By Steve Engebretsen

Athletics Director

The fields and courts are generally quiet at Durham Academy during the summer months.  There are several DA sports camps and routine summer maintenance, but it's not the bustling place that is it is during the school sports seasons.  Even though the summer months are a calm time for Durham Academy sports, many of our athletes continue to work hard and compete throughout the summer. 

Coaches Tim McKenna and Costen Irons took over 30 boys to the team basketball camp at Catawba College, where DA’s varsity team went 13-2 and lost in the championship game. Coach Krista Gingrich and the DA varsity girls team competed in a summer league against top competition and went 5-5 for the summer season. Coaches Julian Cochran and Judy Chandler took boys soccer and field hockey groups to team camps to compete against teams from across the state. Senior Cody Crenshaw and sophomore Robin Blazing were winners of the Will-to-Win Award at UNC field hockey camp, and Robin was named an all-star at Duke field hockey camp. Cody also participated in the Futures Regional Tournament and the College Field Hockey Showcase in Virginia during the summer. Also in field hockey, junior Lauren Rogers was named to the South U16 regional team that will compete in the National Futures Tournament in 2011, and eighth grader Jordan Barry was named to the South U14 regional team and will compete in the national tournament next year. On the lacrosse field, senior Billy Haas was named an all-star at the Top 250 boys lacrosse camp.

Varsity and Junior Varsity boys Soccer (grades 9-12)

Try-outs begin Monday, Aug. 2, 7:30-9:30am on Alumni field and 7:00-8:30pm on Alumni

(this group will have two-a-days through Thursday of this first week)

Varsity Coach Julian Cochran, JV Coach Thomas Phu

Varsity Volleyball (grades 9-12)

Try-outs begin Wednesday, Aug. 4, 4:00-6:00pm in US gym

Coach Tania Stafford

Junior Varsity Volleyball (grades 9-10)

Try-outs begin Tuesday, Aug. 10, 4:00-6:00pm in US gym

Coach Nancy Pickrell

Varsity and Junior Varsity Field hockey (grades 9-12)

Try-outs begin Thursday, Aug. 5, 8:30-10:30am on Moylan Field

Varsity Coach Judy Chandler, JV Coach Kelly Baril

Varsity Girls Tennis (grades 9-12)

Try-outs begin Monday, Aug 9, 4:00-6:00pm on US courts

Coach Andy Pogach

Varsity Boys and Girls Cross Country (grades 9-12)

Practice begins on Monday Aug. 16, 6:00pm at US track

Coach Dennis Cullen

These are try-outs and we do anticipate making cuts as needed for Varsity and Junior Varsity soccer, volleyball, field hockey, and varsity tennis. Contact any teams coach for more specific information.

Junior varsity girls tennis (gr. 7-9), junior varsity boys and girls cross country (gr. 7-9) and MS field hockey, boys soccer and volleyball (gr. 7,8) teams will begin practice on the second day of school - Wed. Aug 25. JV tennis and cross country practice at the US.

All 7/8 grade students planning to play a fall sport should meet in the MS gym for an organizational meeting on Tuesday, Aug 24 (the first day of school) from 3:15-3:45 p.m.

As you can see, many fall sports upper school team try-outs will begin in early August, and all before the beginning of school. We do anticipate roster limitations for varsity tennis, soccer, volleyball and field hockey, JV volleyball and possibly JV soccer and JV field hockey.

Please contact your team's coach if you are not able to be at the beginning try-out days. DA will do everything possible to create fair opportunites to make teams, and try to accomodate late comers, but not being at the planned try-out dates will make this process more difficult. Each varsity team will be playing games prior to the beginning of school, so it's important to get started, conditioned and prepared for the beginning of the game schedule.

In addition, all athletes will be expected to have a current physical form on file with Jerry Davis, our athletic trainer. These forms for 2010-11 are being mailed home with 3rd quarter grades and are avialable on the DA website, and should be returned to Jerry Davis at Durham Academy 3601 Ridge Rd, Durham, NC 27705.

The national soccer spotlight shone brightly on Durham Academy May 26 when senior Mollie Pathman was named 2009-10 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year.  The award recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, and distinguishes Mollie as the nation’s best high school girls soccer player.

