Beyond the Books - June 2024
June 12, 2024
At Cretin-Derham Hall, students have important opportunities to grow, learn and thrive both in the classroom and 'beyond the books!' In fact, 98% of students participate in one or more sports or activities.
Beyond the Books is our brag book on all of your favorite co-curriculars at CDH: athletics, activities, JROTC, Campus Ministry, and the Arts. This can also be a place for occasional school-wide athletic department updates and current news on some of our activities.
ATHLETICS | BAND | CHOIR | THEATER | JROTC
Athletics
Baseball
By Toby Anderson, Assistant Coach
The baseball team finished the season with a final record of 14-9. The team was very young and continued to show progress throughout the season. PJ Jones '24 was named the team MVP.
PJ Jones '24 was also named to the 2024 All Metro Team. Jones hit .355 with three home runs despite teams pitching around him (22 walks this season). He also went 3-1 on the mound with a 1.74 ERA.
Boys Golf
By Bob Kinne '11, Head Coach
Boys Golf Season Highlights
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Strong Team Performance: Consistent top team in each conference event. We won 4 of 6 conference events this season falling short by 3 points for the conference championship.
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Individual Achievements: Standout performances from Sam Udovich '25, Miles Bollinger '24, Michael Markley '26 and Joe Honsa '25. All four of these players won events this season. Udovich had a season low twice with two 65's once at Stillwater CC and Sections. Bollinger had his season low of 68 at StoneRidge GC. Markley had his season low of 67 at Eagle Valley GC. Honsa had his season low twice of 69 at Edinburgh USA and Sections.
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Key Wins: First place in Sections to Advance to the State Tournament for only the 7th time in school history. We secured 1st place with balanced team scores, ensuring advancement to the state tournament. Our team shot an impressive team total of 576. Sam Udovich '25 took home the medalist 11 shots, shooting a 12 under two day total with rounds of 65 and 67 to help us advance to the state tournament.
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They earned Academic All State as a team.
The boys golf team has had a remarkable season and excelled at the state tournament June 11 & 12.
CDH Girls Golf
Megan Fee Smith ‘00, Head Varsity Coach
The CDH Girls Golf Team had another amazing season! The JV and Varsity teams competed in the conference final championship at Oak Glen on May 23. For the second consecutive year, senior Lily Vincelli '24 received the individual first place medal as the Suburban East Conference Champion!
The team celebrated the season with a banquet held at Southview Country Club, and the following Varsity and JV golfers were recognized for their accomplishments:
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Raider Spirit: Leah Neil '25 (V) and Ava Perry '25 (JV)
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Rookie of the Year: Alayna Peterson '27 (V); Maeve Junius '27 (V/JV)
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Strength & Conditioning Athlete: Amanda Sargent '24, Amelia Olin '25
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Most Improved: Amelia Olin '25, Sophia Sosa '25
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Senior Captains 2025: Leah Neil '25, Delaney Schwab, Ava Perry
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All Conference Honors for JV: Stella Hadac '25, Hope Hadac '25, Ava Perry '25, Kendall Klecatsky '25
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All Conference Honors for Varsity: Lily Vincelli ‘24
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Honorable Mention: Lauren Bengtson '25, Alayna Peterson '27
The Varsity team finished the season at the MSHSL 4AAA Section Tournament on May 30-31 at Goodrich Golf Course. The team advanced to day two and Lily Vincelli received the individual first place medal as the 4AAA Section Champion for the second consecutive year. Congrats Lily!
The team received the Academic All-State Award with a 3.9 average GPA! Seniors Lily Vincelli and Lauren Bengtson received the Individual Academic All-State Awards. These awards are presented by the Minnesota State High School Golf Coaches Association.
Lily Vincelli '24 competed for the Raiders in the MSHSL AAA State Tournament at Bunker Hills golf course on June 11 and 12. She will receive recognition as an “All-State'' student-athlete (top 20 golfers) at the Class AAA State Banquet. Go Raiders!
Vincelli was also a Finalist for Ms. Minnesota Golf! This annual award was created in 2016 to recognize the outstanding male and female high school senior golfer based on their performance on the golf course, academic achievement, and strength of character. Finalists are chosen by a committee of high school coaches and amateur golf representatives.
