Athletics

College Athletes

Franny O'Brien '18

From RCS to the Fighting Irish

Sacred Heart Greenwich ’22
University of Notre Dame ’26

Franny O’Brien’s journey from RCS to the University of Notre Dame’s lacrosse team has been marked by dedication, triumphs, and a deep connection to family. Her athletic prowess, bolstered by a supportive environment at RCS, laid the foundation for an outstanding high school career. At Sacred Heart Greenwich, Franny’s commitment to her sport only grew stronger, culminating in a senior year that saw her selected as a team captain, achieve MVP status, and finish with an undefeated season. Yet, her journey didn’t stop there. The decision to carry on her late father’s legacy at Notre Dame led her to don the jersey with pride, finding success on and off the field.

RCS: How did athletics at RCS play a part in your lacrosse career?

FO: RCS definitely helped me prepare for high school athletics. Having the ability to play every sport I loved in middle school not only prepared me for the high school level but also made me a more dynamic athlete. I stuck with each sport that I played at RCS and lettered in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse at Sacred Heart. Coach [Max] Moise was my basketball coach and he was easily one of my favorites! I remember his easygoing manner and confidence in every one of his players. The best memories I have from RCS don’t consist of a particular win or goal scored but just the overall fun and good times that I had with my best friends. Running around after school and laughing with my teammates was the best part of my day, every day. I’m so grateful to have learned to love sports in such an encouraging and positive environment.

RCS: Your senior year at Sacred Heart sounds like the perfect way to end a high school athletic career.

FO: My senior year season was by far the best. I was blessed to have an incredible coaching staff and teammates; both supported me throughout the entire season. We had some amazing games, traveling all over New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York to play the best competition. But once again, it isn’t the memories of specific games or big wins that come to mind when I think of that season, it’s the people. (Although beating Penn Charter in triple overtime and beating Hotchkiss on our Senior Day are for sure highlights!)

RCS: Why Notre Dame?

FO: Growing up in a very, very large Notre Dame family [11 other family members have attended the school], I always had the mindset that I wanted to be “different” and attend another university. Despite attending numerous hockey and football games in my childhood and making constant visits to South Bend, Indiana, I held on to this belief that I would branch out — until my sophomore year of high school. When Division 1 recruiting began on September 1 of my junior year, it only took me about 24 days to conclude that there was never any place for me other than Notre Dame. I still believe this, and I’m so thankful that the 17-year-old me made the right decision. Committing to Notre Dame has given me amazing friends, role models, and teammates, who I now call my sisters!

RCS: Your late father, Frank O’Brien, played hockey and lacrosse for the Irish wearing #14. How meaningful is it to wear #14 at the alma mater of your father?

FO: Proof of the incredible bond with my teammates was the decision of Grace Weigand to offer up #14 to me. She was a junior last fall, but she gave me #14 to wear for the rest of my college career. So after a year of being #41 for the Fighting Irish, I made the switch to #14 this year. Even though wearing #41 in my dad’s honor meant the world to me, I feel even more grateful that I can now wear #14.

RCS: How is it going for the Fighting Irish?

FO: We had an incredible season last year, making it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. I can say with ease that the highlight of our season was beating #3 University of North Carolina at home in April. We snapped their 27-game winning streak in the Atlantic Coast Conference to stay undefeated at home at that point in the 2023 season. Another amazing memory was upsetting Florida in the Sweet 16 at their home field. We scored with 10 seconds left in the fourth when the game was tied at 15 to advance in the tournament. It was the most exciting moment I’ve ever experienced playing sports.
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George Fauver '18

Achieving Rowing Success at Bates College
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Taylor Clayton '18

From Meyers Fields to Ivy League Squash Courts

Hotchkiss School ’22
Yale University ’26

Taylor Clayton’s path to collegiate sports has been defined by perseverance and commitment, both in academics and athletics. While squash wasn’t a part of Taylor’s RCS experience, the foundation of teamwork, camaraderie, and shared goals was firmly established through participation in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. Under the mentorship of Vincent Kwarula and former teacher/coach Tim Hart, these early experiences set the stage for Taylor’s subsequent leadership at Hotchkiss School as a two-year captain of the varsity squash team and a four-time recipient of the Upper School Squash Scholar-Athlete Award. Taylor is now at Yale University, where the pursuit of an economics degree is balanced with Ivy League squash.

RCS: How did athletics at RCS play a part in your squash career?

TC: Even though I never had the opportunity to play squash for RCS, competing on the soccer field, basketball court, and lacrosse field taught me many important lessons and provided some of my favorite memories. Before high school and college competitions, squash was an independent sport for me (that is, I never played on a team). When joining my high school and college teams, my team-sport experience at RCS prepared me to work with my team towards a common goal, push every teammate as they pushed me, and enjoy the camaraderie of a team sport. Also, I appreciate RCS for exposing me to many different kinds of sports, beginning in Lower School physical education with Mr. V [Dan Viglione] and Mrs. [Cheryl] Coyle.

