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Championship-filled sports year comes to an end
  
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By MIKE TAYLOR
What a year it was for local sports teams in 2008.
We saw a slew of state championship teams and one national champion runner.
There was a first-ever title for College Park High School and a 15th championship for The Woodlands.
The John Cooper School and The Woodlands Christian Academy won private school crowns.
The best of the best from 2008 follows in chronological order.
Swimming and Diving
In February, The Woodlands’ pool rats put on a show at the UIL Class 5A state meet in Austin.
Chief among the stars was Drew Livingston, who capped a fantastic schoolboy career by smashing the 28-year old state record in the one-meter diving finals by 55.05 points. Livingston’s 100-point margin of victory gave him a second straight state title.
Vennie Dantin also finished her high school career on the highest of high notes, winning her first one-meter championship by 7.6 points, a tight margin that required nerves of steel.
The girls 200-yard freestyle relay team of Kelsey Amundsen, Erin Foster, Amanda McClelland and Kelly Flynn set a new state record in their winning time of 1:35.30. The quartet also won silver in the 400 free relay as the Lady Highlanders took home second place as a team.
Chad Sorenson cashed in on a phenomenal swim to capture the 100-yard breaststroke title in a school-record time of 56.75, leading The Woodlands boys to fourth place.
Also, the freshman Foster finished third in the 200 freestyle, while Amundsen, a junior, finished third in the 100 free.
At the Southwest Preparatory Conference Championship, The John Cooper School boys swim team won its first-ever title, upsetting powerhouse St. Mark’s School of Dallas by nine points.
Seniors Zac Mijares-Shafai (100 free) and Colin Nelson (200 individual medley) and juniors James May (100 breaststroke) and Bryce Poeter (100 backstroke) all won individual championships.
The 400 free relay team of Andrew Ghazi, Poeter, Nelson and Mijares-Shafai clocked 3:22.66 to break the SPC record in their win, while Poeter, May, Nelson and Mijares-Shafai secured the top spot in the 200 medley relay.
May (100 butterfly), Mijares-Shafai (200 free), and Nelson (500 free) also won silver medals, while Ghazi also took home a silver in the 50 free and bronze in the 100 free.
Stephanie Camstra finished second in one-meter diving for the girls team.
Wrestling
Also in February, The Woodlands’ Erik Spjut claimed his second state title in the 125-pound weight class a year after winning gold in the 119-pound class and two years after taking bronze at 112 pounds.
The Highlanders’ Vassil Boasherliev finished fifth in the 160-pound division and Oak Ridge’s Anna Campos took home a sixth-place medal in the 128-pound class in her third trip to the state meet.
College Park’s Stephen Contreras upset the No. 2 seed in the first round of the 103-pound class before losing his next two matches, while Oak Ridge’s Austin Burke (140 pounds) and The Woodlands’ Bart Kovacs (152) also made the trip to Austin.
Basketball
In March, The Woodlands Christian Academy captured the school’s first TAPPS 3A basketball title, beating district rival Kingwood Northeast Christian 70-52. Ranked No. 1 in the small private schools poll by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, the Warriors beat No. 2 Midland Classical Academy in the semifinals 55-47 and finished the school’s best season ever 27-2.
The College Park boys ventured into the UIL Class 5A regional quarterfinals after a shocking overtime upset of No. 3 Klein Collins before falling to Plano East 62-42.
The Woodlands girls, the third seed out of District 15-5A, won as many games as the top two seeds, College Park and Conroe, combined. The Lady Highlanders beat Klein Collins and Cedar Park before falling to Pflugerville, which had knocked out the Lady Cavaliers one round earlier, in the regional quarterfinals.
Tennis
College Park’s Heather Steinbauer won the school’s first state championship in May.
The senior defeated Fort Bend Dulles’ Audrey Wooland 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals before taking out Klein’s Ariel Morton 6-4, 6-2 in the finals
The Woodlands’ mixed doubles duo of Vivian Carrillo and Zach Martinez fell 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to Corpus Christi King’s Brandon del Nano and Lindsey Tristan in the state quarterfinals.
The John Cooper girls finished second in the SPC Tournament.
Golf
The Highlanders captured second place at the state golf tournament by winning a playoff with Spring Branch Memorial in May. Senior Chris Walker led the way with rounds of 73 and 74 to tie for seventh place.
