Before the Break, Williamsburg Christian Academy named soccer player and now basketball player, Keith Cardenas, as well as field hockey player, Lola Geoffroy, as WCA’s Student-Athletes of the month for November. In receiving this award, Keith and Lola truly exemplified what it means to be “student-athletes.”

Lola Geoffroy is a 7th grader at WCA and competed with the school’s JJV Field Hockey team which throughout the season improved rapidly under the tutelage of returning Coach Shannon Meyyar. Aside from her contributions on the field, Geoffroy was a substantial contributor to the team’s positive and upbeat attitude. This season Lola earned the “Snickers Award” for best sense of humor and the “Most Dependable Award” for consistently helping out, supporting her teammates, and being ready and willing to do whatever was asked or needed of her.

“It was an honor to have Lola co-captain the girls’ field hockey team this fall because of the example she set both on and off the field. The fact that her team chose her as a captain shows the level of respect she has gained from her peers not just for her field hockey skills but because Lola led by example and was very dependable,” remarked Coach Shannon, “She was one athlete who achieved the tricky balance of having fun and working hard while learning a sport. I don’t think she ever had a bad day, at least you couldn’t tell if she did, because you would always find her with a smile on her face and ready to learn.”

When asked what Lola’s favorite moment of the season was, she quickly replied their big win over Toano Middle School. She feels that hard work and dedication are what it takes to be a successful athlete, and felt her strongest contribution to the team was ‘bringing leadership and joy to the field.’ Lola is very involved in the arts at WCA as well, as she loves drama and playing the drums as well as singing. Her inspirational verse for the season was Hebrews 12:1 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Keith Cardenas is an 8th grader at WCA and is no stranger to athletic success on the field. Keith is not only a member of WCA’s varsity soccer squad as an 8th-grade student, but is also a member of Legacy Soccer of Williamsburg’s Regional travel teams, which have taken home multiple awards. Keith has been playing soccer since the age of three and has been a student at WCA since kindergarten. He follows in the footsteps of his brother Kyle (’16), who was also a member of WCA’s Varsity Soccer squad for several years.

“Keith is a person molded in the form of patient parents who sacrifice of themselves to give their best for their kids. With such a support system holding him up, Keith has shown a great improvement in his maturity and spirit of competition on the field over the course of the season as exhibited, not only by his play on the field, but a commitment to his teammates off the field as well,” explained varsity soccer coach Coach Jae Kim. “He is always helping a teammate with the complexities of the game or with a problem in class. He exemplifies the spirit of the student-athlete and excels in his classes and is a pleasure to be around for teachers and classmates
alike.”

Keith attributes his success as a student-athlete to good time management skills, and his favorite part of his sport is the opportunity to play as a part of a team. His favorite moment of the season was their win against Hampton Christian, primarily because they played as a team. His inspirational verse for the season was Isaiah 40:30-31 – “Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”

Please join us in congratulating both Keith and Lola on this substantial achievement!