Coach K, in soccer, and Mr. [Tim] Hart, in basketball and lacrosse, helped foster my love for sports and competition as well as showing me the benefits of hard work and dedication. Coach K pushed me out of my comfort zone by asking me to play up with the seventh, eighth, and ninth graders in my first two years in middle school. Even though I was often the smallest person on the field, he told me that by believing in my training and trying to get better every single day, I would contribute to the team. Those lessons, and the opportunity to compete with my friends and for my school, showed me how much more there is to sports.

RCS: How was your high school athletics experience and how did it prepare you for college?

TC: When I arrived at Hotchkiss, I would not have considered myself only a squash player; I loved soccer, playing on the JV team my freshman fall. However, playing on a team made squash even more enjoyable and rewarding because I was training and competing for something bigger than myself. The team squash experience inspired me to set a goal of playing squash in college. I knew it would require hard work and focus both on the court and in the classroom, but I was lucky enough to have amazing teammates, coaches, and friends to challenge me and push me to higher levels. Hotchkiss also allowed me to compete individually outside of school; I would travel to national tournaments on the weekends and over breaks.

RCS: How are things going at Yale?

TC: My first two years have been awesome, and I cannot imagine myself anywhere else. Of course, transitioning from high school to college academics and athletics required more focus and effort, but I have enjoyed those challenges. I am studying economics and still taking courses in Latin and ancient history, which I started in fifth grade at RCS. I appreciate Yale’s balance, which allows me to take courses in many areas of study; some of my favorites so far are First Order Logic, Roman History through 13 Objects, and Data Exploration and Analysis.

Ivy League squash has been a step up in intensity and talent both on my team and from the competition. The practice schedule, fitness requirements, and focus demanded every day have increased, and I have loved the chance to be challenged by great players and play with my best friends every day. The team has become my family. After finishing third at nationals last year, our team is primed to take a step up this year with almost the entire team returning and the addition of some strong freshmen.
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Students learn the fundamentals, discover their strengths, and build their skills in their sports of choice. After RCS, they have the confidence to hone their skills in high school, and many continue to compete at the highest levels in college. We are proud to celebrate their hard work, dedication, and success.

Help keep this list up to date. Email Caroline Mockridge mockridge@rcsny.org to suggest additions.

List of 13 items.

Baseball

Cole Decker '20 Bates

Tyler Buckley '12 Trinity

Charlie Carpenter '13 Williams

Parker Goldstein '13 Oberlin

Chris Stern '13 Emory
Basketball

Frances Ryan '18 Middlebury
Crew

Henry Bird '10 Yale

George Fauver '18 Bates

Lily Fauver '14 Dartmouth

Alexandra Friedman '08 Connecticut College

Ryan Galli '14 Bucknell

Mairead Kilgallon '15 Princeton

Graham Offermann '12 Holy Cross
Cross Country

Dorothy Walker '16 Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Field Hockey

Elsie Harrington '16 Dickinson

Natalie Harrington '13 Sewanee

Freddie Tobeason '16 -Washington & Lee
Football

Josh Boies '20 Bates

Corbin Coles '19 Dickinson

Gardner Heitzman '20 Georgetown

Jack O'Callaghan '20 Denison

Jared Jones '14 Amherst

Matt Schwartz '15 Union
Hockey

Nick Bingaman '08 Hobart

Penn Sednaoui '07 Connecticut College
Lacrosse

Jack Cicchelli '20 Franklin & Marshall

Alex Krusko '21 US Military Academy at West Point

Matt Andrews '00 Loyola Maryland

Alex Bamford '15 University of Michigan

Blair Clayton '16 Colorado College

Lee Coppersmith '06 Johns Hopkins

Blake Cote '16 Washington & Lee

Timothy Evnin '18 Hobart

Aaron Gittleman '03 Dickinson

Elliot Gilbert '13 Washington & Lee

Jacob Greenberg '06 Bates

Charlie Gumz '03 Colgate

Jake Harrington '09 Dickinson

Evan Kieltyka '14 Lafayette

Andrew Lowman '14 Bates

Sydney Mas '07 UVM

Hannah Mirza '06 University of California at Davis

Frannie O'Brien '18 Notre Dame

Alex Scaros '03 Tufts

John Schreiber '16 Johns Hopkins

Penn Sednaoui '07 Connecticut College

Louis Varsames '18 Marquette

Garrett Virtue '06 UVM

Lindsey West '13 Colgate

Justin Wright '06 Rollins
Sailing

Theo Bartlett '14 Tufts

Alexander Giordano '08 Connecticut College
Soccer

Jackson Corrigan '14 Williams

Nick Hall Risko '10 Union

Jared Reeber '13 Bates

Camille Smith '19 Lehigh
Squash

Natalie Bartlett '15 Tufts

Taylor Clayton '18 Yale

Chris Hanson '06 Dartmouth

Michael Pucci '06 Trinity

Penn Sednaoui '07 Connecticut College
Tennis

Charlie Ghriskey '08 College of Charleston

Jordan Kemp '06 Trinity

Paige MacDonald '01 Kenyon

Harry Seaborn '07 Penn State

Sam Swank '10 University of South Carolina

Gabe Tishman '12 University of Michigan

Doug Yaffa '18 University of Virginia
Track & Field

Alec Bingaman '07 Princeton

College Athletes

List of 13 items.

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