The 2023 Carmel Christian sports season is officially underway. From new star players, to new coaches, the athletic department is going through a year of change. 

Basketball

Last year’s varsity basketball team had a very successful season and was one of the best teams in the state, but unfortunately lost to Christ School in the NCISAA 4A state championship game. The team was forced to rebuild as many players from last year’s team either graduated or transferred to a different school. 

The school recently welcomed Tamar Slay as the new varsity head coach. Slay formerly played in the NBA  for the New Jersey Nets and Charlotte Bobcats. Slay is also a well-known coach and trainer. Many new recruits such as Cody Peck, Colin Peck, Bryce Slay, Chandler Little, Jayden Griffin and more have all joined Carmel this year to help bolster the basketball team after many key departures.     

Although the season has not started yet, the team has been having workouts that college recruits from UNC Charlotte and Marshall have attended.  Bryce Slay even received an offer from The College of Charleston recently.

Soccer

Similar to the basketball team, last year’s varsity soccer team had a very successful season. They had a record of 14-2, but lost to Rabun Gap 1-0 in the NCISAA 4A State Championship.

The soccer program also experienced some coaching change as long-time head coach Jeff Dresser departed at the end of last season, and the school welcomed Chase Wichkam as the new head coach earlier this year. Another coaching change occurred on the girls’ side, as David Fox was recently promoted to be the head coach of the Women’s Varsity Soccer Team after serving as the team’s assistant coach for many years.

The Men’s Varsity Team also lost key players from last year’s senior heavy team. Some new players have arrived this year to help the team, and there are still some returning players that are seniors this year, but the team is still very young.

The Men’s Varsity Team is currently 5-3, and the JV team currently is currently 2-4-1. JV’s next game is Thursday, September 14 against Union Prep, and varsity’s next game is away at Weddington on Wednesday, September 20.

Volleyball

The volleyball season is currently underway for both JV and varsity. The season has had a rocky start for the varsity team, as they are 1-6, and the JV team is 3-3. However, there will be plenty of opportunities to turn things around. 

The Varsity Women’s Volleyball team hired Erin Kayton as the new head coach this past spring, and the team also gained Megan Embry as an assistant coach.

Varsity’s next match will be at home against Country Day on Thursday, September 14. JV’s next match will be at home against Weddington on Wednesday, September 20.

Baseball

Although the baseball season does not kick off until the Spring, there has already been some change in the program.

Carmel recently promoted Heath McKay to be the varsity baseball head coach. McKay has been at Carmel for multiple years and has served as the JV head coach and the varsity assistant coach. 

The varsity team finished the season with a record of 7-17, and the team lost some key seniors. Carmel is hopeful for this season to be successful and an improvement from last year’s record. 

Cross Country

The Varsity Cross Country season, coached by Terry Menedez and Melissa Solomon, is in full swing as the team has already had four meets. 

Cross country tends to have a lot of members, but this year’s team is exceptionally large as there are 54 members on the team. The team’s next meet is on Saturday, September 23 at McAlpine Creek Park. 

Braden Miller has been one of the top performers on the team this season and recently got first place at the Asheboro Hybrid Academy meet on September 7. The Cougars took home men’s 1st place and women’s 1st place from the meet as well.

Sophomore Liam Heavey has also been a top performer for the team thus far and recently won first place for Carmel at the team’s meet on September 11.

Tennis

The Varsity Women’s Tennis team is currently 2-3. The members of the team are Faith Avery, Anna Browne, Cameron Fraser, Merrit Livingston, McKenna Hope, Ainsley Viditz-Ward, Emma Coulter and Cate Hilton. The team’s next match is on Wednesday, September 20 at Central Academy.

The tennis season for the men does not start until the spring. The team had a very successful season last year and finished 11-4.

Golf

The Carmel Christian Women’s Golf team is also in the middle of its season. The team had a successful season last year as it finished 4th in the state. This season is going well too as the team is 3-0. The team recently participated in a tournament—with other private and public schools—, finished seventh out of 12 teams, and had one of its best team performances yet. 

The members of the team are Mia Isaac, Lucy Woodard, Maddie Dale, Sienna Jauch, Ava Frazier, Kalia Schultz, Ellies Miles and Rylee Ratcliff.