Dear Crusaders,

I hope you are well and excited to recharge during the (very) slow approaching weeks of summer. As I reflect upon a year of incredible progress for Crusader Athletics, I am filled with gratitude for the dedication of our coaches and staff, skill and determination of our students, and incredible support of our Holy Cross community. 2024-25 marked the most competitively successful year for Crusader Athletics in the last decade, while also setting new highs in several areas including department GPA, community service, and event attendance among others. Simply put, our programs are getting it done here on The Hill, all while remaining true to our core values, mission and commitment to serving others. I am so proud — as I am sure you are as well — but as you already know, the best is yet to come!

Over the past five weeks, we celebrated 158 graduating student-athletes at Commencement. We made stops in Washington, D.C., Boston and New York City for our third annual Coaches Road Show. We welcomed our alumni during Reunion Weekend and our fourth annual Coaches Home Show. Our Crusader family traveled far and wide as our athletes represented Holy Cross in Chapel Hill, N.C., Jacksonville, Fla., Camden, N.J. and Amherst, Va. throughout the spring postseason. During each of these moments, it has been incredible to witness the togetherness of our community, and the tenacity and pride of our student-athletes.

Just as remarkable is the generosity of our loyal alumni, fans, and families, whose contributions have been critical to our success. This support empowers our Crusaders to excel in the classroom and in competition. As of today, we have raised over $2.72 million with $980,000 remaining to reach our goal of raising $3.7 million through the Crusader Athletics Fund before June 30. Your partnership is essential in providing a co-curricular athletic experience that is truly world-class, sustained by our Jesuit, Catholic identity. This experience is central to the education our students receive on Mount St. James. Join with over 4,200 supporters and make your gift before the June 30 deadline. Your support is essential as we continue to reach for even greater heights!!

Below, you will read about more recent highlights and some ways to continue connecting with us in the coming weeks and months. Whether at an upcoming game or golf tournament, our Crusader Community Festival, or during an unexpected trip back to campus, I look forward to seeing you all soon! 

Go Cross Go! 

Kit Hughes

Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics

Feel free to reach out — any time — with your thoughts, questions or concerns on our “Be Heard” page!

Three Things To Know

 

NEWS AND UPDATES

UPCOMING EVENTS

Aug. 22 | Men’s Ice Hockey Golf Outing

Aug. 30 | Football Season Opener at Northern Illinois

Sept. 13 | Football Home Opener vs. Rhode Island

Sept. 14 | Crusader Community Festival | Women’s Soccer vs. Rhode Island at 2 p.m.

Oct. 4 | Football vs. Harvard | Homecoming

Oct. 25 | Football vs. Colgate | Hall of Fame Dinner

Nov. 1 | Football vs. Lafayette | Family Weekend

Nov. 22 | Football vs. Georgetown at Fenway Park

2025 Season Ticket Membership deposits are open now!

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
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Twitter – @goholycross

Instagram – @goholycross

Facebook – Holy Cross Athletics

YouTube – GoHolyCross

CHARLOTTE – Charlotte Women’s Golf Head Coach C.C. McMahan has completed the 2025 recruiting class that features one freshman and two transfers. Emma Heyman and Wawa Booncharn join Charlotte after two seasons of college golf meanwhile Maia Hattrell signs as a freshman from England.

MCMAHAN ON THE NEWCOMERS

“We are thrilled to officially welcome these three outstanding young women to our program. Each one brings a unique spark that fits the culture we are committed to that is rooted in character, competitiveness, and a growth mindset.”

EMMA HEYMAN

Heyman comes to Charlotte after two seasons at Idaho. She competed in all 10 of the team’s tournaments in 2024-25 with a scoring average of 76.8, totaling two top 10 finishes. At the Bobcat Desert Classic, Heyman finished in ninth individually by shooting one under par.

A native of Oskarshamn, Sweden and graduate of Birgitta School, Heyman earned multiple top 10 finishes in the summer of 2023 including coming in second at the Galvin Green Junior Open. In 2022, she played on the Swedish Championship Team and Swedish Junior Team Championship.

“I want to thank Coach McMahan for the opportunity to become a Charlotte 49er,” said Heyman. “It is great to join a team that is supportive and motivated. I am pumped to get started in August and keep pushing to get better.”

WAWA BOONCHARN

After two years at New Mexico Junior College, Booncharn will join fellow Thailand native Pinky Chaisilprungruang at Charlotte. Booncharn finished the season as the 16th ranked individual in the NJCAA and fourth regionally in the Scoreboard by Clippd rankings. She totaled six top three finishes including a 302-71-9 win-loss record. For the season, her scoring average was 76.2.

