Latest news with #WCAC
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Baseball Top 10: St. John's spends entire season on top
After three months that featured no shortage of high-intensity battles, drama and trophy lifts, The Washington Post's high school baseball rankings finish just as they began: with St. John's on top. The Cadets continued their reign as the area's most dominant program in recent years by putting together a near-perfect 2025 campaign, one that featured just a single loss — none to D.C.-area teams — and culminated with a ninth Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title in 10 seasons. Their dominance earned them country-wide acclaim, landing them in the top 10 of a handful of national rankings, and they never budged from the No. 1 spot in The Post's rankings. St. John's will finish there, having gone wire-to-wire as the top squad in the region.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Softball Top 10: Top-ranked O'Connell extends its dynasty, SMAC rules Maryland
The Bishop O'Connell softball program was already considered a dynasty before this spring season began. The Knights entered the year on a 55-game win streak dating back to the 2022 season, and had long ruled over both the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association tournaments. Even with an offseason change in leadership, O'Connell's reign over the area continued. In Coach Anthony Uccellini's first year at the helm, the Knights posted another flawless campaign, earning WCAC and VISAA crowns. Uccellini's team knocked off No. 6 Ryken in the WCAC final, 6-3, then squeaked out a 1-0 win over St. Catherine's in the VISAA championship game days later. As a result of their continued dominance, the Knights finished in the rankings right where they started: No. 1. O'Connell never wavered from its position as it posted a third consecutive undefeated season. While the Knights stayed in place, there was plenty of movement elsewhere in the rankings as the postseason unfolded. Three Southern Maryland Athletic Conference teams finished in the top five of the final rankings of the season as No. 2 Leonardtown, No. 3 Chopticon and No. 4 Huntingtown each earned Maryland state titles. In Virginia, Tuscarora rolled to its first Virginia Class 4 title with a 3-1 win over Jefferson Forest, slaying several local giants in the process. The Knights never fell from their perch atop the rankings, posting their third consecutive undefeated season. The Arlington program has won its last 75 games. Last ranked: 1 The Knights never fell from their perch atop the rankings, posting their third consecutive undefeated season. The Arlington program has won its last 75 games. Last ranked: 1 With senior ace Claire Radford in the pitching circle and a deep and talented lineup, the Raiders cruised to their second consecutive Maryland Class 4A title with a 5-0 win over Churchill. LR: 3 With senior ace Claire Radford in the pitching circle and a deep and talented lineup, the Raiders cruised to their second consecutive Maryland Class 4A title with a 5-0 win over Churchill. LR: 3 For the first time in 40 years, the Braves were crowned state champions. Coach Kevin Cioppa's team knocked off defending champion Sherwood, 5-3, behind pitcher Karllie Nelson's complete game. LR: 8 For the first time in 40 years, the Braves were crowned state champions. Coach Kevin Cioppa's team knocked off defending champion Sherwood, 5-3, behind pitcher Karllie Nelson's complete game. LR: 8 The Hurricanes earned their sixth state championship and first since 2019 with a 3-2 win over Stephen Decatur in Maryland Class 2A. Senior Jordyn Greever threw a complete game to close out a stellar high school career. LR: Not ranked The Hurricanes earned their sixth state championship and first since 2019 with a 3-2 win over Stephen Decatur in Maryland Class 2A. Senior Jordyn Greever threw a complete game to close out a stellar high school career. LR: Not ranked With freshman pitcher Peyton Travis inside the circle, the Huskies went on a stunning run to earn their first-ever Virginia Class 4 state title with a 3-1 win over Jefferson Forest. LR: NR With freshman pitcher Peyton Travis inside the circle, the Huskies went on a stunning run to earn their first-ever Virginia Class 4 state title with a 3-1 win over Jefferson Forest. LR: NR While the Knights came up short in the WCAC final against top-ranked O'Connell, Coach OJ Lewis's team still enjoyed a dominant regular season. LR: 5 While the Knights came up short in the WCAC final against top-ranked O'Connell, Coach OJ Lewis's team still enjoyed a dominant regular season. LR: 5 The Warriors knocked off Reservoir for their 16th region championship, but fell to No. 3 Chopticon in the Maryland Class 3A final. LR: 4 The Warriors knocked off Reservoir for their 16th region championship, but fell to No. 3 Chopticon in the Maryland Class 3A final. LR: 4 Coach Grace Chavez's team downed No. 10 McLean to win another region title, but had its playoff run halted in the state semifinals against Western Branch. LR: 9 Coach Grace