Knights Harvest Accolades at Tiger Classic

Auburn, AL-- On a crisp fall morning, the MCPS Cross Country squad went to Auburn for the Tiger Classic and harvested its share of awards. The course was muddy and soft due to the extraordinary amount of rain seen in the River Region over the past few weeks. Yet, the Racing Knights were excited to be competing on the trails that traditionally yield the fastest times of the year.

Almost 120 girls toed the line for the Varsity girls contest, including some of the swiftest runners in the state of Alabama. The Racing Knights started well and Katherine Terino, Lizzie Terino, and Sarah Talbot were in the front pack at the first mile. Shannon Guin, Jessica Taff, and Allie Micher were close behind. Maggie Dene and Shelby Taff also started well. As the girls came around for the finish, splattered with mud and breathing huge gulps of the chilly air, Katherine was secure in fourth place (21:02). Lizzie held the final individual award spot in 10th (22:37) and Sarah Talbot was close behind her in 12th (22:43). Allie and Shannon surged to take 27th and 28th respectively (24:47 and 25:06) and complete the team scoring for the Lady Knights. Jessica sprinted home in 30th (25:17). Maggie cruised in 26:26 for 38th. Shelby sauntered across in 31:52 and 55th place. The girls finished fourth with 73 points in the small schools (1A-4A) scoring behind TR Miller (32), Lawrence County (66), and LAMP (72).

Encouraged by the fast times run by the girls, the MCPS boys lined up for their race with 177 other competitors. The course was still fast in spite of being chewed up by the previous races and the guys started well. Corey Cotter paced the Racing Knights with a blazing 18:24 finish, the fastest time ever run at Kiesel Park by an MCPS athlete. HIs fourth place finish made a huge difference in the team scoring. Jarrett Mason cracked the all time MCPS top ten (9th position) with a 17th place finish in 19:32. Senior captain Rich Mullikin took 19th in 19:48. Josh Stark kicked it in to finish 38th (21:09) and senior Ryan Crutchfield rounded out the Knight scoring in 41st (21:15). Skip Martin recorded 21:15 (43rd) and Jacob Burke was close to him in 21:43 and 48th place. Jake Crutchfield (22:26; 58th), Kyle Daniels (23:41; 66th), and Thomas Woods (24:22; 71st) closed out the competition for the Knights. In the team scoring for the boys, Lawrence Country took first by finishing in 5 of the top 7 spots. MCPS was second with 85 total points, just two points in front of LAMP.

--Coach John Terino

Catholic Wins Class 4A, Area 4 Volleyball Tournament

Catholic defeated Livingston 25-4, 25-12, 25-10 to win its second straight Area 4 title. Tournament MVP Liz Karst led the Knights with 10 kills, five aces and three blocks, Christine Held had six kills and four aces and Kelsey Donohue had seven assists, four aces, four kills and three digs.

"We played about as well as a team as we have all season. All of the girls played well," Catholic coach Jill Clark said. "This was a good match to have going into the regional."

The Knights travel to Mobile on Saturday to face Clarke County at 11:15 a.m. The regional tournament will be hosted by UMS-Wright.

Montgomery Catholic Crowns 2009 Homecoming Court

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School crowned their 2009 Homecoming Queen and King on Friday, October 2nd during the half-time festivities. Mara McCracken and Austin Barranco, Montgomery Catholic's 2008 Queen and King, were on hand to crown the new court.

The Freshman Attendant is Shelby Taff. Shelby is the daughter of Jerry and LuAnne Taff and escorted by Freshman Escort Jack Starr. Jack is the son of John and Susan Starr. The Sophomore Attendant is Nicole Miglionico. Nicole is the daughter of Robert and Melissa Miglionico and escorted by Sophomore Escort Andrew Taylor. Andrew is the son of Brenda Taylor. The Junior Attendant is Ashley Towers. Ashley is the daughter of Dennis and Sherry Dragotta and escorted by Junior Escort James Tidmore. James is the son of Sidney Tidmore and Angela Sanzotera.

Senior Attendant Hannah Carter is the daughter of John and Melissa Carter. Hannah was escorted by Senior Escort Brandon Holman. Brandon is the son of Rufus and Alma Holman. Senior Attendant Molly McLaughlin is the daughter of Dr. Jim and Kayla McLaughlin. Molly was escorted by Senior Escort Thomas Anile. Thomas is the son of Russ and Mary Ellen Anile.

Montgomery Catholic's 2009 Homecoming Queen is Sarah Armstrong. Sarah is the daughter of Brett and Joanie Armstrong. Sarah was escorted by the 2009 Homecoming King M. L. Shipman. M.L. is the son of Marc-Anthoni and Alesia Peacock and Milton Shipman. The week-long Homecoming celebration culminated at the Homecoming Dance held on Saturday night at the St. Bede Family Life Center.

Six Montgomery Catholic Students Named AP Scholars

Six students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition for their exceptional achievement on AP Exams.

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP) provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of the nearly 1.7 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

Two students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are Alexandra Gilbert and Thomas Visco.

Four students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Roscoe Anderson, Nolan Jackson, Charles Kaiser, and Antonella Profio.

Through more than 30 different college-level courses and exams, AP provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit or advanced placement and stand out in the college admissions process. Over 90 percent of four-year colleges in the United States provide credit and/or placement for qualifying exam grades. Research consistently shows that AP students who score a 3 or higher on AP Exams typically experience greater academic success in college and high graduation rates than students who do not participate in AP courses. Congratulations to our AP Scholars!

Starr Receives Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship

Caroline Starr, a 2009 graduate of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, has been awarded the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship for the Second Congressional District of Alabama through the Department of Education for the 2009-2010 academic year.

The $1,500 scholarship is renewable for three additional years and is awarded to a student who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and shows promise of continued academic excellence. Caroline, a freshman at Spring Hill College in Mobile, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Starr, III, of Montgomery.