The Alexandria Sportsman’s Club lauded Cardinal athletes at their 54th annual banquet Wednesday, May 20th with an Ireton record-tying seven “player-of-the-year” awards, a scholarship, and a special salute to the Cardinals award winning cheerleaders. Ireton athletic director Bill Simmons was honored as Alexandria’s “Sportsman of the Year” as well.
Tennis senior Michael Parente and freshman Monica Zakaria, swimmer Mackenzie Soniak, senior volleyball captain Theresa Dalmut, sophomore grappler Elliot Mondragon, hockey defenseman Kevin Otto, and first team all-WCAC pitcher John Robertson were lauded at the Club’s gala at the Alexandria Hilton Mark Center Wednesday. CK Kraft picked up a $2,500 scholarship as a versatile three-sport letterman in his senior year. Kraft heads to Gettysburg to play football and baseball.
Parente and Zakaria led the Cardinal tennis squads in wins the past season, and paced the doubles teams in dual and tournament action. Soniak set two school individual swim records and swam on record-setting relays as well. Volleyball team captain Theresa Dalmut paced the Cardinals last fall, with her selfless play and leadership on and off the floor while the wiry Mondragon lead the wrestling team in wins and was selected their most valuable wrestler at the School’s annual awards gathering last Saturday. Otto, a burly defenseman, tallied 5 goals and 18 assists in a 14-game hockey season for Ireton last season and heads to Lynchburg University in the fall. Robertson, a first team all conference pitcher, led the baseball team with 7 wins in another strong season on the diamond, including its second straight WCAC championship game appearance.
Ireton’s cheerleaders ventured into unchartered waters for them when first year coach Angela Hope introduced them to competitive cheerleading. Like a duck to water, the squad captured a second place finish in the mid-Atlantic regional competition and thereby qualified for the nationals, then won the Virginia Classics in Lynchburg, before heading to Charlotte, NC. A overall fifth place finish from more than 200 schools competing in the Christian Cheerleading Association was a pleasant surprise until the organizers presented the six-foot National Spirit in Competition Award to the excited Alexandria cheerleaders.
The Sportsman’s Club has supported high school athletics in the City of Alexandria for more than 50 years, with an annual awards banquet to highlight the accomplishments of the City’s four high schools, Bishop Ireton, Episcopal, St Stephens/St Agnes, and TC Williams.
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