Tigers roar once again as tops in TAPPS
St. Agnes repeats as No. 1 girls sports program in league
St. Agnes is back on top again in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools.
For the second straight year, the Tigers grabbed TAPPS’ Edd Burleson AllSports Trophy, emblematic of the No. 1 girls sports program in Class 5A. Amy Mattes, St. Agnes’ director of athletics, was ecstatic to win the award again, made possible by state championships in three sports – girls swimming, girls tennis and girls track and field.
“As an athletic director, winning the All-Sports Trophy is always the goal,” Mattes said. “It means you have a well-rounded program and all of your teams are competing with the best.”
That was certainly the case during the 2015-16 school year.
St. Agnes’ first trophy came in the pool as head swimming coach Kaitlin Kelley pushed the Tigers to their second TAPPS Division I title in three years. St. Agnes won only one event (200-yard medley relay), but the Tigers simply had too much depth, capturing the program’s 26th state title and 16th since joining TAPPS.
“Swimming has always been a successful sport at St. Agnes, but coach Kelley has taken us to the next level,” Mattes said.
The Tigers continued their recent dominance in girls tennis, winning the Class 5A title for the fourth year in a row. Head coach Tom Caine’s squad was unstoppable, with senior Racquel Lyn serving up her record-setting fourth state title in girls singles by beating sophomore Christina Watson in the finals for the second straight year. In addition, the girls doubles team of senior Taylor Ysaguirre and sophomore Natalia Nassar were state champs.
“Our girls tennis team was incredible,” Mattes said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever have another like Racquel. She set a high standard during her career at St. Agnes.”
But the biggest surprise came in girls track and field, with St. Agnes snapping a state title drought that stretched back to 1992. Head coach Kristi Robbins, voted as TAPPS’ Class 5A Female Coach of the Year, and her team overwhelmed the competition with sheer numbers. The Tigers won only two gold medals – the 4x400-meter relay and junior Ijeomo Chinedo in the triple jump – but lapped the field with multiple athletes scoring in most events.
“Our track and field program has come a long way,” Mattes said. “Coach Robbins has worked very hard to get us back to the top.”
There were a couple of near-misses, with the girls cross country team, coached by Robbins, finishing second. Interim head coach Jamie Colley also took St. Agnes to the TAPPS Class 5A state championship game in softball, although the Tigers came up short 9-1 to San Antonio Incarnate Word.
St. Agnes reached the TAPPS Final Four in volleyball, losing to Dallas Ursuline 3-0 in the Class 5A state semifinals.
The girls soccer team lost to Dallas Ursuline 2-0 in a regional playoff game, the girls basketball team fell in the first round and the Tigers placed seventh at state in girls golf.
While water polo isn’t a TAPPS-sanctioned sport, St. Agnes advanced to state for the first time.
“All of our teams made the postseason,” Mattes said.
St. Agnes broke new ground in one other area. At a school that puts academics first, the Tigers had 16 student-athletes and dancers earn athletic scholarships, most notably Amanda Krahl (Appalachian State University, volleyball), Lyn (Dartmouth College, tennis) and Kirby Matocha (Texas A&M University, track and field).
“Hopefully, that’s just the beginning,” Mattes said. “Many of our girls go the academic route, but, if they can continue their athletic careers, we’re all for that.”
Mattes is thrilled to have several alumni on the coaching staff, with 2006 graduate Jennifer Peyton leaving Kinkaid to become head volleyball coach and Colley (Class of 2007) having the interim tag removed and getting hired as head softball coach. Chelsea Bass (Class of 2010) also is a varsity assistant in girls basketball.
“It’s exciting to have coaches who have been part of our tradition coming back to St. Agnes,” Mattes said. “We feel like have something special here and we want to keep it going.”