Beyond the Books - June 2026

At Cretin-Derham Hall, students have important opportunities to grow, learn and thrive both in the classroom and 'beyond the books!' In fact, 98% of students participate in one or more sports or activities. 

Beyond the Books is our brag book on all of your favorite co-curriculars at CDH: athletics, activities, JROTC, Campus Ministry, and the Arts. This can also be a place for occasional school-wide athletic department updates and current news on some of our activities.

ATHLETICS | ACTIVITIES | CHOIR | THEATER | BAND | JROTC

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Athletics

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Boys Golf

By Bob Kinne ’11, Head Coach

The Boys Golf team continues to build on an outstanding season, adding both a Conference Championship and a third consecutive Section Championship to their accomplishments.

After capturing the conference title, the team delivered its best performance of the year at the Section Tournament, posting a two-day total of 567 (-5) to win the championship by an impressive 38 strokes. The score was the team's season best and showcased the depth of the lineup, with all counting scores ranking among the team's top six performances.

Leading the way were Michael Markley ’26 and Jake Palen ’27, who shared Individual Section Championship honors after each fired a two-day total of 138 (-5).

The Section Championship marks the program's third straight section title and earns the team a return trip to the State Tournament. The boys will now turn their attention to the MSHSL State Championship, which will be held June 9-10, as they look to cap off an already remarkable season with a strong performance on the state's biggest stage.

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CDH Girls Golf

By Megan Fee Smith ‘00, Head Varsity Coach

The CDH Girls Golf Team had an excellent 2026 season! The JV and Varsity teams competed in the conference championship at Oak Glen on May 22. Junior Alayna Peterson '27 received the individual medal for “All-Conference” in the Suburban East Conference for the second consecutive year.   

• SEC All Conference (Varsity): Alayna Peterson ‘27
• SEC Honorable Mention (Varsity): Maeve Junius ‘27, Keira Goossens ‘27, Regan Zimski ‘27
• SEC Honorable Mention (JV): Lexi Roubicheau '29, Fiona Smith ‘28, Violet Wood ‘26, Meghan Muckala ‘27

The team celebrated the season with a banquet held at Lost Spur Golf and Event Center, and the following Varsity and JV golfers were recognized for their accomplishments:

• Rookie of the Year: Addie Frattallone ‘26 (V); Lexi Roubicheau '29 (JV)
• Raider Spirit: Katherine Campbell ‘26 (V); Meghan Muckala ‘27 (JV)
• Strength & Conditioning Athlete: Keira Goossens '26 (V), Piper Munoz ‘29 (JV)
• Most Improved: Maeve Junius ‘27 (V), Inga Marsden ‘29 (JV)
• Best Work Ethic at the Course: Alayna Peterson ‘27 (V), Violet Wood ‘26 (JV)
• Positive Teammate: Kendall Klecatsky ‘26 (V) and Fiona Smith ‘28 (JV)
• Captains 2027: Alayna Peterson ‘27 and Meghan Muckala ‘27

The Varsity team finished the season at the MSHSL 4AAA Section Tournament on May 27-28 at Goodrich Golf Course.  Alayna Peterson ‘27 qualified for the MSHSL AAA State Tournament on June 9-10 at Bunker Hills.  Alayna was recognized as CDH Athlete of the Week:  “Beyond her accomplishments on the course, Alayna represents Cretin-Derham Hall with positivity, determination, and a commitment to improving every day. Her leadership, character, and work ethic make her a tremendous role model for her teammates and the entire Raider community.”

Congratulations, Alayna, on this well-deserved recognition, and best of luck at the State Tournament!

Thank you to Kristy McLeod (Varsity Assistant Coach) and Callie Dahl (JV Head Coach) for their dedication, commitment, and support to the team.

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Girls Lacrosse

By Jeff Rosga ’89, Head Coach

The Raiders earned their spot at state by defeating Park Cottage Grove in the Section 3 Championship Game. CDH enters the tournament with an outstanding 15–1 record and is ranked among the Top 5 teams in Minnesota.

The Raiders will compete in next week's MSHSL State Lacrosse Tournament, with their opponent and game time to be announced later this week. All state tournament games will be played at White Bear Lake.  

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Softball

By Carolyn Osdoba, Head Coach

The Raiders earned their state berth with two dominant victories over Hill-Murray, winning 16–1 and 7–1. They carried that momentum into the State Quarterfinals, where they upset #3-ranked Mankato East with an impressive 11–2 victory.

CDH will take on Sartell in the third-place game today as they continue another outstanding postseason run.

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Boys Tennis

By Randy Muetzel, Head Coach

CDH Boys Tennis wrapped up a strong season led by All-Conference players Jackson Jewison '27, Will Bischoff '26, and Griffin Merritt '26. Jackson competed at first singles, while Will and Griffin anchored first doubles.

The Raiders opened section play with an impressive 6–1 victory over Hastings before falling to St. Thomas in the second round. With nine players returning next season, the future is bright, and we're excited to see what this talented group accomplishes next year.

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Boys Track and Field

By Chris Babcock, Head Coach

Boys' track and field had a good showing at the section 3AA meet. Shaheed Suggs '28 competed in the 100m, and the 200m. He qualified for the finals with the third fastest time in the 100m with a personal best time of 11.23 seconds. In the finals he placed sixth. Newcomer to track and field, Andrew Montei '27 took on the 300m hurdles this season. In his preliminary heat of the 300m hurdles he ran a personal best time of 44.72 seconds. This was a nearly 3 second personal best that put him in sixth place for finals. In the finals race he bettered his place to fourth. In the discus Henry Malloy '26 finished fourth battling back from two early fouls that nearly took him out of the competition all together.

