On Friday, December 6, 2024, Catholic Central hosted a school-wide Winter Sports Assembly at the close of the school day to officially launch the season.

During the assembly, coaches and team captains from winter sports teams presented updates on their upcoming seasons and shared schedules with students and staff. 

The assembly began with Matthew Mooney, who shared that the assembly’s Spirit Day raised $2,850 for Beaumont Children’s Hospital to help sick children in the area. 

Tory Jackson, who begins his second season as head coach for the basketball program, thanked the community for their support and introduced senior captains. The senior captains then introduced the rest of the team. 

Team leaders for Bordercross spoke in honor of their coach, Andrew Fee, who could not attend in person, and introduced the team to the school. 

Head Bowling Coach Greg Durham ‘88, who begins his first year at CC, spoke on behalf of the bowling team. He shared that the bowling team won the state championship in 2010 and his goal is to win another state championship this year. He also shared that the bowling team recently moved their facility to Commerce and encouraged the student body to come try out for the team. Student captains introduced the team and asked for support in the upcoming weeks. 

Brandon Kaleniecki ‘00, who begins his tenth season as Head Hockey Coach at CC, discussed that it takes a lot of people behind the scenes to make the program so successful. The team recently won a match against Brother Rice, and Kaleniecki shared that the excitement in the rink helped the team showcase what they can do. They are a month into their season and are off to a good start with lots of new faces this year as well as solid senior leaders. 

Head Ski Coach Jake Lachowicz, who begins his first season as Head Ski Coach at CC, shared that the team qualified for state finals last year and they are expecting another great season. He told the student body that he wants everyone to come to at least one match this year, reiterating that it’s free and a super cool environment. 

Head Swimming and Diving Coach Jessica Stoddard, who begins her eighth year at CC, shared that this year’s team has some of the best swimmers in the state. They have come close to winning state championships three years in a row and hope to bring home the title this year. Senior captains introduced the team roster. 

Athletic Director Aaron Babicz ‘93 concluded the assembly by talking about what it means to be a champion, stating that students don’t have to win every fight but must show up consistently. 

He shared that there is a home basketball game tonight against De La Salle at 7 pm and a Catholic League Championship hockey game against Cranbrook tomorrow at USA Hockey, encouraging students to come out to both. 

For more information about winter sports at Catholic Central, please visit https://dccshamrocks.net/.