After Waldron was hired to coach cross-country in 2007, he also started °ä´ˇâ€™s track and field program. Over 17 years, he built it from an informal club with a single competitor into a top Eastern Independent League (EIL) program. 

In spring 2024, his final season coaching track and field, CA had an undefeated combined program, its strongest ever. At full health, the boys captured the program’s first EIL championship, and the girls finished second. 

Since stepping down from track and field, Waldron, who continues to coach cross-country, has stayed involved with the sport in ways that allow him to prioritize writing and being an athlete himself. He has also had time to reflect on the program he built, which he says stands out for its cross-team contributions rather than a reliance on star athletes: “Whether or not we win a team title, every season CA will have the most students who contribute to the team’s success by placing in their events.” 

Track and field athletes train separately, but they understand one another’s events and support their teammates, as well as their competitors. “We cheer for effort, not for uniforms,” Waldron says. “Other schools notice that and love competing against 91łÔąĎÍř.” 

This focus on camaraderie and celebrating improvement has drawn a significant share of °ä´ˇâ€™s students to track and field. In 2021, around 100 students tried out—a quarter of the school. As the program grew, an expert team of long-tenured assistant coaches, including Christa Champion, Joan Konuk P’12 ’16, Ellie Doig, and Peter Jennings P’20 ’21 ’25, all played major roles, giving equal attention to athletes at every level of experience. 

Athletics Director Sue Johnson P’20 says that, with track and field coaches and student-athletes alike, Waldron “created an atmosphere of personal growth that made people feel valued and want to keep showing up at their best.” 

Champion spoke about this dynamic in a chapel she gave in November 2024: “Learning to set your own goals, and then doing what you need to do to reach them—that’s serious work. When you can do that work in community with others … it becomes easier to follow through on the promises you make to yourself.” 

Waldron believes that most important learning happens slowly. He says he’s proud of helping to build a program that allows students to discover and develop their athletic abilities, and that serves as an antidote to what he calls “the toxic belief that if you’re not good at something right away, you can’t or shouldn’t do it.” 

“This program has helped students feel more at home in the physical world, which is really what the sport is all about,” he says.

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CA Athletics enjoyed another successful season, including an Eastern Independent League (EIL) title, New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) tournament bids, and a victory over Bancroft School in the fourth annual Spring Cup rivalry event. Student athletes demonstrated 91łÔąĎÍř’s values of teamwork, good sportsmanship, and competitive grit.

Boys varsity tennis posted another impressive campaign in 2025. The team captured the EIL championship and a NEPSAC tournament bid for the fourth consecutive year. CA earned the No. 1 seed to the NEPSAC tournament and earned a bye to the semifinals where they lost in a closely fought battle to Pingree School. The boys junior varsity tennis team also enjoyed a very successful season posting a 7-1 record. 

The girls varsity tennis squad continued their winning ways. CA finished second in the EIL regular season standings and earned its 10th consecutive NEPSAC tournament berth despite being moved into the more competitive Class B level last year. The team earned a No. 8 seed, but could not overcome the powerful No. 1 seed, Kingswood Oxford School, in the quarterfinals.

The varsity all-gender Ultimate Frisbee team enjoyed a stellar campaign. The team posted 16 overall wins, secured a Division 1 NEPSAC tournament seed for only the second time, and finished seventh at the NEPSAC championship, the highest finish in program history.

Varsity softball enjoyed a breakout season. The team secured the program’s first EIL tournament bid since 2018 by winning five of their last six league games. They earned the No. 4 seed, but could not overcome the No.1 seed Portsmouth Abbey in the semifinals.

The girls and boys track and field teams enjoyed another successful season. After strong performances in the regular season meets, both the boys and the girls teams secured a second-place finish at the EIL championships. CA also had several individual EIL champions. Alex Tarantino ’26 in javelin and shot put, Avi Cariens ’25 in pole vault, and Aleki Zdraveski ’26 in high jump. CA track and field wrapped up the season at the NEPSAC Division III Championship meet at East Providence High School. This was the largest NEPSAC meet ever, with over 35 schools and more than 400 student athletes participating. The girls team finished seventh and the boys finished 12th, with 13 CA athletes earning All-NEPSAC honors and Madori Shah ’25 winning a NEPSAC championship in the triple jump.

