BEHS ATHLETIC PROGRAM NAMED TOPS IN STATE

Two from the “What’s New Department.” The Director’s Cup, an award given to the most successful athletic programs in the Palmetto State, has a new name: The Carlisle Cup. Also, Bishop England High School competed at a new classification for the 2016-17 academic year, moving up from Class AA to AAA. But the song remained the same for the Bishops as they once again had the top athletic program in the Palmetto State for its classification. And, it wasn’t even close. The Bishops tallied 1,340 points to easily outdistance Bluffton for the Class AAA honors. The winners in the other classifications mostly outscored their nearest competitors by 100-200 points. The Carlisle Cup uses a points system to decide the winners. For example, teams earn 100 points for a state championship, 80 for runner-up, 60 for a third-place finish all the way down to 10 points for a 32nd-place finish in the state. The Bishops have won the cup every year since its inception during the 2002-2003 academic year. Bishop England Athletic Director Paul Runey wondered if his program would finish No. 1 because of its higher classification. “We knew there would be some situations where things might get interesting,” he said. “Class AAA was half of the old Class AA schools and half of the old Class AAA schools. We still played against schools that had bigger enrollments than we did.” The concern never materialized as the Bishops set a school record with nine state championships in the 2016-17 academic year. Runey is trying to get confirmation that the nine state titles are also a state record. The Bishops’ state championships included girls’ basketball, baseball, volleyball, girls’ lacrosse, boys’ lacrosse, girls’ golf, boys’ swimming, girls’ track and field and girls’ tennis. The Bishops were state runners-up in girls’ swimming and boys’ golf. The volleyball team continues to be the flagship of the athletic program. Coach Cindy Baggott’s team won its 17th straight consecutive state championship - a national record - with a 25-13, 25-20, 25-18 victory over Camden in November. The girls’ basketball team also continued its mastery of opponents. The team, which is coached by Runey, won its fourth consecutive state title and fifth in the last six years. The Bishops will begin the 2017-18 season with a 20-game postseason winning streak. The baseball team, coached by Mike Darnell, won its first state title since 2011. The team was 5-6 early in the season but rebounded to post a 24-9 record. The South Carolina Athletic Administration Association board named John Carlisle as executive director emeritus in honor of his dedication and contributions to the formation, development and growth of the SCAAA. The Board also announced the AD Cup’s name change to the Carlisle Cup. Wando was the Class AAAAA winner while Hilton Head took top honors in Class AAAA. St. Joseph’s won the Class AA award and Lewisville was Class A champ. Locally, Hanahan finished sixth in the Class AAA team standings.

BEHS ATHLETIC PROGRAM NAMED TOPS IN STATE

Photo Credit: Bishop England Athletics

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