MAIA HATTRELL

A native of Essex, England, Hattrell graduated from New Hall School and was a member of the West Essex Golf Club. Hattrell was the Essex Girl’s Championship Nett Winner and helped New Hall win the ISGA British Schools National Finals, with her career low round score of 74.

 

The Ducks will be represented by at least three players at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

There, Lukáš Dostál and Radko Gudas will reprise their roles from their 2024 World Championship triumph for Czechia while prospect Damian Clara will man the net for host nation Italy.

Dostál made an immense leap forward last season for the Ducks, when he routinely saved goals above expected as the team’s most outstanding and most consistent player. Gudas took a step back on the blue line from his superb first season on Katella Ave., but also assumed the role of captain for the first time, continued to deepen his community presence and played through injuries.

Both men participated in Czechia’s gold-medal victory on home soil in the spring of 2024, when Dostál dominated the tournament, including a shutout in the final and another in the quarterfinal round. Gudas contributed to that excellence as part of the Czech defense corps, and the team effort even extended beyond the ice.

“It was a very special moment for our team and for our country as well. We haven’t been able to do that in, I think, 40 years,” Gudas said. “Everybody in the Czech Republic was cheering for us and it got the whole country together rooting for one thing.”

For Dostál, it was a springboard toward a season that established him as an NHL starter and may make him a wealthy man as he negotiates a new contract during his pending restricted free agency. He edged out a pair of more established NHL netminders for the gig in goal last spring.

“Getting the chance, being the youngest, people might have thought I might not be able to handle it, but I really wanted to prove everybody wrong, to show that ‘I’m here, I’m ready,’” Dostál said.

Clara, a 20-year-old prospect goaltender whose journey has taken him from Italy to Austria to Sweden to San Diego, will almost assuredly be the lone North American pro among the Italians.

“I hope I can give my best for the team and give my best for the nation,” Clara said.

With competition opening up beyond the traditional seven or so powers in ice hockey, the Italians hope to join the Swiss, Germans and other rising European sides. While Clara said he felt the program had ground to cover to close the gap on even those up-and-comers, he was enthused at some talent in the pipeline and hoped to be an exemplar within the program.

“I hope I can be a little bit of a role model in that you don’t have to start out big, you just have to go somewhere, try your luck and give it your all,” Clara said. “I know I’m not supposed to be here, given where I came from.”

On Monday, each of the 12 qualifying countries named half a dozen participants, with the bulk of the rosters to be determined ahead of the February games. That could send additional Ducks to Italy. Most notably, new addition Chris Kreider skated for the United States at 4 Nations Face-Off, where promising pivot Leo Carlsson filled a depth role for Sweden.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP —
Fourteen former Catholic High School League athletes, a pair of coaches and an official were the latest inductees into the CHSL 50th Hall of Fame ceremonies June 9 at the Fern Hill Country Club.

Hall of Fame athletes

Cameron Amine (Novi Detroit Catholic Central 2019, Michigan and Oklahoma State) — Amine excelled as a wrestler at both Michigan and later at Oklahoma State. He was a four-time NCAA All-American and earned academic all-conference awards each year. At CC, he was a three-time individual state champion. In his senior year, he was undefeated in 40 matches, and received the Dave Shultz Award for excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, character and citizenship. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and is continuing to train at Oklahoma State’s Wrestling Training Center, pursuing his goal of competing in the next Olympic games.

Charli Atiemo (Farmington Hills Mercy 2021, Northern Illinois University) — She excelled as a volleyball player at Northern Illinois University, where she earned Mid-American Conference second team and freshman team honors. She also surpassed 1,000 kills in her collegiate career and was a finalist for Northern Illinois’ Female Athlete of the Year in 2025. At Mercy, she led the Marlins to the 2019 state championship and three consecutive Catholic League titles and was a two-time All-State selection. She earned a bachelor’s degree in public health. She is presently studying to get accepted into med school.

Julia Bishop (Farmington Hills Mercy 2021, Michigan State University) — At MSU, she was just the fourth Spartan student-athlete to serve as a volleyball team captain for three seasons, a three-time Big Ten all-academic honoree and two-time recipient of the Athletics Academic Excellence award. She led the Marlins to the 2019 state championship and earned the prestigious Miss Volleyball Award. She also was named All-Catholic and All-State honorable mention in basketball. She earned a degree in Computational Data Science and will remain at MSU as a volleyball graduate assistant.