The varsity baseball team was much improved this season. They posted a winning record and fell just short of earning an EIL bid

The all-gender varsity sailing team once again posted a winning record in the very competitive Mass Bay League (MBL). The team also finished in second place in the B West division.

A young boys varsity lacrosse program improved throughout the season finishing with five wins in their last eight games. The girls varsity lacrosse team was also a very young squad that improved as the season progressed in the ever competitive EIL. Given their youthful rosters, look for these programs to make noise in the EIL in the spring of 2026!

°ä´ˇâ€™s baseball, tennis, and lacrosse teams traveled to the Bancroft School for the fourth annual Spring Cup rivalry event on April 25. With a sweep of the five games, CA defended the cup in dominant fashion, having won it the past three years. We look forward to hosting Bancroft in spring 2026. 

Go Green! 

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91łÔąĎÍř winter teams have wrapped up a very successful season!

Varsity Wrestling

The all-gender varsity wrestling team had another impressive campaign. CA won the Eastern Independent League (EIL) regular season championship for the second year in a row and third in the last four years. A huge win over league rival Lexington Christian Academy (LCA) at The Battle on January 24 set the stage to clinch the title. A banner will be raised in the gym once again to honor the achievement. In addition, nine wrestlers competed at the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) championships in Exeter, N.H., and combined to post the most victories at the event in recent program history.

Boys Varsity Basketball

The boys varsity basketball team enjoyed a breakout season. The team posted a 8–1 record in regular season league play to secure the No. 2 seed in the EIL tournament and the opportunity to host a semi-final game against the No. 3 seed, Beaver Country Day School (BCDS). The squad cruised to victory and a berth in the EIL tournament championship game at league rival and No. 1 seed LCA. CA impressively jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back in the title game. The win marked the program’s first EIL tournament title in well over a decade!

Alpine Ski

°ä´ˇâ€™s Alpine ski team enjoyed another successful season in the Central Massachusetts Ski League (CMSL). The boys took home the runner-up trophy, the girls team finished fifth, and Boris Liu ’27 once again earned the boys division Skier of the Year title. At the NEPSAC championships at Cannon Mountain, the boys finished seventh, the girls 14th, and Boris capped off a great year on the slope by finishing NEPSAC runner-up in boys giant slalom.

Girls Varsity Basketball

The girls varsity basketball program enjoyed another successful season. The squad earned an EIL tournament berth for the second year in a row with big wins late in the season over Dana Hall and Wheeler School. They carried the No. 4 seed into the 2025 tournament after securing the No. 3 seed in 2024.

CA Squash

The CA squash programs traveled to Philadelphia to compete in the U.S. High School National Championships at the Arlen Specter Center, a program first. Both teams made the most of the opportunity with the girls winning the championship in division 5 and the boys finishing third place in division 6. The teams went on to compete at NEPSACs the following weekend. Both teams finished second in the consolation bracket.

Junior Varsity Basketball

The boys junior varsity basketball team rattled off five wins to start the season on their way to a double-digit final victory tally. The girls junior varsity team had a slow start to the season but improved along the way to ultimately finish strong.  

Go Green!

Post-Season Honorees: 

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Community

CA students, faculty, and staff celebrated our commitment to common trust. 

• June 7–9, Reunion Weekend, brought nearly 200 alums from all generations back to campus. Hands-on programming offered opportunities for graduates to reconnect.
• The 2024–25 school year began on September 3 with Convocation. Don Kingman, director of campus planning, design, and construction, gave a powerful speech that underscored the importance of community. 
• On September 26, CA honored Mandarin teacher Wenjun Kuai P’27, holder of the 2021–2024 Hammer Chair, who shared her research on cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity in Chinese-speaking regions in Asia.
• Family Weekend, October 25–26, welcomed over 500 guests, giving parents a glimpse into the innovative teaching and learning that happens at CA.

Love of Learning

At CA, a love of learning animates everything we do.