Chavez's team downed No. 10 McLean to win another region title, but had its playoff run halted in the state semifinals against Western Branch. LR: 9 The Lightning, a young team which lost just once in the regular season, shut out Riverbend to earn a region title. Their run ended in the state quarterfinals against Godwin, 6-3. LR: 2 The Lightning, a young team which lost just once in the regular season, shut out Riverbend to earn a region title. Their run ended in the state quarterfinals against Godwin, 6-3. LR: 2 The Highlanders again proved to be one of the top teams in Virginia Class 6, advancing to the state tournament in a tough region. Coach Maurice Tawil's team fell to Glen Allen in the semifinals, 6-0. LR: 6 Dropped out: No. 7 Woodgrove, No. 10 Northeast The Highlanders again proved to be one of the top teams in Virginia Class 6, advancing to the state tournament in a tough region. Coach Maurice Tawil's team fell to Glen Allen in the semifinals, 6-0. LR: 6 Dropped out: No. 7 Woodgrove, No. 10 Northeast
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Eagle Scout builds lending library for Williamson County Animal Shelter
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Williamson County Eagle Scout has used his skills to help children learn to read by building a lending library. Eagle Scout Ben Hamby of Troop 13 built a lending library for the Williamson County Animal Center in Franklin. He said the lending library is meant to be a great way for kids to improve their reading skills and learn about the animals at the shelter. Hamby told News 2 that he wanted to do something that helps both children and animals, which is why he chose to do the project. Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More 'It'll give them more options or a different variety of things to read to the animals,' Hamby said. 'Hopefully, this will help them to learn how to read — even if some kids don't feel comfortable yet around the animals.' WCAC Assistant Director Scott Pieper said he was thrilled Hamby came to him wanting to help the center. He said they tossed around a few ideas and landed on the lending library because it fits into the WCAC's mission to engage community members through education programs. 'It's exciting to be in a community where Ben and the younger generation are willing to support us,' Pieper told News 2. The shelter has added the library to their Book Buddies Reading Program, which provides a space children between 5 and 12 years old to practice their reading skills and learn about animals' body language. Children who want to participate and accompanying adults have to complete a class about basic animal behavior before the children are allowed to read to the animals. You can register for the program class . Do you have news happening in your neighborhood? Let us know by sending an email to neighborhoodnews@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
RTÉ News
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
A place for art to live - 40 years of West Cork Arts Centre
Ann Davoren, the Director of Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, celebrates the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the venerable Skibbereen-based arts institution. As I reflect on 40 years of West Cork Arts Centre and a decade in our purpose-built home at Uillinn, I'm struck by the depth of connection between art, place, and people. West Cork Arts Centre (WCAC) was founded in 1985 by a group of visionary artists and community members who saw the transformative potential of the arts for West Cork. That spirit still drives us today. From the early days in the Sutherland Centre on North Street, where the very first Members and Friends Exhibition took place, to the vibrant creative hub we now call Uillinn, our journey has been one of resilience, vision, and above all, community. The 41st Members and Friends Exhibition this year is a living archive of that journey featuring artists who have been with us since the start, such as Brian Lalor, Pat Connor, Kevin O'Farrell and Jim Turner, and newer voices like Murrough O'Donovan and Alice Clifford. Each piece tells a story of West Cork's dynamic and ever-evolving creative identity. When I was appointed director in 2001, the idea of a new, purpose-built space was still a dream, one we would spend the next decade bringing to life. The design and development of Uillinn, completed in 2015, was the result of tireless dedication from board members, artists, architects, funders, and the wider community. It is, quite literally, a building that art built. West Cork has long had a magnetic pull for creative people, drawn by the landscape, the light, and the rich cultural life of the region. Our architects envisioned Uillinn as an active cultural space - not precious or ornamental, but robust, open, and alive. Drawing on the textures and tones of the West Cork landscape, with corten steel, cedar, concrete and lime render, it responds to light and the elements. It was designed to be a new kind of public space: a cluster of working rooms and studios