1. tiger sports
Basketball
coach Craig Dawson, Keith Johnson,
Steve Stancill ’74, Frankie Lewis
captains Davis Cornett ’15,
Hawk Swearingen ’15, Clark Yarbrough ’16
record 10–11
individual honors
All-Prep Luke Neeley ’15
T
he Tiger basketball program has im-
proved each year since Craig Dawson
was named head coach in 2012. This
year, the Tigers’ talent came from their co-
hesiveness on and off the court. Players sup-
ported and enjoyed one another, celebrat-
ed individual successes, and formed a truly
unified team.
“This group was talented enough to be
a championship contender,” Coach Daw-
son said. “Their biggest challenge was self-
confidence.” Being much younger than last
year’s veteran squad, this group was new to
overcoming close games. However, by add-
ing five underclassmen the coach set the
foundation for a championship program.
The season began with three victories
against Fuqua, Tandem Friends, and, in the
Life & Breath Tournament, against Trinity-
Byrnes Collegiate. Joe Foley ’18 started in
his first varsity game against Fuqua, earn-
ing fifteen points and five assists.
The Tigers suffered their first loss at the
hands of Lexington High School. Despite
freshman Maxwell Johns’s thirteen-point
run in the first half, the team struggled in
the second half, losing by seven points. This
defeat was followed by another against the
team that was ultimately crowned VISAA
state champion, Blue Ridge School.
The Tigers regained their composure on a
four-game winning streak at the beginning
of January. The peak of their streak came
against last year’s Prep League champion,
St. Anne’s-Belfield School. Responding to
a roaring student section in the Dick Gym,
they put together their most complete game
of the season, winning 59–53.
With the loss of Khalid Thomas ’18 to
ACL surgery over Christmas break, the Ti-
gers had to make critical mid-season adjust-
ments. Senior Hawk Swearingen’s scoring
promptly increased by nearly four points,
while Felix Culmer ’16 and Davis Cornett ’15
also stepped up to fill the void.
After a home win against Collegiate and a
loss to Episcopal, the Tigers played an away
game at Fork Union. They led by seven in the
third quarter until FUMA pulled ahead in
thefourth.SeniorLukeNeeleytiedthegame
at fifty, but after a foul on the floor, the team
c o u l d n ’ t
convert on
the next
p o s s e s -
sion.
At home
a g a i n
against St.
Christopher’s,
the Tigers played
their hearts out, but
ultimately fell short.
All-Prep player Luke
Neeley led all scorers
with sixteen points
and five rebounds,
while co-captain Clark
Yarbrough ’16
added fourteen
points and four
rebounds.
Despite these tough games, the Tigers
continued to battle and finally broke free
in mid-February, prevailing against Christ-
church at home. Clark Yarbrough ’16 earned
seven assists by game’s end.
“Now that we know we belong, the next
step is believing and learning how to win
consistently,” said Coach Dawson. And with
so many young returning players, the Tigers
are destined for greater success next season.
varsity | winter 2015 | season reports
coaches Nolan LaVoie, Jeff Davidhizar,
Jesse Woody
captains Marion Anderson ’15, Joel
Ndumbalo ’15, Ross Winston ’15
record 4th in WAICL
I
ndoor climbing inhabits a unique
space in Woodberry’s athletic
program. Blending aspects of
other solo sports like wrestling,
cross country, and swimming, good
climbing requires core athleticism and
introspective flow. As a result, success
in the sport requires physical, mental,
and technical skills in equal measure.
The game’s true competition takes
place between the vertical wall and
its climber.
Competitive Indoor Climbing
Joel Ndumbalo ’15
Luke Neeley ’15
10 woodberry forest magazine and journal
In top-rope and bouldering competitions,
climbers strive to earn points by completing
as many climbs of varying difficulty as they
can within a specified amount of time. As
the clock ticks down, a climber’s stamina
naturally decreases. Each team member’s
score reflects the difficulty of a climber’s top
three climbs when time is called.