We are so proud of Lily and this team! Go Raider Golf!!
Girls Lacrosse
By Jeff Rosga '89, Head Coach
The CDH Girls Lacrosse team had a strong season with an overall record of 11-5. The Raiders defeated Woodbury 12-9 on June 6 to win the Section 3 Championship to qualify for the State Tournament. They played in the state quarterfinal game vs. Lakeville South on June 11. The team has shown great progress and have continued competing at a high level this season.
Here is the list of players recognized for season awards.
- SEC All Conference Awards: Sofia Watts '24, Jordan Rosga, Jane Stangler '25, Elena Kronschnabel '25
- SEC Honorable Mention Awards: Marin Miroslavich '24, Abbie O'Brien '24
Sofia Watts '24 earned the following postseason awards:
- USA Lacrosse All-American
- Miss Lacrosse Finalist
- All-State First Team
Boys Lacrosse
By Matt Hourigan, Head Coach
The boys lacrosse team finished their spring season tying a historical program best nine (9) regular season wins! The Raiders were led by Pioneer Press Metro Lacrosse Player of the Year Finalist defenseman Aidan Siegfried '24 and attackman Luke Chorlton '24, who both will head to Maryville University (NCAA D2) next year to continue their academic and lacrosse careers. Along with Siegfried and Chorlton, midfielder Nate Chorlton '26 and goaltender Beck Lewis '25 also received all-conference honors. Attackman Danny Runyon '27 also smashed the CDH freshman scoring record, tallying 22 regular season goals. 95 boys participated in boys lacrosse this spring, meaning the Raiders will return a strong core of talent next year. With the addition of a Middle School squad in 2024, the Raiders are also poised to continue to build for years to come.
Softball
By Carolyn Osdoba, Head Coach
CDH Softball won the Section 4AAA championship last week and headed to the State Tournament in Mankato. They beat #1 seed Benilde-St. Margaret's in the first round 8-0 on Wednesday, June 5. They went on to beat St. Frances in the semifinals 5-4 with a home run by Allie Castro,'26 on June 6. On June 7 the Raiders played Mankato-East for the Class 3A State Championship and lost 6 -1, taking 2nd place.
The team had a a vary successful year and finished state runner-up with a 20-7 record. Brooke Nesdahl '25 was named to the all-state and all-tournament team. What a run this team has had!
Find out more about CDH Girls Softball.
Want to play? Register for youth softball camp for players entering grades 4-9 will be held the week of June 17-20.
Boys Tennis
By Randy Muetzel, Head Coach
The tennis team lost to Rosemount in sections. We had outstanding effort and improved a lot over the season.
Next up is summer tennis, with a high school team, a middle school academy and youth camps all starting on June 10 and going until the end of July. The off season development is very important for next year's team.
Track and Field
By Chris Babcock, Head Coach
Seifu qualified for individual finals in the 300 M Hurdles and placed 7th in the state meet with a time of 39.93. Kuchenmeister took to the track in the 200m in prelims. He ran a very strong race, but was not able to break into the top 9 that would go on to finals.
Off Season Summer Training Workouts
Boys Basketball
By Tony Yazbeck, Assistant Coach
The boys basketball program will begin their program wide summer training workouts starting on June 10. We will workout on the court every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12:00 - 1:30 pm through July 31 (no workouts the week of July 4 as part of the MSHSL no contact period). Speed and Strength sessions will take place Monday - Thursday through August 1 from 10:30 - 11:30 am. All current and future members are encouraged to attend.
Girls Basketball
By Tara Seifert, Head Coach
CDH Girls Basketball Open Gyms - Joe Mauer Field House
- Tuesdays 9 -10:30 am (June 11,18, 25, July 9, 16, 30)
- Wednesdays 5:30 -7:00 pm (June 19, July 17, 31)
- Thursdays 8:30 -10:00 am (June 13, 20, 27 July 11, 18)
CDH Youth Girls Basketball Camp - July 22-25 at Nativity Our Lord Catholic School for Grades 2-8. Check out times and register on link above.