• A new interdisciplinary history of Mexico class, created by Modern and Classical Languages Department Head Carmen Welton and history teacher Jeffrey Richey, integrated Spanish language, culture, and history instruction both in the classroom and on a cultural trip.
• In April, students in Kim Frederick’s U.S.: Public History: Tour Guide course created educational displays for the Concord Museum’s What Makes History? special exhibition.
• °ä´ˇâ€™s sixth feature film project, Cassie Crowe’s Mid Life, debuted in May. This surrealist comedy, led by Visual Arts Department Head Justin Bull P’25 ’28 and Computer Science Department Head Ben Stumpf ’88, showcased the creativity of student filmmakers.
• Will Tucker, head of °ä´ˇâ€™s Science Department, aimed to demystify science education by writing two open-access textbooks on general and organic chemistry. The texts, edited by a CA student Jake Klineman ’25, were published by Taylor & Francis in the summer of 2024.

Arts and Athletics

From the field to the stage, CA students put in their all.

• Spring and fall student-athletes enjoyed successful seasons, with strong performances at Eastern Independent League (EIL) and New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) tournaments. 
• On October 19, the fall sports teams won the 2024 Chandler Bowl for Changing Lives rivalry event against Pingree, 6–4, marking °ä´ˇâ€™s seventh win in the past eight years. Sports teams also claimed the Spring Cup victory this past April. 
• The fall mainstage production of Radium Girls illuminated the Performing Arts Center during three performances over Family Weekend, highlighting social justice issues. Last winter’s production of Twelfth Night thrilled audiences with a contemporary musical twist on Shakespeare’s classic.
• CA Dance Project’s łľ±đłŮ·˛ąÂ·łľ´Ç°ů·±čłó´Ç·˛őľ±˛ő performances on November 8 and 9 celebrated change through movement.
• The spring art show in the Ransome Room inspired audiences with a diverse range of works, from photographs to paintings.

Heard on Campus

Assembly speakers brought new perspectives to our campus.

• Actor and filmmaker Caitlin FitzGerald ’02 was named the 2024 Hall Fellow on April 19 and shared her journey in the entertainment industry with students, faculty, and staff. 
• On May 10, CA honored Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Richard Read ’75 with the 2024 Joan Shaw Herman Award for his groundbreaking work in investigative writing. 
• CA welcomed Aaron Golub, the first legally blind athlete to play football in a Division 1 game, on November 15. Through sharing his life story, he encouraged a shift in perspective on how we face obstacles and what they can teach us.
• On December 4, Asma Khalid, White House correspondent for NPR, ABC contributor, and co-host of The NPR Politics Podcast, delivered an assembly in which she discussed identity politics.

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Congratulations to 91łÔąĎÍř’s fall teams on another successful season. Go Green!

Boys Varsity Soccer

The boys varsity soccer program continued its winning ways and New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) tournament bid streak! After a slow start, a 13-game winning streak in the middle of the season earned the team the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Independent League (EIL) tournament. The squad cruised to victory with a 4–2 win over No. 4 seed, Pingree School, in the league semifinals, much to the delight of the home crowd. They traveled to the No. 1 seed, Portsmouth Abbey in the finals but fell just short of winning the program’s first EIL tournament championship. The 2024 squad continued the program’s impressive run of excellence by earning its ninth consecutive NEPSAC tournament bid and battled the No. 4 seed, Greens Farms Academy, in the quarterfinals. While CA was unable to pull off the upset, it was yet another strong year for the program overall. 

Girls Varsity Volleyball

The girls varsity volleyball team came out of the gate slowly but finished the season with quite a run of wins to earn the program’s first EIL tournament bid since 2017. The squad impressively won six of its last seven matches to earn the No. 4 seed in the EIL tournament. They traveled to the No. 1 seed, Winsor School, for the semifinals and nearly pulled off the upset. Congrats to the program on a breakout year!

Cross-Country

The cross-country teams used the regular season meets to build stamina and prepare for their season-ending championship events. Both teams performed well at the EIL and NEPSAC championships. On the challenging 5K course at Chase Farm Park in Lincoln, R.I., at EILs, the boys placed second and the girls team placed seventh, with over a dozen CA runners setting personal bests. The teams finished the 2024 season on a high note, competing in the NEPSAC Divison III championship meet at the Canterbury School in New Milford, Conn. CA boys varsity placed fourth to earn a spot on the podium, while the boys junior varsity team placed first in the JV race for the second year in a row. CA girls varsity placed 14th, two places higher than the previous year. 