Owen Carapellotti (University of Detroit Jesuit 2021, Georgetown University) — He was the Georgetown baseball program’s all-time leader in home runs (52). As a catcher, he was Freshman of the Year, a three-time team captain and was selected to the Big East pre-season team in three consecutive seasons. At U of D Jesuit, he played on Cubs teams that won district championships three times and a regional championship. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and is patiently hoping to be selected in the Major League baseball draft next month.

Shannon Kennedy (Bloomfield Hills Marian 2021, Michigan State University) — A member of MSU’s golf team, she played in the NCAA Division 1 championship tournament in 2023 and 2024 and is a two-time recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. In addition to her collegiate play, she won the Michigan Amateur tournament in 2024. At Marian, she was a three-time individual state champion and won the “Miss Golf” Award in 2020. She also played basketball for the Mustangs. Although she has earned a degree in Mediated Communication, she will be playing a fifth year of golf at Michigan State and taking graduate courses there.

Allison LaPoint (Royal Oak Shrine 2020, Central Michigan University) — The goalkeeper on Central Michigan’s soccer team, she started all 60 games of her career, ranking second on the program’s list for career saves and named three times All-Academic. She was nominated for the school’s Dick Enberg Scholar-Athlete Award. At Shrine, she led the soccer team to its first state championship in 2019. She also played on three Catholic League champion basketball teams. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from CMU. She will be pursuing a Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Wayne State University, while playing for Detroit City FC this season.

Mario McDonald (Novi Detroit Catholic Central 2020, Ohio State University) — As a swimmer at Ohio State, he was a five-time NCAA All-American, holds two school records, was an Academic All-American, and twice captained the Buckeye team. He owns the fastest time in the 50-yard freestyle by any native of Michigan. At Catholic Central, he was an eight-time All-American award recipient, All-State nine times, and a Catholic League champion on seven occasions. His teams won the Catholic League and Oakland County titles three times each. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science and Master’s in kinesiology. He is pursuing a career in coaching at the collegiate level.

Jessica Mruzek (Bloomfield Hills Marian 2020, University of Michigan, Penn State University) — She began her collegiate volleyball career at Michigan. She was named to the Big Ten Conference all-freshman team and to the first team All-Big Ten teams her sophomore and junior years. She transferred to Penn State, where she captained the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten regular season title and the 2024 national championship. At Mercy, she was named all-state all four years. In her senior year in 2019, she led Mercy to go 59–1 and win the state title and was named the national Gatorade Player of the Year. On the international stage, Mruzik led the United States to the 2019 Volleyball Girls’ U18 World Championship. In January, she joined LOVB Houston, an American professional women’s indoor volleyball team based in Houston, Texas.

Luke Newman (Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 2020, College of the Holy Cross, Michigan State) — He excelled as a football lineman. At Holy Cross, he was named All-American while playing left tackle; at MSU, he was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. At Brother Rice, he was a three-time All-Catholic selection and All-State as a senior. On the offensive line, he did not allow a sack in his junior or senior seasons. He graduated from Holy Cross with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He was selected in the 2025 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears. He is planning to be a financial consultant after his gridiron career.

Isabelle Rae Scane (Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 2019, Northwestern University) — An attacker for the Northwestern lacrosse team, she led the Wildcats to the 2023 NCAA championship and twice received the Tewaaraton Award (the lacrosse equivalent of football’s Heisman Trophy) as the best player in the country. Over her six-year NCAA career, she finished with record-setting 376 goals and 483 points in 84 games. She captained the varsity team at Cranbrook Kingswood, winning two state championships, and set the Michigan all-time high school points record, twice receiving All-American recognition.

Will Shannon (Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 2021, Hillsdale College, Michigan State) — He played first base at Hillsdale and later at Michigan State. He is Hillsdale’s all-time batting average leader and was the first Great Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year in school history. He was a NCAA Division 2 All American in 2024. At Brother Rice, he played on three district-winning and regional champion baseball teams. He was also on the Warrior basketball team all four seasons. He is majoring in economics and studying law as a minor; he will finish his classes this summer at MSU, where he is on the Dean’s list. After that, he will enter the business world.

Jillian Smith (Farmington Hills Mercy 2021, University of Michigan) — She ended her lacrosse career at Michigan setting a career points record (245), a single season record (82 points: 59 goals, 23 assists) and the longest scoring streak (37-game goals and assists). She was a Tewaaraton Award nominee and first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Tournament Team. At Mercy, she was the 2021 National Lacrosse Player of the Year and set 37 state high school lacrosse records, including a single game points record of 21 points. She is Mercy’s career points leader (423). She is enrolled in the School of Kinesiology majoring in Sport Management.