In its third year with Nolan LaVoie as head
coach,Woodberry’sindoorclimbingprogram
attracts boys who are best described as cool,
calm, and compassionate. After pre-season
cuts, the coach accepted thirty boys and
created two varsity teams, WFS Orange and
WFS Black. Though the size of the program
speaks volumes for indoor climbing’s success
at Woodberry, accommodating all of the boys

2. coaches Curtis Phillips, Cameron Aubin,
Matt Boesen, Erik Born, Ben Hale, Jamison
Monahan, Scott Navitsky, Brian Stephenson
captains Brady Logan ’15, HT Minor ’15,
Nathaniel Tyrell ’15, David Yoo ’15
record 1st in Prep League; 1st in State
individual honors
All-Prep Nolan Day ’15, Cameron Finley ’15,
Brady Logan ’15, Patrick Shea ’15, Nathaniel
Tyrell ’15, David Yoo ’15, Michael Davenport
’16, Ryan Grady ’16, Zach Roderick ’16,
Caleb Rogers ’16, James Carrington ’17; All-
State Cameron Finley ’15, Hardin Lucas ’15,
Patrick Shea ’15, Nathaniel Tyrell ’15, David
Yoo ’15, Michael Davenport ’16, Ryan Grady
’16, Jim King ’16, Zach Roderick ’16; Second
Team All-State Brady Logan ’15, Michael
Davenport ’16; Honorable Mention All-
State Nolan Day ’15, Cameron Finley ’15, Ben
Foley ’15, Patrick Shea ’15, Jack Claiborne ’16,
Caleb Rogers ’16, James Carrington ’17; Prep
League Coach of the Year Curtis Phillips
T
omastertrackandfieldevents,athletes
must embrace limitations in the physi-
cal world and then tenaciously strive
to bend the laws that govern it: acceleration,
velocity, distance, and time. It should come
as no surprise that Curtis Phillips, Wood-
berry’s head varsity coach and two-time
Prep League Coach of the Year for indoor
track and field, is a physics teacher.
As back-to-back Prep League and State
champions, the Tigers went into this season
knowing they could not shrink in the face of
big competition, despite losing a large senior
class of all-stars last year. From the 55m dash
to the triple jump and shot put, the Tigers
demonstrated the highest level of perfor-
mance and victory came from the boys’ abili-
ty to switch events where points matter most
— in the Prep and State meets. “These boys
were willing to do whatever event would best
serve the team,” Coach Phillips said.
A significant moment on the way to
those culminating meets came when Ryan
Grady’16—whohaddealtwithinjuryandma-
jor surgery — came back to break the school
record in the triple jump during his first meet
of the season. He reached the 45' mark in the
Barbee Center, surpassing the previous re-
cord of 44'4" set by Wallace Branche ’12.
Woodberry was well-represented at two
major track events. Ryan, David Yoo ’15, and
Jack Claiborne ’16 all qualified for the New
Balance Indoor Nationals Emerging Elite di-
vision while Michael Davenport ’16 qualified
for the championship division in the 60m
and 200m events. And Jack tied the school
high jump record of 6'4" at
the Kevin Dare Memo-
rial Invitational at Penn
State, a meet that saw
first-place finishes from
Cameron Finley ’15,
Brady Logan ’15, Har-
din Lucas ’15, Patrick
Shea ’15, Michael, and
Jim King ’16.
On a chilly Satur-
day in Richmond, the
Tigers out-ran, out-
jumped, and out-threw
their opponents, walking
away at the end of the day
with another Prep League
title. The victory included two school and
Prep League meet records: Michael in the
long jump and Michael, Zach Roderick ’16,
Nathaniel Tyrell ’15, and Patrick in the
4x200m relay. Six Tigers — including two
relay teams, Michael in long jump, Ryan in
triple jump, David in pole vault, and Brady in
shot put — earned first-place finishes.
The Tigers successfully defended their
state title at the VISAA championship at St.
Christopher’s with all the skill and finesse
they could muster. Scoring in thirteen of fif-
teen events, the team seemed to defy gravi-
ty that day, earning four championships (the
4x200 team of Michael, Nathaniel, Zach,
and Patrick; the 4x400 team of Hardin, Jim,
Patrick, and Cameron; David in pole vault;
and Ryan in triple jump), thirteen All-State
honors, and twenty-four
top-eight-place finish-
es. Their peak per-
formance came in
the 4x400m relay,
in which the Ti-
gers were not
even seeded to
win. The four-
some over-
came any doubters
in securing their
win and proving that
sometimes winning
a race doesn’t mean
bending the laws of
physics. Sometimes it just
means staying the course.
