2016 Detroit Catholic Central
Season
The Catholic Central academic teams finished the 2015-2016 season with 3 top-5 national finishes, a record-tying 6th state championship, and more combined wins than any other season in the program’s history.
The varsity A team, undeterred losing its top two scorers from last season’s national championship team, went through the season amassing the second highest win total of all time with 233 wins. The A team took 10 tournament championships and finished the season ranked #1 in the nation for a second consecutive year. The varsity B team set a new record for wins by a B team with 141, played the A team in the finals of 5 tournaments, and finished the season ranked #17 in the country.
The season ended on consecutive weekends. First on the weekend of May 28th, the A and B teams competed at the NAQT High School National Championship Tournament in Dallas, TX. The varsity B team finished as the highest B team in the country, and as the highest placing B team in Catholic Central History by storming through the playoffs and finishing 5th. The varsity A team won 10 consecutive games before being ousted by the eventual national champion Hunter College from New York City, NY. With a chance to still make the finals, the A team defeated perennial powerhouse LASA from Texas, only to succumb to a controversial loss to #3 ranked Thomas Jefferson of Virginia and finish the tournament 3rd. Catholic Central was the only school in the country to place two teams in the top 5.
The following weekend in Rosemont, IL, 3 varsity teams and 1 JV team competed in the PACE National Scholastic Championship. The C team finished 45th, marking the second year in a row a Catholic Central C team placed in the top 50 in the country. The A and B teams both made the top playoff bracket, marking only the second time in PACE history that two teams from one school made the top 8. In a surprising finish, the B team repeated their feat at HSNCT and took 5th place, while the A team took 7th. Consequently, the members of the B team, Austin Morton, Cassandra Mansuetti, Will Lamarra, and Robert Crawford are all underclassmen, so another season of Catholic Central quiz bowl domination is not out of the question.
Individually, many Catholic Central quiz bowlers were noted for their performances throughout the season. Junior Cassandra Mansuetti was named to the All-World 2nd Team and Seniors Ean Maloney, Conner Reynolds, and Joshua Cantie were named to the All-World First Team.
Records
Varsity A
- Overall Record: 236-42
- Tournament Wins: 10
- NAQT State Champs
- 3rd at HSNCT
- 7st at NSC
Varsity B
- Overall Record: 141-72
- Tournament Wins: 0
- 5th at HSNCT
- 5th at NSC
Varsity C
- Overall Record: 67-51
- Tournament Wins: 0
- 45th at NSC