around a central courtyard, echoing the old town patterns of street, archway, backlands and water. The silo-like tower is now a familiar landmark, visible from the surrounding hills and townlands — a beacon for creativity. More than just a building, Uillinn has enabled us to expand what's possible. We now host artists-in-residence from Ireland and abroad, provide year-round programming for schools and community groups, and offer flexible spaces for performance, film, and dance. Our education and health-based programmes engage people of all ages from children to older adults, fostering connection through creativity. Watch: Launching the 41st Annual Members and Friends Exhibition at Uillinn In 2025, we're delighted to introduce new awards and opportunities as part of the Members and Friends Exhibition, including the Morgan O'Driscoll Award, the Cnoc Buí Exhibition Award, and our own Uillinn Studio Residency. These prizes are about recognising excellence, but they also reaffirm our belief that art flourishes when it's nurtured, shared, and celebrated together. West Cork has long had a magnetic pull for creative people, drawn by the landscape, the light, and the rich cultural life of the region. Uillinn and the West Cork Arts Centre are a vital part of that pull. What we've created here couldn't exist anywhere else: it's deeply rooted in this place, shaped by its community, and open to the world. That's what makes it so special — and why the story of the arts in West Cork is far from finished.
Washington Post
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
‘This is what we do:' Good Counsel girls win fourth straight WCAC lacrosse title
Good Counsel girls' lacrosse coach Michael Haight had four points he wanted to emphasize before his team's Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship appearance Monday. Effort, trust and communication were the first three. The last one he forgot for a second, but quickly remembered it was 'dreams.' The coach wanted his group to be in its opponents' heads. 'We like being in people's nightmares,' Haight said with a smile. 'You see us here every year. You know you're going to get the best that we got come Championship Monday.' Facing St. John's in the final for a second straight year, the Falcons ambushed the Cadets. Six different Falcons scored a goal in the first six minutes of the game, creating a nightmarish start for the title challengers. The Falcons coasted to a double-digit lead by halftime and never looked back, earning to their fourth consecutive WCAC title, 14-7, at Georgetown's Cooper Field. 'They get it,' Haight said. 'They shine the brightest when the lights are the brightest. They always have. They all played their role today, and that's really what propelled us.' When it comes to WCAC competition, the team's seniors will graduate knowing only one thing: winning. The 10 seniors on this roster went four years without a conference loss. The program's last defeat against a WCAC opponent came in 2019. After an early rough patch where it lost three consecutive games in mid-March, Good Counsel (18-3) closed the season winners of 17 straight. They scored 12 or more goals in 16 of those games. They scored 20-plus goals in six of them. 'We don't look at the past, we only look ahead,' Haight added. "If we fall down, we're going to fall forward. If we can get up, we're going to look up, we're going to go. Those games propelled us to what we are today. They kept grinding." Five different Falcons scored two goals apiece in the first half against the Cadets (12-8). The Falcons were aggressive on both ends, refusing to shy away from contact on defense. It took a little over 10 minutes for St. John's to find the back of the net and the Cadets had just two goals at halftime. Good Counsel seniors Carys Volley, Ava Grandi and Dani Serrano, and juniors Ashlyn Gallagher and Annabelle Walsh each had multi-goal games. Walsh led all scorers with four goals. 'We've been playing well as a team,' Walsh said during the postgame celebration. 'When the team plays well, I play well too because we all feed into each other. It feels really good. We really played like a team today and it [helped] me.' When the final horn sounded, the Good Counsel bench flocked to the goal as the Falcons crowd started to chant 'four-peat.' As Haight and the team posed for a picture with the championship trophy, the coach marked the moment with five simple words. 'This is what we do.' The program will enter next year with the same target that has been on its back for some time. Haight said he expects to reload and hopes to keep the championship streak alive. It's something he thinks can be accomplished because of how hungry his players continue to be. They all play club lacrosse, as well as various fall sports before offseason workouts begin in November. By that time, they have an appetite for success. 'Our roster is built on classes not being too dominant," Haight said. 'We know we have a lot of talented kids that didn't necessarily get in today. When they get their chance, they're going to be ready.'