Indoor Track & Field
in the Forest’s indoor climbing gym proved
to be the Tigers’ greatest challenge. Many
veteran climbers demonstrated selflessness
and dedication to give less-experienced
climbers the opportunity and space to rise to
their full potential.
“These guys worked together every single
day to push each other to get better,” said
CoachLaVoie.“Bothteams’greateststrength,
far and away, was their work ethic.” And this
willingness to work hard extended beyond
practice, as every away competition — that is
allbuttheonecompagainstEHShostedatthe
Forest — introduced boys to types of vertical
terrain they had never before experienced.
On a Tuesday in January at the Sportrock
Climbing Center in Sterling, Virginia, many
Tigers faced their first-ever bouldering
competition against Episcopal. The Orange
team put forth a formidable effort against
a group of very strong Maroon climbers.
Though EHS ultimately won, Woodberry’s
top-ranked climber, Will Goetzenberger ’17,
scored twenty points in his three top climbs.
Woodberry placed fourth in the
Washington Area Interscholastic Climbing
League (WAICL) tournament, with several
climbers coming through in a big way.
Captain and senior Joel Ndumbalo turned in
a phenomenal performance as the team’s lead
top-rope scorer with twenty-eight points.
KJ Pankratz ’17 demonstrated leadership
and even more potential, finishing second
with twenty-three points. Juniors Spencer
Andrews and Justin Mitchell scored thirteen
and nineteen points respectively. Finally,
freshman Ben Weaver’s twenty-one points
were not only a huge contribution to the
team but a harbinger of the program’s future
success.
At season’s end, Coach LaVoie was
most impressed not by the scores of his
climbers, but by how they viewed their
accomplishments. “It was exciting to hear
them admit that they had never worked so
hard or had so much fun participating in a
competitive sport,” he said.
Nathaniel Tyrell ’15 and Michael Davenport ’16
tiger sports
spring 2015 11

3. 12 woodberry forest magazine and journal
coaches Gregory Guldin, Heath Allen ’12,
Colin Manning, Graham McBride
captains Nick Switzer ’16,
Robert Willis ’16
record 4th in Prep League, 3rd in State
individual honors
All-State Eli Levy ’16, Nick Switzer ’16,
Robert Willis ’16, Chas Sigloh ’17;
All-American Nick Switzer ’16; VISAA
Coach of the Year Gregory Guldin
T
hough their last All-American
swimmers had graduated two
years earlier, the Tigers didn’t
back-step very far this season. Instead
they accelerated forward, proving that
true progress comes from the mental-
ity a team possesses when faced with
limitations. Their greatest constraint
this season was a lack of numbers,
Swimming & Diving
Squash
coach John Reimers
captain Will Peak ’15
record 5–10
A
thletes learn a great deal about them-
selves when playing squash: how
much they want something, how
they react under extreme pressure, and what
they do when faced with their own limita-
tions. Squash resembles other sports in its
capacity to teach its players to deal with both
success and defeat and to value both disci-
pline and time spent with teammates.
Woodberry’s 2014–15 varsity squash sea-
son got off to a brisk start, with the Tigers
defeating St. Christopher’s, Gonzaga, and
Mercersburg in the December 6 play-around
that crowned William von Hassell ’16
as the man of the match. The
following Tuesday, Wood-
berry defeated Gonzaga, but
the 5–4 score was a little too
close for comfort.
As it turns out, the chal-
lenges the Woodberry
squad would face over the
course of the season were
just beginning. Playing in
the Tom Flanagan Invita-
tional Squash Tournament
against seven other
teams, the Tigers were unable
to defeat Mercersburg on its
home courts and lost twice.
In the season’s center, Wood-
berry faced veteran teams of se-
niors and nationally ranked play-
ers who had, as Coach John Reimers
put it, “plenty of depth.” The Westminster
School’s team, a very strong group of play-
ers from Atlanta, defeated the Tigers 9–0 in
Woodberry’s Squash Pavilion.
As team newcomer Richmond Adams ’16,
observed, “Playing better teams makes you
a better player.” Every Tiger continued to
work hard, and as the season progressed,
more matches began to go in Woodberry’s
favor. Meanwhile, the competition was
also improving.