Elijah Venos (Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 2021, Denison University) — He set four swimming records at Denison. He was a 14-time All-American at the NCAA Division III level. He was a five-time conference champion who competed in the national finals over three seasons. At Brother Rice, he was a nine-time all-state and three-time All-America swimmer. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree, sporting a double-major in Psychology and Health, and Exercise and Sports Studies. Next year, he plans to begin graduate school for psychology research.

Madison Wasen (Livonia Ladywood, Wixom St. Catherine of Siena 2020, Alma College) — She excelled as a cheerleader at Alma College and is the first person of that sport to be inducted into the Catholic League Hall of Fame. She was part of a squad that was awarded national championships by two organizations. She started her high school career at Ladywood High School, playing field hockey and softball. She began a competitive cheerleading career upon attending St. Catherine High School, without giving up her prior sports. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration and hopes to enter that field while also coaching a high school competitive cheer team.

Hall of Fame coaches

Brandon Kaleniecki (Dearborn Divine Child, Novi Detroit Catholic Central) — He is nearing 300 career wins after 13 seasons coaching ice hockey at Divine Child and Detroit Catholic Central. He has led the Shamrocks to the last six Division 1 state championships along with an earlier title in 2016. Presently, he teaches Health and Physical Education at Catholic Central. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and Communications from University of Michigan, and his master’s in health and physical education from Wayne State University.

David Sofran (Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, Novi Detroit Catholic Central) — Currently, he is the Assistant Athletic Director and an assistant football coach at Detroit Catholic Central after previously serving as the head coach at Brother Rice. Throughout his 25-year career, he has guided his teams to a 223-75 record. His teams have reached the post-season playoffs in all but two of his seasons; he has won 15 district, 10 regional and five state championships. In his playing days, he was a four-year letterman at Northeastern University in Boston.

Hall of Fame official

Lake Cosby has been an official in the Catholic League for over 15 years.

The Ducks will be represented by at least three players at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

There, Lukáš Dostál and Radko Gudas will reprise their roles from their 2024 World Championship triumph for Czechia while prospect Damian Clara will man the net for host nation Italy.

Dostál made an immense leap forward last season for the Ducks, when he routinely saved goals above expected as the team’s most outstanding and most consistent player. Gudas took a step back on the blue line from his superb first season on Katella Ave., but also assumed the role of captain for the first time, continued to deepen his community presence and played through injuries.

Both men participated in Czechia’s gold-medal victory on home soil in the spring of 2024, when Dostál dominated the tournament, including a shutout in the final and another in the quarterfinal round. Gudas contributed to that excellence as part of the Czech defense corps, and the team effort even extended beyond the ice.

“It was a very special moment for our team and for our country as well. We haven’t been able to do that in, I think, 40 years,” Gudas said. “Everybody in the Czech Republic was cheering for us and it got the whole country together rooting for one thing.”

For Dostál, it was a springboard toward a season that established him as an NHL starter and may make him a wealthy man as he negotiates a new contract during his pending restricted free agency. He edged out a pair of more established NHL netminders for the gig in goal last spring.

“Getting the chance, being the youngest, people might have thought I might not be able to handle it, but I really wanted to prove everybody wrong, to show that ‘I’m here, I’m ready,’” Dostál said.

Clara, a 20-year-old prospect goaltender whose journey has taken him from Italy to Austria to Sweden to San Diego, will almost assuredly be the lone North American pro among the Italians.

“I hope I can give my best for the team and give my best for the nation,” Clara said.

With competition opening up beyond the traditional seven or so powers in ice hockey, the Italians hope to join the Swiss, Germans and other rising European sides. While Clara said he felt the program had ground to cover to close the gap on even those up-and-comers, he was enthused at some talent in the pipeline and hoped to be an exemplar within the program.

“I hope I can be a little bit of a role model in that you don’t have to start out big, you just have to go somewhere, try your luck and give it your all,” Clara said. “I know I’m not supposed to be here, given where I came from.”

On Monday, each of the 12 qualifying countries named half a dozen participants, with the bulk of the rosters to be determined ahead of the February games. That could send additional Ducks to Italy. Most notably, new addition Chris Kreider skated for the United States at 4 Nations Face-Off, where promising pivot Leo Carlsson filled a depth role for Sweden.