Mollie was taken completely by surprise when Olympic gold medalist and former UNC soccer star Cat Reddick Whitehill knocked on the door of a DA classroom, informed Mollie that she was the national player of the year and presented her with an impressive trophy.  A camera crew – ostensibly making a video for DA – captured Mollie’s surprise and the brief assembly that followed.  The applause of students and faculty made it clear that Mollie is a much-appreciated member of the DA community.

Kurt F. Meyer, 77 Senior Athlete Award winners:

Rachel Hall

Andrew Kuyper

TISAC Sportsmanship Award winner:

Kylie Reeves

Wilkins Zollicoffer

Durham Sports Club Scholar Athlete nominees:

(each high school in Durham nominates 1 male and 1 female)

Mollie Pathman - Runner Up, awarded $500.00 scholarship

Erik Kraus - Winner, awarded $1000.00 scholarship

Durham Academy’s boys track team won the TISAC conference meet on Saturday with several impressive performances. First place plaques went to Andrew Kuyper in the 100m and 200m; Erik Kraus in the 800m; and Carl Ward in 1600m, with a new school record of 4:17.8!

Team members winning second or third place were Kenyon Scales – 100m; Andrew Kuyper ­ 400m, long jump; Fred Ward – 1600m, 3200m; Carl Ward - 3200m; Jordan Meyers – 110 high hurdles, 300 hurdles; Shan Nager – triple jump; and Robert Jackson and Alan Lindsay – discus.

DA’s girls track team came in second in TISAC meet. Event winners were Francesca Tomasi – 400m and Jasmine Williams – 300 hurdles. Team members winning second or third place were Elise Hartley – 400m; Lindsay Soo – 100 hurdles; Jasmine Williams – 300 hurdles; Kelly Thomas – long jump; Hannah Lewis – triple jump; Alexis Hewitt – shot and discus; and Betsy Wiener – shot.

Senior lacrosse player Rachel Hall has been named the WTVD student athlete of the week.  A brief interview with Rachel will air April 9 on WTVD news broadcasts at 6, 10 and 11 p.m.

By Steve Engebretsen

Director of Athletics

One cannot tell by the small piles of snow still in the parking lots and mostly chilly temperatures, but the spring sports season is upon us. We already have hundreds of students on the fields, courts and track preparing for spring season action.

But we still have many winter sports accomplishments to report. The seventh grade girls basketball team completed an undefeated season earlier this month! Both Middle Schoool boys basketball teams had winning seasons against strong competition, and the eighth grade girls team also had a solid season. Both JV basketball teams were defeated in the semi-finals of their conference tournament, but had several late season big wins!

Both the Durham Academy boys and girls varsity basketball teams qualified for NCISAA state tournament play.

The DA girls team finished at 14-12 and received the #10 seed.   DA played Rabun Gap School (17-7, #7 seed) in Rabun Gap, Ga., in first round action on Tuesday.  Durham Academy survived a six-hour bus trip and defeated Rabun Gap School 57-42, advancing to the quarter-final round in Greensboro. Read about this exciting game in this article from the Herald-Sun.  DA plays #2 seed Charlotte Christian at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at American Hebrew Academy (4334 Dobbs Road, Greensboro).

The DA boys team was 16-13 and received the #11 seed.  DA ended the season Tuesday with a 60-42 loss to Cannon School (15-13, #6 seed) in NCISAA first round action. Congratulations on a fine season and to Jordan Lawson for becoming the all-time leading scorer in DA basketball history with 1,444 career points!

Steve Engebretsen
Athletic Director

As I write, things have slowed down for exams and winter break, which for winter athletes and coaches can be a time to catch up and rest for a time (after exams, of course). The winter sports season is off to a good start with each team having a couple of notches in the win column.

Our swim team is larger than ever. With some talented swimmers and lots of depth, the team is off to a strong start. Both girls and boys varsity basketball teams have some big wins over tough opponents and both teams will be playing over the holiday break. Senior captains Kylie Reeves and Jordan Lawson are leading the way.

When we return from holiday break, game action will be heavy for basketball and swimming.  Keep checking the schedules on www.da.org and come out and watch DA athletes compete!