Football
By Steve Walsh ’85, Head Coach
Attention All Football Players:
Our summer strength and speed camp begins June 10. All Varsity, JV and incoming freshmen players are expected to workout this summer. Starting July 10, Varsity/JV football will have 11 padded practices throughout the month of July. Email Coach Walsh for more details at: swalsh@c-dh.org
Boys Soccer
By Russ Turner, Head Coach
Boys' Soccer Pre-season Training Camp. ALL PLAYERS ALL GRADES.
7:00 - 8:30 am Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, June 17-July 25 (no sessions during the Holiday week 7/1-7/5). CDH Grass Fields. Come to as many sessions as you are able. There are 15 in total. $10 per day recommended, no one is turned away if unable to pay. Pay direct to Russ via cash, check or Venmo (@russ618). No need to register, just show up and train.
Check out Raider Summer Camps- register now!
Band
The band concluded their performance schedule on May 14 with great music and award recognition. The following received awards:
- SEC All-Conference Certificates - Band: Elizabeth Barnett '24, Bridget Bower '26, Cameron Kawalec '26, Mark Loeffler '25, Michael Loeffler '24, Timothy Zastrow '24
- SEC All-Conference Certificate - Orchestra: Matthew Tokheim '24, Rebecca Gutzmann '24
- Owen Loftus Award: Nicholas Cortez-Orme '26, Bridget Bower '26
- Br. Martel Service Award: Michael Loeffler '24
- Patrick S. Gilmore Band Award: to Grace Handrick '24, Timothy Zastrow '24, Matthew Tokheim '24 and Robert Kazanstev '24
- Arion Award: Rebecca Gutzmann '24
- John Philip Sousa Award: Elizabeth Barnett '24
- Director's Award: Rebecca Gutzmann '24
Congratulations to our senior band members, you will be missed. A big thank you to all of our CDH families and supporters!
Are you interested in learning an instrument? Consider joining band class, it's not too late! No previous experience is required. Band is a great opportunity for those who want to make music together, and a great way to hang out with friends! The incoming teacher in the fall is hoping to get as many people who want to try band to join. If you are at all interested, please email Ms. Schuster at dschuster@c-dh.org and she will connect you with the band teacher.
Choir
Theater
JROTC
By SGM David Berrisford '91, MSG Ken Peloski, COL Scrocca, and SFC Thingvold
Congratulations to our graduating senior cadets! The work they put in this year as leaders and mentors, especially the Diamond Officers, was truly outstanding and will undoubtedly have a lasting and measurable impact on the Raider Brigade for years to come. This is clearly evident by the number of incoming 9th graders once again already pre-registered for JROTC next year! For the second straight year, approximately 40% of the incoming class is already enrolled in JROTC in 2024-2025.
Congratulations as well to our Raider Brigade Cadets of the Month for May: Mackenzie Steineman '26, Genevieve Thomas '26, Teddy Foust '26, and Emma Donnelly '25, who were each recognized for their outstanding leadership and teamwork over the past month and awarded the Raider Brigade Coin for Leadership Excellence.
The Raider Brigade closed out the 2023-2024 year in style with 10 cadets participating in the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge at Camp Wilderness in Park Rapids, MN, from May 28 – June 1. In this CDH-led event, Raider Brigade cadets joined approximately 50 other Army JROTC cadets from Powell Leadership Academy in Minneapolis, Lower Brule Sioux Reservation High School in South Dakota, as well as Devils Lake and Grand Forks High Schools in North Dakota.
While there, the cadets participated in a host of individual leadership and team-building activities that challenged each cadet in different ways. The activities included daily Army physical training, rock wall climbing, rappelling, a high ropes course, archery, kayaking, and orienteering.
The Junior Officer Exam will be offered on Tuesday, June 18 at 8 am or on Monday, August 5 at 8 am for those rising seniors who would like to be promoted to the officer ranks and take on increased leadership responsibilities during their senior year.
We wish all the cadets and families a safe and enjoyable summer. The JROTC office will be open most days during the summer should anyone need anything.