The Lady Highlanders’ Gina Bartoletto finished in a tie for ninth.
Freshman Matthew Barth shined for The John Cooper School at the SPC Championship, finishing in a tie for fourth.
Seniors Claire Naisby (fifth) and Bri Trial (10th) led the Lady Dragons to third place.
Track and Field
Also in May, there were multiple state champions from The Woodlands crowned in Austin.
Sophomore Sarah Andrews had a stunning state meet debut, winning by almost 11 seconds in the 3,200-meter run (10:43.78). She also took home a bronze medal in the 1,600.
On the boys side, junior Reed Connor finished second in the 3,200 and third in the 1,600.
Classmates Drew Butler and Ben Skidmore also claimed silver medals, Butler with a blistering 1:53.02 in the 800 and Skidmore with his time of 47.14 in the 400-meter dash.
The Highlanders finished third in the team standings.
The girls 4x200 relay of Justine Charbonnet, Tolani Ayo-Vaughn, Jonelle Cathey-Harper and Sunday Foster finished fourth, one-half second off the podium.
Senior Lauren Sternick finished second in the 1,600 at the SPC Championship, while junior Matt Hodges finished third in the 400 and sophomore Tim Cousins was third in the 1,600.
Lacrosse
The Woodlands lacrosse team advanced to the state tournament for the first time in the program’s history in May.
Coach Dave Seale built the Highlanders into one of the best teams in Texas over the last few years and, despite an 8-6 loss to Episcopal School of Dallas in the semifinals, the season was a resounding success.
Baseball
The Woodlands Christian Academy provided the highlight for area teams on the diamond as the Warriors reached the TAPPS 3A state championship game, where they lost to Kingwood Northeast Christian 14-4.
The John Cooper School won the SPC Division II crown.
Softball
The Woodlands had a remarkable season end against Klein Oak in the regional quarterfinals. The Lady Highlanders defeated Klein in the bi-district round, then beat Round Rock in the area playoffs after having lost Game 1 to the Lady Dragons.
Soccer
Both The Woodlands girls and boys teams took their postseason quests deep into the state playoffs. The Highlanders advanced to the final eight as one of only two teams to shut out its opponents in the first four rounds. The Woodlands downed Allen 1-0 in a shootout before falling to Klein 3-1 in the regional final.
The Lady Highlanders advanced just as far and also beat Allen, 3-1, in the regional semifinals before falling to Plano East 4-3 in a shootout in the final. It was the program’s best showing in the postseason, while the boys team lost in the regional final for the third straight year.
The College Park girls team won two games before falling to Round Rock in the regional quarterfinals and Oak Ridge goalkeeper Alley Ronaldi had a superb season, leading the Lady War Eagles to a playoff berth and keeping them in their first-round 1-0 loss to Klein.
Team Tennis
Neither The Woodlands and College Park made it out of the regional tournament, as was expected from one of the top two seeds. Klein, which had two out of its three regular season losses come against the two local tennis powers, upset the No. 2 seed Highlanders in the semifinals before ending the No. 1 seed Cavaliers’ season in the finals.
Volleyball
College Park and The Woodlands both had banner years as the district foes enjoyed state rankings throughout the season. The teams split a pair of league matches, and both finished 9-1.
In November, the Lady Cavaliers were beaten in four sets in the second round of the playoffs by Cypress Woods, but the Lady Highlanders had the best season in program history, topping 30 wins and advancing to the third round, the regional quarterfinals, before falling to Round Rock.
The Woodlands’ Katie Messing was named to the Texas Sports Writers Association’s All-State Third Team, while College Park’s Lexi Erwin received honorable mention recognition.
The John Cooper School won the SPC Division II championship.
Cross Country
In November, The Woodlands girls and boys both won state titles for the second time in school history (1989). Andrews and Connor both also won the individual 5A titles, marking only the second time that feat had been accomplished in state history (Kingwood, 1997). The team title was coach Dan Green and the boys’ 15th.
Connor went on to win the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore., in early December, leading the Highlanders to fourth place. Andrews finished second in the NXN girls race.
The John Cooper School juniors Cousins and Anthony Urbanelli finished second and fourth, respectively, at the SPC Championship.