Senior soccer stand-out Mollie Pathman has been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America Soccer Team. Pathman, along with other award recipients will be recognized at the January NSCAA convention. To be considered for the award, the student must have a high academic standing, must have demonstrated excellence in soccer at the high school level and must have performed service in his or her community.

Officially sponsored by Adidas, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America serves as the recognized leader in naming All-America soccer players. The NSCAA selects All-America teams at every level of play. Through its annual sponsorship of the All-America teams, NSCAA provides coaches the opportunity to help their players receive richly deserved recognition while helping promote the growth of the sport.

By Steve Engebretsen
Director of Athletics 

Basketball and swimming seasons are now in full swing.  Durham Academy has eight basketball teams that include 105 students and a swim team roster of nearly 50!   So, even though the winter sports season is a bit quieter than fall or spring, we have high participation and loads of action. 

 As we begin a time of heavy game schedules, I’d like to remind parents that we expect and promote good sportsmanship at Durham Academy athletic events.  Please speak to your children about what this means and of its importance, and do your best to be a good model of sportsmanship at games.  

A number of Durham Academy students were recoginzed by our conference (Triangle Independent Schools Athletic Conference) and state (North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association). 

TISAC honored students as follows:
Soccer All-TISAC: Seniors David Fowler, Andrew Kuyper, Wilkins Zollicoffer and Junior Rawls Zollicoffer received honorable mention

Volleyball All-TISAC: Sophmore Ada Taylor while Juniors Emma Kimmel, Taylor Williams and Sarah Elizabeth Hampton all garnered an honorable mention

Field Hockey All-TISAC: Seniors Rachel Hall, Caitlin Cleaver and Allie Bassil; Junior Lauren Blazing and Sophmore Lauren Rogers.  In addition, Rachel Hall was named Player of the Year for TISAC.

Tennis All-TISAC: Senior Sarah Edwards

Cross Country In addition to winning the conference, a number of runners were names to All-TISAC. Senior Erik Kraus, Juniors Carl Ward, Fred Ward and Michael Cunningham, Sophmore Sam Goldberg and seventh grader Eliza Dekker

In our state association (NCISAA), athletes in both field hockey and cross country took honors.  For field hockey Rachel Hall, Allie Bassil, Caitlin Cleaver and Lauren Blazing were all recognized. In Cross Country, in addition to winning the Boys State Championship, Carl Ward, Fred Ward and Erik Kraus all received honors. Eliza Dekker received honors from our girls cross country team.

By Steve Engebretsen
Athletics Director

The fall season is quickly coming to a close with tons of TISAC and NCISAA tournament action. 

The Durham Academy boys cross country team won their second straight NCISAA state chanpionship on Friday in Greensboro. Carl Ward (2nd), Fred Ward (3rd) and Erik Kraus (5th) led the way and were named to the All-state team as DA outdistanced second place Cary Academy 53-77. Michael Cunningham (15th) and David Bradley (28th) also scored for DA. The girls team finished 9th overall and were led by Eliza Dekker who finished 5th overall to earn all-state honors.

The Durham Academy field hockey team lost to eventual state champion Charlotte Country Day in the semi-finals on Friday. The final score was 1-0, but went into sudden death penalty strokes after being tied 0-0 at the end of regulation, 0-0 after two over time periods, and still tied after one round of penalty strokes. Allie Bassil, Caitlin Cleaver, Rachel Hall and Lauren Blazing were named to the All-State team.

Durham Academy is sponsoring a college coaches panel for students and parents in grades seven-12. The program will be held November 10 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Brumley Performing Arts Building on the Lower School campus.

Wednesday 10/28

DA tennis (#8) plays Providence Day School (#1) at Providence Day, noon.  The game was moved due to inclement weather Tuesday.

Friday, 10/30
Varsity Field Hockey plays Charlotte Country Day at 3:30 pm on Moylan Field. Admission is $7.00 as required by the conference.

Varsity Boys and Girls Cross Country will travel to Hagenstone Park in Greensboro for NCISAA meet. Girls race is at 10:00 am. Boys race is at 10:45 am.