The Woodberry squad finished its sea-
son facing off against rival Episcopal High
School. Will Peak ’15 and Teddy Garner ’16
each scored some very good points in two
long and strenuous matches. Although the
possibility of victory ultimately faded for
the players, everyone continued to work
hard against an intense team. “There were
plenty of good points and some extend-
ed games, but EHS’s depth was difficult to
overcome,” the coach admitted. A highlight
of the season occurred when senior Tal-
fourd Wharton capped his season — and his
Woodberry squash career — with a win.
Frequently engaged in close matches, the
Tigers worked to their limits and got along
doing it. They were, Coach
Reimers said, “a good
group of fellows in
a very frustrat-
ing season with many of
the players competing
at the varsity level
for the first time.”
Through it all,
they learned to
meet the chal-
lenges of robust
competition.
Eli Levy ’16
Talfourd Wharton ’15
William von Hassell ’16 and Richmond Adams ’16
meaning the Tigers had to accomplish more
with fewer boys in the water.
Leadership helped inspire the team to
perform. Junior captains Nick Switzer and
Robert Willis made focus routine, prepar-
ing everyone for early-morning workouts
and maintaining concentration during
meets. They were not alone. Heath Allen ’12
stepped up as assistant coach, and, with
his natural leadership ability, cultivated in-
tegrity and developed leaders among the
younger athletes.
Yet at the peak of its mid-season train-
ing in Fort Lauderdale, the team’s motiva-
tion seemed to evaporate and the Tigers
were forced to reevaluate their season goals.
Upon returning from Florida, they had what
may have been their most successful prac-
tice of the season when they completed the

4. spring 2015 13
mentally and physically challenging set
known as “4–3–2.” That practice became a
touch point, one the captains cited through-
out the season in pre-meet pep talks.
When the qualifying swimmers mount-
ed the starting blocks at the VISAA state
championship meet, the focus of the en-
tire season’s work, Coach Greg Guldin
knew the Tigers could finish no higher
than third place — and there was no guar-
antee the Tigers would even find a spot
on the podium. The 400-freestyle relay
team of Chas Sigloh ’17, Robert, Eli Levy
’16, and Nick outperformed all expecta-
tions with a third-place finish, and Nick
Switzer ’16 broke his own school record
in the 100-yard breaststroke by almost a
full second. Quintin Schwartz ’15 broke
the school’s twenty-four-year-old record
in the 1-meter diving event with a lifetime
best score of 322.95. Thanks to strong lead-
ership and training — and a healthy dose
of grit — the swimmers came through in
the relays, both divers did excellent work
on the boards, and the team captured a
third-place finish behind Trinity Episco-
pal School and St. Christopher’s School.
For the coach, the season’s real high-
light occurred at the hotel where the team
stayed during the state meet. Following a
team meal, the hotel staff told Greg they
had never had a more polite group of young
men there as guests. And at the meet, the
Tigers were recognized with the Men’s
Team Sportsmanship Award. “A small
number of people can do incredible things
when they fully
commit and
d e d i c a t e
themselves to
a com-
m o n
goal,”
Coach
G u l d -
in said.
“ T h a t ’ s
the lesson
I want the
boys to re-
member after
they leave the Forest.”
Wrestling
coaches David Budlong, Todd Jarry, Will
Sutherland ’09, Alex Tisch
captains Jared Engh ’15, Cole Martini ’15,
Darby Henagan ’16, Andrew Holmes ’16
record 2nd in Prep League; 5th in State
individual honors
All-Prep Jared Engh ’15, Cole Martini ’15,
Darby Henagan ’16; All-State Jared Engh ’15,
Cole Martini ’15, Shane Maryk ’17
A
t a typical Woodberry seated meal
during the winter trimester, it isn’t
difficult to pick out the wrestlers.
They are the bruised boys with ice strapped
to their bodies, always skimping on dessert
yet reaching for that extra helping of win-
ter vegetable medley. They are tough, deter-
mined, and proud of what they accomplish.
Though wrestling is arguably Woodberry’s
most physical sport, mental willpower is its
greatest attribute.
