Golfers sometimes take to the quad to practice their short game.

The golf team is in the midst of a building period – their recent season wrapped up after a spring of weather woes and tough losses. But with those experiences came great learning, and coach Jack Johnson ’12 is certain that 2014 was just the first year in the steps toward huge success for Xavier golfers.

“These guys played their hearts out this year,” said Coach Johnson, a current student at the College of Staten Island and former captain of the golf team while he was here at Xavier. “When up against the toughest teams in our division such as St. Peter's and Farrell, we pushed each of our matches down to the last few holes.” The team is very young the eleven-member roster is comprised of three sophomores and three freshmen. This season has even seen three freshmen and one sophomore regularly compete in the starting five-man lineup.

“We are the youngest team in the division and these guys are still learning the ins and outs of match play along with competitive golf,” said Coach Johnson. He noted that the team needs more experience as they move forward in the off-season and into next spring, and that simple physical growth will help them out with their play. “We really came together as a team. Each player carried their own weight and played to the best of their ability…There’s a lot of talent, it just needs time to show itself," the coach said.

That talent fueled great individual performances by several golfers. Patrick Devlin ’17 started the majority of the season as the number four golfer, and finished with a record of 6-2-3, excellent for any golfer but outstanding for a freshman. Two other freshmen, Ethan Riedel ’17 and William Watt ’17 also saw time in top five, along with senior Block X winner Christian Conlon ’14 and sophomore John Martin ’16. Martin was recently extended a chairman’s choice invitation to play in the CHSAA state championship on May 30 at James Baird State Park.

Coach Johnson, who said he was humbled to be able to coach the team alongside coach and FDNY firefighter Patrick Nash ’93, is excited for next year. “These guys are still learning the ins and outs of match play along with competitive golf,” he said. “I have very high hopes for this team in the upcoming seasons.”

The track team continued its great season with a NYCHSAA trophy.

His team tied 84-84 late into the NYCHSAA Championship, you wouldn’t blame Dennis Barnes ’14 for buckling under the pressure – his javelin performance could elevate Xavier to first place or leave the Knights second to the dreaded Fordham Prep. Fortunately for the team from 16th Street, Dennis broke his previous javelin throw personal record for five out of six throws and secured the NYCHSAA trophy for Xavier.

Though Barnes’ 170’4” throw pushed Xavier over Fordham, the outdoor track team’s Saturday victory was made possible by top performances by many different runners, jumpers and throwers. Charlie Lambert ’15 took first in the long jump and second in the 100-meter dash. Matthew Baker ’16 and Brandon Efap ’15 took first and second in the triple jump, while Oliver Moe ’15 and Frank Clarke ’15 took third and fourth in the 400-meter dash. Eliot Kaufmann '14 broke 2:00 in the 800-meter run for second place in the event, followed closely by Dominick Ronan ’16 who took fourth. John Rice '15 proved his long-distance credentials with first-place finishes in both the one- and two-mile runs. Xavier runners nabbed second, third, fourth and fifth in the steeplechase run. A host of other runners contributed scoring finishes, and needless to say many records fell. To see the complete results, visit Xavier’ track and field page, and good job, boys!

The team returns to Icahn Stadium this Saturday for the CHSAA Championship, so get out there and support the Knights if you can!



The tennis team beat Archbishop Molloy High School in its final match of the season, 3-2. The team ends the season 2-7, but has reasons to look up for the future.

“Last year was a bit of a transition year with a lot of roster shuffling, with three key seniors having graduated in 2012,” said Coach Mike Mule ’04. “This season, however, guys really developed niches, and we had a lot of consistency in our singles and first doubles lineup.” Many of these team’s players saw big individual accomplishments – among them Nikhil Chothani ’14, Alberto Ciaraldi ’14, Gianluca Milea ’15, Vin Tozzi ’15, Peter McKee ’16 and Andrew Arabian ’16. 

The team hopes to find more opportunity for practice as they prepare and enter next year’s season. “Our biggest challenge next season - as it is every season - will be finding courts,” said Coach Mule. “Team members and I will keep working to find courts for matches and practices. My hope is that we can develop a regular practice schedule that will let some of our younger players continue to develop and prepare these guys to make big contributions to the team.”



The rugby team traveled to Elkhart, Indiana for the boys’ National Invitational Tournament, the highest level of high school rugby competition in America. They beat Greenwich High School in the first round 29-3 - see RugbyMag’s coverage of the game here. Xavier faced Sacramento powerhouse Jesuit in the second round and lost a tough match, 27-12, in a game whose score betrayed how close it was – Jesuit only pulled away with a late-game interception they ran back for a try. Xavier then lost to Penn in the third round and ended up at fourth place overall. The team will compete in the New York State Championship later this May.


Schedule
5/24: Outdoor Track: CHSAA Championships @ Randall’s Island, 9:00 a.m.
5/28: Outdoor Track: CHSAA Pentathlon, 4:00 p.m.