Rockets celebrate successful fall sports season

Parents, coaches, and athletes gathered on Monday, Nov. 18 to celebrate the exciting and successful fall sports season. 

During the Fall Sports Awards, Athletic Director Drew Schmidt recognized the accomplishments of teams and individuals, applauded the spirit of the Launch Pad and Rocket fans, and thanked the seniors for four-year commitments to their school and their sport. 

Mr. Schmidt also honored the nominees for the Bonded Together Award. This award recognizes athletes who fit the following criteria:

• are exemplary teammates who care for academic success, progress, and integrity
• elicit pride at school events
• go above and beyond what is anticipated in their sport
• respect their peers and community members in a genuine manner
• provide service to the school and to the community
• support the sisterhood and brotherhood that make McNicholas so special

The nominees were senior Julia Cheek for cheerleading, senior Carson Schisler for boys cross country, senior Jack Noone for boys golf, senior JR Daniels for boys soccer, senior Maia Zeilman for girls tennis, senior AJ Gundler for football, senior Lila Moeves for girls cross country, junior Ava Kelly for girls golf, senior Francie Goff for girls soccer, and junior Allie Runte for girls volleyball. Congratulations to Julia Cheek, Lila Moeves, and AJ Gundler who won the award. 

Mr. Schmidt also highlighted each team with a 2024 Fall Sports Recap: 

Cheer

Our cheerleaders keep improving on in-game spirit and bringing the energy. Their team camp in the summer helps bring the team together and allows the growth to come to fruition over the season. They also performed some great halftime dances at the football games and led the new March to the Penn at Friday night tailgates. 

Boys Cross Country

The boys had a very successful season earning top-5 finished as a team and many top-performers as runners. The runners had a strong postseason showing, as they finished 2nd at the GCL Championships - where senior Tyler Munzel was the GCL Coed Champion and Runner of the Year! They advanced to the regional championships. Five runners were GCL All-League recipients. Congratulations to head coach, Dan Rosenbaum, GCL Coach of the Year! 

Girls Cross Country

The team had several events finishing in the top-10 and a number of runners with multiple top-20 finishes this season. The Rockets had their best finish at GCL Coed Championships with a 2nd place, result, where senior Lila Moeves finished 7th. All seven varsity runners earned GCL All-League 1st, 2nd, or 3rd team! 

Football

The varsity team went 9-3 this season. The Rockets' three losses were by nine total points. They finished GCL play in second place. In the first round of the playoffs, they beat Celina 35-3 and lost in the Regional Quarterfinals to Bellbrook, 24-21. The JV team finished an undefeated season (8-0) by defeating Badin for the GCL Coed JV league title. The Freshman team finished 4-4, with losses to Turpin, Elder, Lakota East, Badin, with wins over St. Xavier, Sycamore, and Roger Bacon. 

Boys Golf

The Rockets had somewhat of a rebuilding season while transitioning to Division I for OHSAA competition. At Sectionals, the Rockets posted their best team score but fell short of advancing to the District Tournament. Senior Jack Noone finished 2nd overall (+1) at the two-day, 36-hole GCL Coed Championship. Jack earned 1st team and sophomore RJ Fischer earned 3rd team GCL All-League. Another highlight of the season saw sophomore Nolan Ey with a hole-in-one in August - he also finished with a 76 at the prestigious Hadley Tournament, good enough for Top-20. 

Girls Golf

The Rockets had a fun season this year and saw steady improvement from the beginning of the year to the end. Their best team results came at the GCL Coed Championship, where junior Ava Kelly and sophomore Avery Yards earned 2nd Team All-League and sophomore Rachel Hall earned 3rd Team All-League. They, too, were moved to Division I and fought hard at the OHSAA Sectional Tournament.  

Boys Soccer

The Rockets had a tough-go-at-it in the regular season where their 2024 opponents combined for just under a .700 winning percentage. They battled-hard to win two postseason matches, including defeating Badin in come-from-behind fashion to advance to the OHSAA District Championship for the second year in a row. JV finished 11-3-3. 

Girls Soccer

The Rockets successful season ended far sooner than the girls had planned. The girls won 10 games for just the second time in eight seasons. They also were not defeated in GCL Coed play for the first time since 2016. In the postseason they defeated Reading and Indian Hill before falling to Waynesville in the District Championship. JV finished the season with double digit wins, as well. 

Girls Tennis

The Rockets were led by four seniors this season. Maia Zeilman, Megan Berger, Grace McCafferty, Bella McCarthy, Carolyn Conour, Anna Dugan, and Maggie Martin represented the Rockets in Sectionals. McCafferty advanced to the third round in singles and Conour and Martin advanced to the second round in doubles. 

Girls Volleyball

The Rockets had another historic season in 2024 after a state runner-up last year. They finished 22-5, winning the second-most matches in history. In addition, they won their fourth District Championship in the last five years and won the GCL Coed title for the second straight season. They eventually lost in the Regional Finals to the eventual state champions. JVA finished 20-2 and won the GCL Coed League Championship. JVB finished 18-2 and won the GCL Coed League Championship.