In his third year as head
coach, David Budlong
has seen the pro-
gram change in
many ways. Last
year, he imple-
mented a fit-
ness and nutrition regimen to help
keep the wrestlers injury-free. This
season, the Tigers had to overcome
the challenge of youth. With such
a young team, Coach Budlong wel-
comed aid from former Woodber-
ry wrestler Will Sutherland ’09, as
well as assistant coaches Todd Jar-
ry and Alex Tisch.
The team’s tribulations included
learning to compete against more
experienced teams in dual matches
and challenging tournaments. To-
gether, the Tigers embraced adver-
sity. The coaches trusted the captains, who
were supported by seniors and juniors in
practice and competition. “Leadership and
mentoring from the older guys shaped our
team’s culture,” said Coach Sutherland.
Surrounded by some of the best teams in
the nation at the St. Alban’s tournament in
February, the Tigers competed in only sev-
en of fourteen weight classes. De-
spite its low number of entries,
Woodberry placed tenth
out of thirty-two teams,
a significant achieve-
ment. Four Tigers
placed in the top
eight. Seeded sev-
enth overall, Shane
Maryk ’17 fin-
ished in sixth place.
Wrestling at 220, se-
nior Cole Martini ’15
placed fourth. Darby
Henagan’16tooksixth
place as the heavy-
weight sixth seed. And Jared Engh ’15 won
the 171st match of his high school career,
capturing second place.
Going into the Prep League tournament,
which Woodberry hosted, the Tigers were
expected to finish in the league’s bottom
half. In the end, they celebrated a second-
place finish and the coronation of three
Prep League champions: Jared, Cole, and
Darby at heavyweight.
In the end, Woodberry took on a season
fraught with challenges and turned it into
one of substantial accomplishment. In many
cases, the boys’ spirit and energy defied the
results on the scoreboard. Will Harris ’15,
Andrew Holmes ’16, Roy Toston ’16, James
Forbes ’17, Will Medick ’17, Kent Walker ’18,
and Darby all exhibited leadership and a will
to improve that inspired their teammates —
and will serve the Tigers well in the years
to come. As Coach Budlong said, “I look for-
ward to getting back on the mat next year and
watching the boys grow, mature, and develop
as wrestlers and young men.”
Jared Engh ’15
Cole Martini ’15
Quintin Schwartz ’15

5. 14 woodberry forest magazine and journal
tiger sports
Baseball
coaches Chris Holmes, Andrew
Handelsman
captains MacLindsay Mitchell ’15,
Christian Zaytoun ’15, Patrick
McDonald ’16
record 7–11–1 overall; 5–7 and
4th place in Prep League
individual honors
All-Prep MacLindsay Mitchell ’15,
Patrick McDonald ’16; Second Team
All-State MacLindsay Mitchell ’15
T
he varsity baseball squad
acquitted itself well in the
always-strong Virginia Prep
League this season. The Tigers were
forced to practice indoors for
two weeks at the begin-
ning of the season
because of heavy
snow on Murrell Field. In fact, they broke
for spring break without practicing on their
home field even once. They convened in
Atlanta for the yearly spring
break trip, taking on tra-
ditional Georgia
powerhouse
W o o d -
ward Academy
and battling to a 4–4
tie after eight innings. The
game ended in a tie by mutual
consent as both squads had a full slate of
games the rest of the week. Both the var-
sity and JV squads played well against
tough competition.
Returning to Virginia, the Ti-
gers opened the Prep League
portion of their schedule with a
thrilling 1–0 win against Fork
Union, whom they would go
on to sweep for the sea-
son. They also swept
Prep League foe Christchurch and split with
Trinity Episcopal. The Tigers lost games 2–1
in Richmond against both St. Chris and Col-
legiate, the latter against the second-ranked
Cougars in nine innings. Woodberry also
claimed another victory over Episcopal High
School as MacLindsay Mitchell ’15 struck out
fifteen of the Maroon in a dominant 8–1 vic-
tory over the visitors from Alexandria.
Several Tigers had remarkable seasons.
Patrick McDonald ’16 set the school record
with a 0.43 ERA for the season, despite be-
ing injured the second half of the season.
