News

Fall Teams Head into Regular Season Homestretch with a Slew of High NCISAA Rankings

By Andy Pogach, Director of Athletics

We are headed down the homestretch for our fall athletics teams and are excited for the final three weeks of the regular season. Last Friday’s Fall Frenzy/Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night drew our largest crowds of the fall to the Upper School campus to support our teams. Thanks to our Parents Athletics Committee, the concession stand was buzzing and our student section showed out in the ever-popular construction/neon theme! Here is a brief update on our seven fall varsity teams:

Girls Golf

With a No. 1 NCISAA team ranking, the Cavs are eyeing a third straight state title.

The girls golf team continues to amaze, as the Cavs play their way toward a possible third straight state title. Coach Kevin Wicker and his crew are fresh off a 21-stroke win Tuesday over Cary Academy at Prestonwood Country Club. Last week, the Cavs took first place in the prestigious North State Girls High School Challenge at Keith Hills Golf Club, defeating perennial public school powerhouse Pinecrest by 17 strokes!

The duo of Jenna Kim ’27 and Saia Rampersaud ’25 have been nothing short of dominant, respectively placing 1–2 in the Palmetto Tournament of Champions in Myrtle Beach earlier this month. And led by Kim (first), Rampersaud (second) and Chloe French ’25 (11th) at the top of the individual rankings, the team is No. 1 in the latest NCISAA Team Rankings. The girls are back at Hope Valley Country Club next week for nine-hole matches on Tuesday, Oct. 1 (which is also Senior Night, honoring Rampersaud and French), and Wednesday, Oct. 2, both starting at 4 p.m.

Volleyball

With No. 10 state ranking, the team is on track for NCISAA tournament qualification.

The volleyball team heads down the homestretch with a record of 7–7 and 2–3 in TISAC (Triangle Independent Schools Athletic Conference) play following a tight 3–1 loss at Cary Academy on Tuesday. The Cavs saved a set point in the opening frame and rallied to take the first set but saw the Chargers rattle off the final three sets to avenge a loss earlier in the season. Last week, the Cavs took their first set in years off of powerhouse North Raleigh Christian Academy in a four-set defeat. In Friday’s match, Mailyn Moore ’26 led the Cavs with eight kills and two blocks, and Savanna Levinson ’27 added 11 assists and 12 digs.

The Cavs will be looking to end their three-match losing streak when they head to Raleigh on Friday for a 5:30 p.m. match with Saint Mary’s School. The Cavs are currently ranked No. 10 in the MaxPreps NCISAA 4A rankings; the top 12 teams will qualify for October’s state tournament.

Field Hockey

With seven wins so far, DA notches No. 5 NCISAA ranking.

First-year coach Sydney Supica has the field hockey team flying this season! After winning just nine matches combined in their previous three seasons, the Cavs already have seven victories and are battling with some of the state’s top teams. DA is 7–4 and 1–2 in the TISAC after Tuesday’s 2–1 loss at Cary Academy. DA struck first as sophomore Avery Hilton scored just minutes into the road game. But the Chargers scored twice in a five-minute span in the second period to take the lead and win their second close battle with the Cavs. On Friday, the Cavs defeated Saint Mary’s 2–0 thanks to goals from Logan Freedman ’26 and Mae Sauer ’29.

The Cavs — ranked No. 5 in the latest MaxPreps NCISAA poll — will host two Charlotte programs this weekend: Charlotte Country Day School (Friday, Sept. 27, at 4:30 p.m.) and Providence Day School (Saturday, Sept. 28, at 11 a.m.).

Girls Tennis

The Cavs are 10–1 overall and 5–0 in conference play, thanks to grace under pressure in tight matches.

The girls tennis team is looking to continue its TISAC dominance and is finding ways to close out tough and tight matches. The latest example was Tuesday’s 6–3 road win over Cary Academy, which pushed DA’s record to 10–1 overall and 5–0 in conference play. That makes 35 consecutive conference wins and 70 of their last 71 dating back to 2016. Wow!

In the win over the Chargers, the Cavs survived match points down at both third doubles and fourth singles to narrowly escape. Annika Lee ’26 and Mia Selig ’28 saved a match point at 6–7 in their third doubles match and rallied for a 9–7 win. Shriya Dharmapurikar ’26 saved a match point at 8–9 down in her third set and rallied for the 11–9 victory. In Friday’s 7–2 win over North Raleigh Christian Academy, the Cavs swept all three doubles matches and then notched wins from Leah Yang ’29 at 2, Lee at 3, Taylor Hill ’29 at 4 and Shreya Joseph ’28 at 5. Yang is a combined 18–7 in her rookie campaign. The Cavs head to Raleigh on Thursday to battle Saint Mary’s. While there are no MaxPreps rankings for girls tennis, DA is fighting for a top-four seed in next month’s state tournament.

Boys Soccer

Undaunted by weather-related cancellations, the team is chasing a fourth straight conference championship.

No team has been more impacted by rain than our varsity boys soccer team — which has had three contests canceled or postponed, including Tuesday’s home match with Carmel Christian. The 7–4–2 Cavs are 2–0 in conference play and are eyeing their fourth straight conference championship. The team erupted for five goals (their highest total of the season) in a 5–0 home win over North Raleigh Christian Academy (NRCA) Friday evening. Camden Hughes ’26 and Garrett Zhou ’27 each had two goals in the victory. On Sept. 13, the Cavs defeated cross-town rival Riverside High School, 4–2, thanks to goals from Zeke Kalla ’25, Curry Jennings ’26, Gavin Lamb ’26 and Pieter Sauer ’26.

The Cavs, ranked No. 9 in the latest MaxPreps 4A rankings, head to NRCA to play the Knights on Thursday evening and will return home to Alumni Field to face Delaware power Salesianum School on Tuesday, Oct. 1, sandwiched between two matches with Ravenscroft (an away match on Monday, Sept. 30, and a home match on Friday, Oct. 4).

Girls Cross-Country

DA runners are leading the TISAC; Crowder notched last week’s fourth-fastest time in North Carolina.

The Cavaliers girls runners are having a terrific fall and are the frontrunners to take home the TISAC crown next month. Led by an individual championship from Audrey Crowder ’26, the girls placed third at the prestigious Adidas Challenge in Cary on Saturday morning. More than 30 teams and 250 runners competed in the Cavaliers’ race division.

Finishing within the top 50 at the event were Helen Barritt ’28 (ninth place), Evan Register ’25 (14th) and Elliot Register ’28 (45th). Crowder’s time was the fourth fastest in the state for the past week and puts her in the running for NC Milesplits' Female Performer of the Week (cast your vote for Crowder by Thursday at 8 p.m.!) The girls are currently ranked fourth in the NCISAA 4A division heading into Thursday’s home Senior Night meet with Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill and Saint Mary’s School.

Boys Cross-Country

The Cavs are ranked No. 5 heading into Thursday’s Senior Night meet.

The boys cross-country team also took home third place in the Boys Invitational race at the Adidas Challenge. Angus Cook ’25 placed 14th individually with a time of 16:23, while Nick Friga ’26 and Redmond Thorne ’27 placed 35th and 36th, respectively.

Earlier this season at the Western NC Cross Country Carnival, the Cavs finished 14th out of 27 schools, with Thorne, Cook and Eli Kraskin ’26 leading the DA runners. After this Thursday’s home Senior Night meet vs. Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill, the Cavs, who are ranked No. 5 in NCISAA 4A by NC Milesplit, will be back home on Oct. 8 for the annual Durham City/County Meet.