Recap: Spring SPC
Beginning from 8:30 on Thursday morning to Saturday evening last week, Casady student-athletes competed at several SPC schools around Dallas for the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC). Their hard work and commitment paid off; some athletes returned to our campus as SPC champions. Tennis and softball teams played their first matches and games Thursday.Lydia Foster's ('19) final match awarded the Casady girls tennis team a victory against Episcopal High School. The match was rigorous and lasted 2.5 hours! Girls tennis won 3-2 against Episcopal and played St. John's the next day. The girls team lost against St. John's, but beat Trinity Valley, earning themselves 5th place! Boys tennis had quite a few close matches as well. Sam Atkinson ('18) fought two tough matches Friday afternoon against St. John's, and Saturday Morning against St. Marks. The team beat St. John's 3-2 and lost to St. Marks 2-3, finishing the season in 4th place! Parents and team members from both sides formed large crowds during both Foster's ('19) and Atkinson's ('18) matches, and were very impressed with the athletes sportsmanship and endurance after a few long days.Girls softball had a strong season, entering the SPC tournament as the 4th seed in the North Zone. They lost their first game against Kinkaid 2-5, moving them into the consolation bracket. Their second game against All Saints' was exciting, the entire track team paraded into the Hockaday stands for support, and the girls won 11-4. Many believed Casady's softball team didn't deserve to be in the consolation bracket. To prove it, the girl's continued to dominate the rest of their games. The softball team wiped out Hockday and won 13-1, placing them 9th in SPC to finish their season. Whitney Thomas ('18), a member of the softball team, reflected, "we hit really well and played our best defense of the season [during the tournament]."Casady's Track meet participated at the SPC meet from Friday to Saturday afternoon. The girls and boys performed exceptionally well, and showed a great amount of improvement from last year! Friday, Jake Uhland ('17) placed 2nd in shot-put, shy of his 1st place opponent's throw by 1 inch, and Jaylan Williams ('17) became an SPC champion in the Discus with a throw of 146 ft and 4 in. Throughout the rest of the meet, Kaitlyn Barthell ('17) placed 3rd in the mile, 2 mile, and 800 meter run. Barthell ('17) continued to make outstanding finishes on each of her races during the meet. Her inspiring leadership and athletic drive will certainly be missed next year. Isiah Levingston ('17), SPC record holder and champion, placed 1st in the high jump, 110 m hurdles, and 300 m hurdles - breaking his record in this event from last year. Levingston ('17) also placed 2nd in the boy's triple jump. His love for track and his team pushed him to excel. Levingston's ('17) competitive and supportive presence will also be missed next year. Ruby Berryman ('19) placed 2nd in the 300 m hurdles, Alden O'Connor ('17) placed 3rd the 300 m hurdles, and Jack Ryan ('17) placed 5th in the 2 mile run. As for the relay teams, the boy's 4x400 m relay placed 3rd in the SPC. Overall, Casady's girls track team placed 5th and the boys team placed 3rd. The track team's coach, Autumn Johnson repeatedly received compliments on our athletes wonderful sportsmanship and meet etiquette.However, all of Casady's student-athletes excelled in their performance, leadership, and support for their community. Each win and loss was accepted with grace and enthusiasm to take on their next challenge. We look forward to what the next school year has in store for our Cyclones.