While it doesn’t come as much surprise, NDB experienced lots of success in athletics over the past 2022-23 school year. From the fall through the summer, NDB athletes have all put in a commendable amount of effort to maintain a positive season.

Highlighting the year-round sports, including both competitive cheer and pom, their achievements and ability to overcome adversity this season is highly admirable. The Varsity Competition Cheer team took home first place at all three USA competitions at the beginning of their season.

Along with cheer, the Varsity Pom team maintained a successful winning streak throughout their season. Over Intersession in February 2023, the team traveled to Anaheim, CA for the annual USA Spirit Nationals. The team placed third overall in their division, a well-deserved reward for their difficult season.

Freshman Gianna Beltromo traveled with the Spirit Squad to Nationals, holding a vital role on both the Varsity competition cheer and pom teams as a crossover athlete.

“Winning 3rd place at Nationals for Pom was very exciting and surprising for the team,” Beltromo explained. “We really weren’t sure if we would qualify for 3rd or not, but when we did we felt that our hard work had paid off.”

With a total of five sports continuing simultaneously, the fall season is always a busy one. Most notably, the Varsity volleyball team traveled to Arizona for the Nike Tournament of Champions. The tournament, only offered to teams who have won a state championship in the past, was a huge honor for the team to attend.

“We only managed to win a few games due to the high caliber of teams we faced, many of which consisted of D1 commits. However, the tournament experience proved to be valuable for our team’s growth,” Ai shared. “Playing against teams that were better than us helped us push out of our comfort zone, resulting in significant improvements in our overall performance.”

Basketball and soccer resumed play during the winter season. NDB’s Varsity Soccer team attended the Arizona Soccer Showcase in Phoenix, Arizona. Despite the long trek, the team prevailed and won the gold bracket championship.

When they returned, the team won their final league, making it Coach Paul’s 500th high school win.

The end of the school year, comes the end of all spring sports. All five concurring seasons have maintained impeccable scores, even after the postponement at the beginning.

Most notably, NDB’s Varsity track and field team made it to the WBAL Finals. The team had a very successful season in all events, including running, hurdles and field events. The season ended with senior Melanie Castelli placing first in high jump, junior Megan Worry earning first in the 300 hurdles event and junior Amber Holloway taking home third in the 400 event.

NDB’s Varsity softball team continues to go far was selected as the #4 seed in the Division 5 CCS softball championships. The Tigers will welcomed #5 in the bracket, Sacred Heart Cathedral HS, at home on Saturday, May 20 for the quarterfinal match-up. NDB students were encouraged to attend and were covered by NDB Athletics. After winning the game, the team moved on to the CCS Semi Finals, which are held tonight against Leland HS. The softball team finished in a three-way tie with Kings Academy HS and Mercy B.

From the Varsity pom team placing third at Nationals, to the Varsity softball team making it as far as CCS semi-finals, NDB has experienced several athletic victories throughout all three seasons. As the athletes already begin to gear up for the year ahead, they maintain pride in their athletic accomplishments from the past seasons.