Kathleen Murphy finished fourth for the Lady Dragons.
We saw a slew of state championship teams and one national champion runner.
There was a first-ever title for College Park High School and a 15th championship for The Woodlands.
The John Cooper School and The Woodlands Christian Academy won private school crowns.
The best of the best from 2008 follows in chronological order.
Swimming and Diving
In February, The Woodlands’ pool rats put on a show at the UIL Class 5A state meet in Austin.
Chief among the stars was Drew Livingston, who capped a fantastic schoolboy career by smashing the 28-year old state record in the one-meter diving finals by 55.05 points. Livingston’s 100-point margin of victory gave him a second straight state title.
Vennie Dantin also finished her high school career on the highest of high notes, winning her first one-meter championship by 7.6 points, a tight margin that required nerves of steel.
The girls 200-yard freestyle relay team of Kelsey Amundsen, Erin Foster, Amanda McClelland and Kelly Flynn set a new state record in their winning time of 1:35.30. The quartet also won silver in the 400 free relay as the Lady Highlanders took home second place as a team.
Chad Sorenson cashed in on a phenomenal swim to capture the 100-yard breaststroke title in a school-record time of 56.75, leading The Woodlands boys to fourth place.
Also, the freshman Foster finished third in the 200 freestyle, while Amundsen, a junior, finished third in the 100 free.
At the Southwest Preparatory Conference Championship, The John Cooper School boys swim team won its first-ever title, upsetting powerhouse St. Mark’s School of Dallas by nine points.
Seniors Zac Mijares-Shafai (100 free) and Colin Nelson (200 individual medley) and juniors James May (100 breaststroke) and Bryce Poeter (100 backstroke) all won individual championships.
The 400 free relay team of Andrew Ghazi, Poeter, Nelson and Mijares-Shafai clocked 3:22.66 to break the SPC record in their win, while Poeter, May, Nelson and Mijares-Shafai secured the top spot in the 200 medley relay.
May (100 butterfly), Mijares-Shafai (200 free), and Nelson (500 free) also won silver medals, while Ghazi also took home a silver in the 50 free and bronze in the 100 free.
Stephanie Camstra finished second in one-meter diving for the girls team.
Wrestling
Also in February, The Woodlands’ Erik Spjut claimed his second state title in the 125-pound weight class a year after winning gold in the 119-pound class and two years after taking bronze at 112 pounds.
The Highlanders’ Vassil Boasherliev finished fifth in the 160-pound division and Oak Ridge’s Anna Campos took home a sixth-place medal in the 128-pound class in her third trip to the state meet.
College Park’s Stephen Contreras upset the No. 2 seed in the first round of the 103-pound class before losing his next two matches, while Oak Ridge’s Austin Burke (140 pounds) and The Woodlands’ Bart Kovacs (152) also made the trip to Austin.
Basketball
In March, The Woodlands Christian Academy captured the school’s first TAPPS 3A basketball title, beating district rival Kingwood Northeast Christian 70-52. Ranked No. 1 in the small private schools poll by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, the Warriors beat No. 2 Midland Classical Academy in the semifinals 55-47 and finished the school’s best season ever 27-2.
The College Park boys ventured into the UIL Class 5A regional quarterfinals after a shocking overtime upset of No. 3 Klein Collins before falling to Plano East 62-42.
The Woodlands girls, the third seed out of District 15-5A, won as many games as the top two seeds, College Park and Conroe, combined. The Lady Highlanders beat Klein Collins and Cedar Park before falling to Pflugerville, which had knocked out the Lady Cavaliers one round earlier, in the regional quarterfinals.
Tennis
College Park’s Heather Steinbauer won the school’s first state championship in May.
The senior defeated Fort Bend Dulles’ Audrey Wooland 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals before taking out Klein’s Ariel Morton 6-4, 6-2 in the finals
The Woodlands’ mixed doubles duo of Vivian Carrillo and Zach Martinez fell 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to Corpus Christi King’s Brandon del Nano and Lindsey Tristan in the state quarterfinals.
The John Cooper girls finished second in the SPC Tournament.
Golf
The Highlanders captured second place at the state golf tournament by winning a playoff with Spring Branch Memorial in May. Senior Chris Walker led the way with rounds of 73 and 74 to tie for seventh place.
