As fall wraps up and the cold front moves in, winter sports are starting up again. With almost two weeks of tryouts and practices under the athletes’ belts, the teams are heating up and preparing to make each of their seasons successful.

Girls’ Swim and Dive

After a 16-6 record last year, the ladies of the swim team are ready for their competitors to eat their bubbles this upcoming season. Representing the school and the team, senior Alexis Liszewski and junior Sarah Nelson both qualified for state last year for the second year in a row. The team also received 4th place at conference and 5th place at an invitational. This year the swim team is including diving. Many girls are excited about this new addition to St. Dominic’s sports lineup and are looking forward to participating.

“I think we are going to have a better season than we did last year and I’m hoping to improve on our record. We’ve got some good people coming in and we’ve got divers this year. Diving is going to give us points in places and help us beat some people that we didn’t get to beat last year. I want them to do as best as they can this year and I think everybody is really excited to improve on this season,” said Coach Jacquie Moutray.

As the season quickly approaches, both the girls and Coach Moutray are excited to see what this year holds. Make sure to stop by their first meet on Monday, November 28, vs. Ursuline at Principia Pool.

Boys’ Basketball
The boys’ basketball team is ready to go and give it their all this season. After making it to the semifinals in districts last year with a record of 13-14, the boys are ready for a brand new season with many new opportunities.

“I am looking forward to watching our team grow and get better daily through the hard work we are putting in during practice. We are learning a lot and figuring out our different roles. This season will be bittersweet. I am trying to enjoy every last minute of it including practices because this is what I’ve done since I could walk. It’ll be fun to have one last season with some of my best pals and hopefully we can do something great,” said senior Jared North.

After all the hard work and practice the boys have put in so far, the rest of their season should be nothing short of excellent. Get rowdy and pack the stands Tuesday, November 22, at 6:45 for the Crusaders’ first home game vs. University City.

Girls’ Basketball
The girls’ basketball team has been practicing every day for the past two weeks with anticipation to make this season their best one yet. After a winning season of 16-10 and making it to the district championship last year, the girls are ready to come together and work hard this season.

“I’m looking forward to all of the seniors and working with them; I’ve had them all for three years now. Our whole team is juniors and seniors, so they’ll be experienced. I think we’re going to have a really good year. They’ve worked very hard in the off-season and I’m looking forward to see their hard work pay off,” said Coach Jeff Menke.

The familiarity between all the girls and the team’s chemistry makes it easy to say that the girls’ basketball team will have a great season. Stop by and support the girls on Monday, November 21, at Troy Buchanan High for their first game.

By the looks of these three awesome teams, it is sure to be a successful season for Crusader sports. Good luck to all of the athletes competing this winter and make sure to stop by a game and a meet to cheer on and support your teams!