MacLindsay tied the single-season record
for strikeouts with eighty-one in forty-
eight innings. And although Christian Zay-
toun ’15 was behind the dish the majority
of the year, he found his way in the top sin-
gle-season efforts with an ERA of 2.95. The
team set a season record for lowest ERA at
3.43. All in all, it was great effort by the Ti-
gers, setting the stage for bigger and better
things in the future.
Golf
coaches Marc Hogan, David Smith
captains Hawk Swearingen ’15, Peter Knade ’16
record 1st in Prep League; 2nd in State
individual honors
All-Prep Peter Knade ’16, Hawk
Swearingen ’15, Teddy Garner ’16, Charles
Hargrove ’17, Mac Boney ’18 ; All-State Mac
Boney ’18, Basil Boyd ’17
T
he 2015 Woodberry Forest golf cam-
paign began with thirty-seven stu-
dents, a record number, trying out
for the varsity team during the last snowy
weeks of February. Coaches Marc Hogan
and David Smith settled on a group of twen-
ty-three players who battled all season for
the coveted six match spots. Weekly quali-
fying rounds meant a different group played
in each match.
An opening tie with St. Christopher’s at
home was followed by victories at Trin-
ity Episcopal School, over St. Paul’s School
in the Disharoon Cup, and at St. Anne’s-
Belfield School. The Tigers lost by a single
stroke at Collegiate, but got revenge over
the Cougars at home the following week.
To close the season, Woodberry won hand-
ily over Georgetown Prep, lost at St. Chris-
topher’s School, and bested Episcopal High
School to finish with a 6–2–1 record.
The Tigers were not favored in the Prep
League tournament, even though they had
won the three previous championships.
Playing their best golf in windy and warm
conditions, Woodberry prevailed over pre-
viously undefeated St. Chris and the other
VPL teams to garner its twenty-eighth
league title at The Federal Club in Glen Al-
len. Peter Knade ’16 (71) successfully de-
fended his individual championship. Peter,
Hawk Swearingen ’15 (76), Teddy Garner ’16
(80), Charles Hargrove ’17 (80), and Mac
Boney ’18 (81) earned All-Prep honors.
The next week, the Tigers finished sec-
ond at the VISAA state championship at
The Manor in Farmville to St. Chris, 297-
303. Mac (76) and Basil Boyd ’17 (73) gar-
nered All-State honors.
Peter, the team’s co-captain, won the Wil-
liam H. White Golf Trophy for low stroke
average, and Charles won the Thomas Bond
MVP Award for his overall play. Hawk fin-
ished his WFS career by winning the Sam
A. Dougherty Golf Prize for his outstanding
play and leadership as a co-captain.
Ten golfers finished with stroke averages
below eighty, and eleven of the top twelve
golfers return for the 2016 season, promis-
ing another season of excellence.
varsity | spring 2015 | season reports
Teddy Garner ’16
MacLindsay Mitchell ’15

6. spring 2015 15
Lacrosse
coaches Brian Hemming, Ryan Alexander,
Todd Jarry
captains Nate Ingram ’15, Tiger Ripley ’15,
Patrick Shea ’15, Talfourd Wharton ’15
record 9–9, 5th in Prep League, 8th in State
individual honors
All-Prep Patrick Shea ’15, Wylie Mendicino ’15;
All-State Patrick Shea ’15; Academic All-
American Nate Ingram ’15
W
hen the varsity lacrosse team
graduated eighteen seniors last
season, it seemed that inexperi-
ence would be an obstacle this year. But the
Tigers possessed the right attitude. “These
guys never let the learning curve be an ex-
cuse. They came out and worked hard every
practice,” said Head Coach Brian Hemming
“This was a team that had fun and remained
great teammates to each other.”
The season began with a scrimmage fol-
lowed by the spring break training trip to
Tampa. “We had new kids learning the
sport, so we needed to get up to speed quick-
ly,” the coach said. “Florida gave the team’s
less-experienced players time to adapt to
the more experienced ones.”
The team won its first game of the season
against Mullen School, then lost its second
to Avon Old Farms. The Tigers won their
next three games and lost four after that.
The players stayed open to changing po-
sitions and learning new plays. Halfway
through the season, the coaches changed
the playing rotation, switched from man-to-
man to zone defense, and added new offen-
sive plays. Said Coach Hemming, “As long
as we can look back and say we are better
today than we were at the start of the week
— we are doing all right.”