The Lady Highlanders’ Gina Bartoletto finished in a tie for ninth.
Freshman Matthew Barth shined for The John Cooper School at the SPC Championship, finishing in a tie for fourth.
Seniors Claire Naisby (fifth) and Bri Trial (10th) led the Lady Dragons to third place.
Track and Field
Also in May, there were multiple state champions from The Woodlands crowned in Austin.
Sophomore Sarah Andrews had a stunning state meet debut, winning by almost 11 seconds in the 3,200-meter run (10:43.78). She also took home a bronze medal in the 1,600.
On the boys side, junior Reed Connor finished second in the 3,200 and third in the 1,600.
Classmates Drew Butler and Ben Skidmore also claimed silver medals, Butler with a blistering 1:53.02 in the 800 and Skidmore with his time of 47.14 in the 400-meter dash.
The Highlanders finished third in the team standings.
The girls 4x200 relay of Justine Charbonnet, Tolani Ayo-Vaughn, Jonelle Cathey-Harper and Sunday Foster finished fourth, one-half second off the podium.
Senior Lauren Sternick finished second in the 1,600 at the SPC Championship, while junior Matt Hodges finished third in the 400 and sophomore Tim Cousins was third in the 1,600.
Lacrosse
The Woodlands lacrosse team advanced to the state tournament for the first time in the program’s history in May.
Coach Dave Seale built the Highlanders into one of the best teams in Texas over the last few years and, despite an 8-6 loss to Episcopal School of Dallas in the semifinals, the season was a resounding success.
Baseball
The Woodlands Christian Academy provided the highlight for area teams on the diamond as the Warriors reached the TAPPS 3A state championship game, where they lost to Kingwood Northeast Christian 14-4.
The John Cooper School won the SPC Division II crown.
Softball
The Woodlands had a remarkable season end against Klein Oak in the regional quarterfinals. The Lady Highlanders defeated Klein in the bi-district round, then beat Round Rock in the area playoffs after having lost Game 1 to the Lady Dragons.
Soccer
Both The Woodlands girls and boys teams took their postseason quests deep into the state playoffs. The Highlanders advanced to the final eight as one of only two teams to shut out its opponents in the first four rounds. The Woodlands downed Allen 1-0 in a shootout before falling to Klein 3-1 in the regional final.
The Lady Highlanders advanced just as far and also beat Allen, 3-1, in the regional semifinals before falling to Plano East 4-3 in a shootout in the final. It was the program’s best showing in the postseason, while the boys team lost in the regional final for the third straight year.
The College Park girls team won two games before falling to Round Rock in the regional quarterfinals and Oak Ridge goalkeeper Alley Ronaldi had a superb season, leading the Lady War Eagles to a playoff berth and keeping them in their first-round 1-0 loss to Klein.
Team Tennis
Neither The Woodlands and College Park made it out of the regional tournament, as was expected from one of the top two seeds. Klein, which had two out of its three regular season losses come against the two local tennis powers, upset the No. 2 seed Highlanders in the semifinals before ending the No. 1 seed Cavaliers’ season in the finals.
Volleyball
College Park and The Woodlands both had banner years as the district foes enjoyed state rankings throughout the season. The teams split a pair of league matches, and both finished 9-1.
In November, the Lady Cavaliers were beaten in four sets in the second round of the playoffs by Cypress Woods, but the Lady Highlanders had the best season in program history, topping 30 wins and advancing to the third round, the regional quarterfinals, before falling to Round Rock.
The Woodlands’ Katie Messing was named to the Texas Sports Writers Association’s All-State Third Team, while College Park’s Lexi Erwin received honorable mention recognition.
The John Cooper School won the SPC Division II championship.
Cross Country
In November, The Woodlands girls and boys both won state titles for the second time in school history (1989). Andrews and Connor both also won the individual 5A titles, marking only the second time that feat had been accomplished in state history (Kingwood, 1997). The team title was coach Dan Green and the boys’ 15th.
Connor went on to win the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore., in early December, leading the Highlanders to fourth place. Andrews finished second in the NXN girls race.
The John Cooper School juniors Cousins and Anthony Urbanelli finished second and fourth, respectively, at the SPC Championship.
Kathleen Murphy finished fourth for the Lady Dragons.
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