Girls Varsity Soccer

Girls varsity soccer experienced a challenging season in which injuries took their toll. Despite not having a fully available roster, the team stayed within striking distance of a top-four finish in the league and an EIL tournament berth throughout the season. Impressively, they put together a late-season rally of three wins in the last four games, including a huge victory on Senior Day over league rival Berwick Academy, but fell just short of the program’s first EIL bid in many years.

Girls Varsity Field Hockey

Under the guidance of a new head coach, Georgia Cassidy, the field hockey team showed great progress throughout the season. After a series of frustrating one-point losses to start the season, the team rattled off four wins in the last five games to finish the season strong. With a strong core of returning players, the team looks forward to picking up where they left off in fall 2025.

Subvarsity Programs

The future appears bright for our fall varsity programs as °ä´ˇâ€™s four subvarsity teams—boys JV soccer, boys thirds soccer, girls JV soccer, and girls JV volleyball—combined for 40 wins this season, including an unblemished final record for boys JV soccer.

It was another successful fall athletic season by many measures, but most importantly, the athletes had the opportunity to grow as players and teammates and represented CA with pride. 

Post-Season EIL/NEPSAC Honorees: 

The post Fall 2024 Athletics Season Recap appeared first on 91łÔąĎÍř.

As a Tulane University football player, Golub was the first legally blind Division I athlete to play in a game. He went on to become team captain and, later, an NFL free agent. Now he’s a consultant and entrepreneur who tells his story to help others transcend limiting beliefs.

Introducing Golub at the assembly, Grant Hightower, assistant head for student life, asked students to consider how members of the CA community “live, cope, celebrate, survive, and thrive differently.” He encouraged them to explore “the potential in our differences and not just the limitations that we perceive.”

Golub first gave the CA community a sense of his physical challenges. The greatest difficulties he faces are things others take for granted: crossing the street safely, cooking, and navigating new areas. Golub shared that, growing up, he struggled in school. He loved sports, but he “wasn’t athletic” and was consistently picked last. In 7th grade, he found football. Though he knew he could never play quarterback or other coveted positions, for the first time he was part of a team.

By 10th grade, he was a third-string junior varsity athlete who never touched the field. “I was sick and tired of letting being legally blind control my life,” Golub said. “I knew that I could be successful, but I had to start thinking differently.”

After learning about the specialized position of long snapper, he began training intensively: long snapping an hour before school, lifting weights every evening. “It paid off,” he said. By his senior year of high school, Golub was one of the top high school football players in Massachusetts. 

Despite that success, he wasn’t recruited. Golub spoke about his anger at perceptions of his limitations and what the experience taught him. “Too many of us are focused on the judgments, the beliefs, and the opinions of other people around us,” he said. “It’s natural, especially when we’re in school. But at the end of the day, the only opinion, the only belief, that matters is the one you have about yourself—not what someone else thinks of you, but what you think of you.” 

Acknowledging he couldn’t make people believe in him, Golub focused on what he could do. He said he started cold-calling college coaches, looking for “one person, one coach, one team” that would give him a shot. Tulane did.

That wasn’t Golub’s final hurdle to clear. He had to prove himself to his teammates, then to a new coach, then—when facing sprints on a set of stairs he couldn’t navigate—to himself. In each instance, Golub shared how he was able to “work harder and work smarter” in pursuit of his dream, as well as to risk vulnerability in letting others know what support he needed. “Thinking differently” was what allowed him to overcome his obstacles, he said—especially the challenges and limitations others don’t face.

Golub said that if he had the chance, he would choose the exact same life, with all its limitations and everyday annoyances—because he had learned to stop asking, “Why me?” and start asking, “How is this happening for me?” Golub said he also learned how to strengthen teams and relationships, which has served his business well. “The best leaders are ones who help and support the people around them,” he said.

“Next time you have a challenge or you’re in a conflict, how can you think differently about it?” Golub asked CA students.

Twice during his interactive presentation, he invited students onto the P.A.C. stage to toss a ball. They wore goggles that simulated his visual impairment: no vision in the right eye, only a tiny hole in the left. Taking turns throwing and catching, the first two pairs demonstrated how difficult hand-eye coordination is when you can’t see your hands. 

Later, when the same exercise repeated (with Head of School Henry Fairfax gamely in the mix), Golub gave a crucial difference in instruction: Focus on communicating. Even with such a small shift, the difference was remarkable.

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