Tournament results:

Friday, 10/23
The DA boys cross country team won the TISAC title with Fred Ward (2nd), Carl Ward (3rd), Erik Kraus (4th), Michael Cunningham (6th), and Sam Goldberg (8th) all finishing in the top 10. DA girls finished 4th with Eliza Dekker (2nd) and Casey Rogers (24th) as the top DA finishers.

DA volleyball defeated St. Mary's School 3-0 to advance to the TISAC semi-finals Saturday.

The DA tennis team, in the state tournament for the first time in 8 years, overcame two rain delays in a match that ended up lasting over 5 hours to beat Cary Ac. 5-4. A rain shower at 3:40 delayed the match from the scheduled 4:00 to 5:00. Then with the match score tied at 4-4, and only Mariah Young-Jones, having split sets at #4 singles still playing, another shower came at 8:30 to stop play. After some discussion and phone calls, the entire group went to UNC indoor courts to finish this last set, which Mariah won 6-1 to seal the win at 9:30!!

Tuesday, 10/27
NCISSA tournament ($7.00 required admission for both home and away games)
DA field hockey (#3 seed) defeated Forsythe Country Day School (#6). They will play Friday at 3:30 versus Charlotte Country Day here at home.
DA volleyball (#8) lost to Charlotte Country Day (#9), to finish their season.

"Doing the right thing" is always part of the curriculum at Durham Academy, and an article in the October 15 News & Observer praised DA’s varsity soccer team and Coach Julian Cochran for doing exactly that! This column by Tim Stevens shows that the DA team is living what they learn.

By Steve Engebretsen

Director of Athletics

Now that we are well into the school year, most class trips are complete and teams are able to get into the rythym of practices and games.  Our varsity teams are all off to solid starts and about to begin serious TISAC conference play.  Boys soccer, battling injuries and one of the strongest schedules ever for DA soccer is competing hard and after a win against Ravenscroft hoping to be a factor in the TISAC race and gain a possible bid to the state tournament.  Varsity girls tennis, with new coach Andy Pogach, is off to one of its best starts in recent years and also looking forward to positioning for possible state tournament play with several key conference matches ahead.  Varsity volleyball, also with new head coach Tania Stafford, has had several key wins already and looks to be an up-and-coming program at DA and also in the NCISAA.  The JV volleyball team is undefeated at this point in the season.  Boys and girls cross country, with large numbers and some talented runners both had solid performances in the DA Invitational (the boys finished 2nd behind Chapel Hill High School).  The boys are hoping to peak for a chance to repeat as NCISAA champions.  Varsity field hockey, while losing an early game to Charlotte Country Day will once again be considered a favorite to advance in the post season.

Swim team practice begins on Monday, November 3 at Campus Hills Pool (2000 S. Alston Ave Durham.) Practice will be daily from 4-6pm. DA will provide transportation to Campus Hills, leaving the upper school at 3:30, picking up swimmers at the middle school at 3:40 and arriving at Campus Hills at 3:50. Swimmers will be expected to be picked up at the pool. DA will not bring swimmers back to school after practice. The swim team will not practice when school is not in session for holiday or due to weather. Swimmers are expected to have current physical form on file with Jerry Davis, athletic trainer.

Contact Gretchen Van De Carr, head coach for more information. gvdc@nc.rr.com

Sports psychologist Greg Dale will present a parent workshop, “The Fulfilling Ride: A parent’s guide to helping athletes have a successful sports experience,” November 3 at Durham Academy. The program will be held at 7 p.m. in Taylor Hall on the Middle School campus. All parents are invited to attend.

Using humor and stories every parent can relate to, Greg Dale will focus on how parents can help their children learn lessons in sport that will better prepare them for life. The program is sponsored by the Parents Association Athletics Committee. 

Greg Dale is a professor of sport psychology and sport ethics at Duke University. He is also the director of mental training and co-director of the leadership program for Duke Athletics. In addition to his work with Duke athletes and coaches, Greg consults with numerous college and professional athletes and teams as well as corporations across America.

He has written three books related to leadership and performance and served as the “expert” on a series of 11 videos for coaches and athletes. Greg has been featured on Good Morning America, MSNBC and numerous national radio programs. He is a member of the sport psychology staff for USA Track and Field and provides interactive and innovative workshops for coaches, parents and athletes in a variety of settings.