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Girls Track and Field

By Chris Babcock, Head Coach

Girls' track and field sent two athletes to the state meet at St. Michael Albertville on Friday, June 6 and Saturday June 7. Terenata James '27 qualified for the state meet in the 100m hurdles, and Madeleine Hamiel '29 qualified for the state meet in the 100m dash. This was James' second trip to the state meet, but her first time in the 100m hurdles. She finished 23rd overall, after a technical mistake going over hurdle number 5 threw her off balance. But she battled through the finish line like a true Raider. This was Hamiel's first time at the state meet. On Friday she placed second in her heat earning an automatic qualification to the final round. In the finals she came out of the blocks hard, like she did in prelims, and sprinted every step of the way through the finish line running a personal best time and finishing 8th overall. Hamiel was also 3rd in the section 3AA 200m race, narrowly missing qualification for this race as well. James also placed 3rd in the 300m hurdles, one place away from qualifying for the state meet. The two of them teamed up with Gloria Barclay '28 and Chrisette Rines '28 for the 4 x 100m relay at sections. The four of them placed 3rd, just outside of the qualification for state.

Boys and Girls Cross Country

By Chris Babcock, Head Coach

Cross Country boys and girls teams are going to be kicking off their summer training at 10 am from the Monument on the west end of Summit Avenue in St. Paul. We will be running there at that time for the whole week. Then we will start our regular summer scheduled group runs on Mondays at 9 am and Thursdays at 7 pm from the Monument. Students in grades 7-12 of all ability levels are welcome to come and join in. Contact Coach Chris Babcock for more information.

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Activities

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Joseph of Arimathea

By Mikhail Faulconer

On Saturday, May 30, there was no burial, but we spent a few hours cleaning the graves of the Christian Brothers and Sisters of St. Joseph, many of which were overgrown to the point that the whole marker was obscured. The kids worked really hard and gave their time generously! Read more about the Joseph of Arimathea club.

Clay Target 

By Jason Naber, Head Coach

The CDH Clay Target Team earned second place in conference for both Trap and Skeet. Individual medals were awarded to Cova Bernard for first place in conference for Trap, and Olivia Kline won first place in conference for girls in both Trap and Skeet.  

CDH will compete in the state Skeet Championships on Wednesday June 10 in Prior Lake and the state Trap Championships will be Monday, June 15 in Alexandria.   

It has been a great season, and we look forward to competing in the state championships! 

Olivia Kline placed second overall for the season for females in Skeet. It’s a bit unfortunate that the top female for spring skeet season was also in our conference! 

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Choir

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By Delilah Schuster, Choir Director

Thanks for a great year with the CDH Choir! We've packed up our sheet music for the summer, but for 2026-2027 Choir students, keep an eye on your CDH emails this summer for info about our summer retreat day! Date TBD but will be mid-to-late August. 

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Theater

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by Cullen Wiley, Theater Director

Introducing the 2026-2027 Theater Season!

Fall Play: Puffs or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic
Children's Play: Stuart Little
Winter Black Box Play: The Giver
Spring Musical: Bye Bye Birdie

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Band

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By Teddy Williams, Band Director

The band had the opportunity to perform as surprise guests at Highland Catholic School's eighth-grade graduation. Students played several pep band tunes to help celebrate the graduating class.

Two summer band opportunities will be offered. A middle school instrumental camp will be held during the weeks of July 13 and July 20. Students with questions can contact Mr. Teddy Williams.

The high school band camp is scheduled for Aug. 4-5, with times to be announced. The camp will give students a chance to see each other before the school year begins and spend some time playing together again.

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JROTC

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By SGM David Berrisford '81, COL Scrocca, and SFC Thingvold

Congratulations to our graduating senior cadets! The work they put in this year as leaders and mentors, especially the Diamond Officers, was truly outstanding and will undoubtedly have a lasting and measurable impact on the Raider Brigade for years to come. This is clearly evident by the number of incoming 9th graders once again already pre registered for JROTC next year! For the fourth straight year, more than 40% of the incoming class is already enrolled in JROTC in 2026-2027.

The Raider Brigade closed out the 2025-2026 school year in style with eight cadets participating in the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge at Camp Wilderness in Park Rapids, MN, from May 26-30.  In this CDH-led event, Raider Brigade cadets joined approximately 50 other Army JROTC cadets from Lower Brule High School in South Dakota, and Devils Lake and Grand Forks High Schools in North Dakota.

While there, the cadets participated in a host of individual leadership and team-building activities that challenged each cadet in different ways. The activities included daily Army physical training, rock wall climbing, rappelling, a high ropes course, archery, kayaking, and orienteering. While all the cadets who attended did wonderfully, the 2026 CDH JCLC Leadership Award went to Cadet Norah Poynter ’28.

The final Junior Officer Exam will be offered on Monday, August 3 at 7 am for those rising seniors who would like to be promoted to the officer ranks and take on increased leadership responsibilities during their senior year. Additionally, Diamond Promotion applications are due in hardcopy to the JROTC office no later than Thursday, August 27 by 2:45 pm and Class A inspections and interviews will be conducted September 2-3 from 7-8 am each day.

Incoming 9th grade Uniform fitting will be held on Tuesday, August 11 from 7 am - 2 pm. Uniform exchange for current cadets who have grown out of their uniforms will take place on Thursday, August 20 from 7-11 am.

We wish all the cadets and families a safe and enjoyable summer. The JROTC office will
be open most days during the summer should anyone need anything.