In the first round of the State playoffs,
Woodberry was down to Bishop O’Connell
by six goals at the end of the first half; they
came back to win by two.
Co-captain Patrick Shea ’15 led team
scoring for the season by more than seventy
points. At times, co-captain and first string
goalie Talfourd Wharton ’15 saved fifteen
to sixteen goals per game, while mid-fielder
Wylie Mendicino ’15 proved to be one of Vir-
ginia’s best at facing off.
Throughout the season, the team’s atti-
tude never wavered. In the second half of
a winning game, Patrick Shea retrieved the
game ball for a teammate who had scored
his first-ever goal with it. Patrick wrote the
player’s name on the ball and presented it to
him in the huddle after the game. “That ges-
ture made me feel that this team played in
a league of its own,” Coach Hemming said.
Mountain
Biking
coaches Nolan LaVoie, Alex Tisch, Joe Fischer
record 3rd in Virginia High School Mountain
Bike Series
individual honors
Justin Mitchell ’16 earned 2nd in League;
qualified for USA Cycling Nationals
I
n its second year as a varsity sport,
Woodberry’s mountain biking team
competed in a demanding five-race
season, riding over 10,000 miles, plac-
ing third in the Virginia High School
Mountain Bike Series, and quali-
fying its fastest rider, Justin
Mitchell ’16, to race in the USA
Cycling Nationals.
Mountain biking has be-
come increasingly popular in
the two years it has been a var-
sity sport at Woodberry — with
bikes and trails
new to fifteen of the twenty boys on the
team. Early in the season, the weather was
so cold and rainy that the boys had to prac-
tice indoors. Once they could move outside,
they rebuilt and renovated the school’s trail
system before they
could ride. By the
end of the season,
they had put more
than 140 hours into
trail construction
and maintenance.
Once conditions
were finally right,
the team set a
goal to ride
the trails ev-
ery day. “We
found ways to
challenge the
team and keep
the riding fun,”
said Head Coach Nolan
LaVoie. “We built new
obstacles on the trails,
set up mock
races, and enjoyed our share of Chinese buf-
fets after races.”
Where the team lacked technical experi-
ence — on more mountainous terrain found
at other schools, for example — they com-
pensated with raw determination. Wood-
berry’s final race at Blue Ridge School was
particularly rough, with several riders fin-
ishing with broken bikes and bruised bod-
ies. “They had strong relationships that al-
lowed them to push each other faster and
farther,” Coach LaVoie said. “Most people
don’t know that the act of simply finishing
the course in a mountain biking race is a
huge accomplishment in itself. And this is
no slouch league. We are competing against
some of the best mountain biking schools
in the country. It sort of makes us the ‘bad
news bears’ of the sport.”
Justin was far from the only rider to turn
in an incredible performance as a leader and
sportsman. Will Slicer ’17 and Alex Kro-
ngard ’17 found their way to the podium con-
sistently as well. As Coach LaVoie said, “They
come early, stay late, listen well, and are very
coachable — they’re Woodberry boys.”
Wylie Mendicino’15
Thomas Lee ’15
tiger sports

7. 16 woodberry forest magazine and journal
Tennis
coach Mourad Fahim,
Drew Collier ’03
captains Eduardo Corona ’15,
Diego Valenzuela ’16
record 5-1; 1st in Prep League
individual honors
All-Prep Billy Boyle ’16, Robin
Jin ’16, Diego Valenzuela ’16,
William von Hassell ’16,
Warner Cohen ’17; All-
State William von Hassell ’16
T
his season, Mourad Fa-
him, the new head varsi-
ty tennis coach, changed
the way Woodberry boys play
the game. “Tennis is more than
forehands and backhands,”
he said. “It’s about anticipat-
ing what your opponent will
do so that you can play ahead
of him.” The coach, a former
member of the Moroccan Ju-
nior National team, played for
Radford University’s Division
I team and was voted the col-
lege’s most valuable player. He has been
ranked number three in the over-thirty
men’s division, mid-
Atlantic section.
With nine return-
ing players, this
year’s Tigers pos-
sessed camaraderie,
which Coach Fahim
used to teach them
to play a better dou-
bles game. He knew
that by improving
his players’ abil-
ity to play togeth-
er, the team could
earn more wins. So
he had his players
focus on court posi-
tioning and coordi-
nating strategy with
partners.
William von Has-
sell ’16 became
fiercely competitive
by adjusting to his
opponents’ playing
styles. Billy Boyle ’16
developed important mental toughness.
The entire team benefited from learn-
ing to keep their emotions in check to play
through bad games and overcome adversi-
ty. Robin Jin ’16 played the same opponent
three times in the season. After narrowly
winning the first match and losing the sec-
ond, Robin proved that he had improved as
a competitor by beating his rival soundly in
the third match.
The team performed best during the Vir-
ginia Prep League tournament. At the end
of the singles matches, the Tigers had tak-
en second place. Coach Fahim told them to
forget their past matches. “All that matters
is the present,” he explained. His advice
paid off. In doubles, the Tigers defeated St.
Chris — a team that had earlier defeated
them. The doubles victory gave them the
points they needed to achieve their ulti-
mate goal, the Virginia Prep League cham-
pionship. Coach Fahim summarized, “We
learned that hard work pays off, smart
play means keeping emotions in check,
and learning to win is about using your
strengths to take advantage of your oppo-
nent’s weaknesses.”
Track & Field
coaches Curtis Phillips, Jamison Monahan,
Scott Navitsky, John Ransone, Erik Born,
Cameron Aubin, Brian Stephenson, Steve
Stancill ’74, and Ben Hale
captains Brady Logan ’15, HT Minor ’15,
Nathaniel Tyrell ’15, David Yoo ’15
record 1st in Prep League; 1st in State
individual honors
All-Prep Ben Foley ’15, Brady Logan ’15,
Jack Claiborne ’16, Michael Davenport ’16,
Ryan Grady ’16; All–State Ben Foley ’15, Jack
Claiborne ’16, Michael Davenport ’16; 2nd
Team All-State Davis Cornett ’15, Cameron
Finley ’15, Hearne King ’15,
Brady Logan ’15, Nathaniel
Tyrell ’15, David Yoo ’15,
Jack Claiborne ’16, Michael
Davenport ’16, Lionel
Johnson ’16, Jimmy King ’16,
Zach Roderick ’16, James Carrington ’17;
Honorable Mention All-State Ben Foley ’15,
Nathaniel Tyrell ’15, Jack Claiborne ’16,
Robert Singleton ’16, Joseph
Stephenson ’17; Prep League
Coach of the Year Curtis Phillips
A
fter back-to-back seasons as state
champions, how could Woodberry’s
track and field team improve this
year? They could set records. Nathaniel
Tyrell ’15, Zach Roderick ’16, Lionel John-
son ’16, and Michael Davenport ’16 set the
4x100m relay record at the Woodberry In-
vitational. Brady Logan ’15 set the school
and Prep League record in shot put at the
Dogwood Invitational mid-season — and
then broke his record during the Virginia
Prep League meet with the longest throw in
the state. Michael set
a school and a Prep
League record in
the 100m. His most
spectacular perfor-
mance came in
the long jump
at the State
meet, where
he broke a
record that
had stood
since 1933.
But breaking records isn’t enough. “My
job is to put athletes in the best position to
contribute to the team’s goal,” said Head
Coach Curtis Phillips. “There are no in-
game adjustments or strategy. There are
only the spectators and the trust that the
runners, jumpers, and throwers will do
their best.”
On a sunny April afternoon, spectators
and trust came together at the Woodberry
Forest Track and Field Invitational. Michael,
Jack Claiborne ’16, Robert Singleton ’16, Ben
Foley ’15, Brady, Zach, and Jack Sari ’16 all
achieved lifetime bests in their events. And
later, at Fork Union, the Tigers edged out
their competitors to win their third consecu-
tive outdoor Prep League championship.
At the VISAA State meet in Richmond,
Woodberry met every challenge. “I was
moved,” said the coach, “by the grace with
whichtheboyshandledtheirsuccessandthe
relationships they formed with each other
and their competition.” The team captured
its third state title in a row — a feat never
before accomplished at Woodberry Forest.
Tiger Sports is written by David Hollerith ’09.
Robin Jin ’16
Brady Logan ’15
tiger sports