Boys Volleyball Advances to Semis
After finishing the regular season 13-3, the boys’ volleyball team at GHS defeated Fairfield Ludlowe (3-1) in the first round and Southington (3-0) in the quarterfinals of the Class L tournament. The Guardians season came to an end in the semifinals, losing to Enfield (3-0). Senior captain Liam Scales led the team in kills this spring and will be graduating, along with Peter Sposito, Jason Porter, Jeremy Davis, and James Carpenter. Setter Paul Gilberto, who led the Guardians in assists and aces, will lead a talented group coming back next fall. Next year’s senior class will feature Gilberto, Trey Tennyson, Stephen Dayton, Ryan Hoffman, Eric Rose, and Ryan Barcikowski. GHS Golf Excel at States GHS boys golf finished third overall with a (+13) 301 at the Division I state tournament, behind only Fairfield Prep and Conard. Junior Connor Goode tied for second overall, shooting and even-par (72), trailing only Amity’s Brett Chodes. Charlie Dolan shot a (+2) 74 and Gavin Kvadus (+4) 76 rounded out the top-three GHS golfers at the tournament. GHS girls golf placed seventh overall, shooting a 393 at the Division I state tourney. Senior Caroline Cermignani (84) finished tied for fourth overall and Morgan Peterson (88) tied for ninth.
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Track & Field
Wethersfield boys finished sixth overall at the Class L finals. Jayson Burchell won the state championship in the long jump and finished third in the triple jump. Michael Bobin also won a state title, winning the pole vault. Torronce Smith placed fourth in the 300m hurdles and Owen Gagne fifth in the 200m. The Eagles 4x800 relay team (Liam Stec, Ryan Gagne, Thomas Brodowicz, Owen Gagne) also placed fifth. Newington’s 4x800 relay (Michael Bohlke, Luke Brown, Reed Campbell, Sam Geisler) took home a state title at the Class L finals and duplicated that feat at the State Open. Bolke placed third in the 3200m and Geisler placed third in the 200m. Elias Roberts also took home third in the 300m hurdles. Middletown’s Trevor Drescher won Class L javelin state title and finished third in the discus. Eric Meyer was the runner-up in the discus and Liam Tharin placed third in the shot put. On the girl’s side of Class L, Middletown’s Arden Phoenix placed third in the discus and Newington’s Katie Bohlke finished fifth in the 800m. Rocky Hill’s Marina Perry won a state championship in the discus at the Class M finals, also finishing third in the shot put. On the boy’s side of Class M, Cromwell’s Ethan Wilson finished second in the 100m and fifth in the 200m. Mark Rodriguez also placed fifth in the 3200m. Tyreice Dominique of Rocky Hill placed third in the 100m, while teammates Jack Thurz also placed third in the 800m and Maxwell DiMatteo finished fourth in the discus. Golf Cromwell’s Jack Wise shot a birdie on his final hole, finishing up a (+3) 74 round and a share of the Division III state title with Waterford’s Danny Torres. Teammates Ryan Rozzi (94) and The Panthers finished eighth overall at the tournament. Newington’s Madison Massaro-Cook tied for 11th at the Division II girls’ championships. Volleyball Newington boys’ volleyball fell to Barlow (3-1) in the Class M state championship match on June 10. It ended another incredible season for the Nor’easters, who finished 17-2 in the regular before sweeping both Rockville and Cheshire in the tournament. Senior captain Jacob Baclawski, who led the team in kills (288) and aces (79), will be leaving, along with Joshua Akosa and Sean Stegmaier, who led the team in blocks this season. WHS volleyball seniors (L-R) Christian Bahouth. Dylan Knapp, Jake Kozlowski, Adam Schlapfer, and Jonathan Hubschmitt. Photo credit: Jo-Ann Campbell
Wethersfield boys’ volleyball was eliminated from the Class M tournament, losing to Farmington in four sets last Tuesday at WHS. The loss ended a successful spring for first-year head coach Katie Stanley, who guided the Eagles to 11 wins in her debut season. “It was kind of a challenging to come in here, especially after missing that year,” said Stanley, who also coached girls volleyball in the fall, “For the seniors, they missed their junior year and that’s a big year, but I also think we used that to get them going. They were ready to go.” Despite having only one player with varsity experience, the team won five of six to start the season, including an impressive three-set win over powerhouse Newington. It was one of only two regular season losses for the reigning Class M champs from Newington. Senior captains Christian Bahouth and Dylan Knapp led the way on the court. The pair quickly formed a potent inside-out tandem, Bahouth as the setter and Knapp as a forceful outside hitter. Bahouth finished with a team-high 398 assists and Knapp led the team with 276 kills. Stanley said the pair developed a great rapport, “They definitely had to work on it. They played with each other before and they have a really good relationship in that way, which worked out nicely throughout the season.” Knapp’s younger brother, junior Andrew Knapp, led the team in aces (36) and finished second on the team in kills (143). Stanley added that the siblings displayed a healthy and competitive nature on the court. “We did a doubles tournament and they were on each other’s team, and they are either in-synch with each other or wanting to kill each other,” joked Stanley. The younger Knapp will be returning next season, as will John Lleshi, who was a first-year player. Stanley was impressed with Lleshi’s skills, “He’s been tremendous throughout the year. He was definitely a football player to start, and he grew into that position [as a volleyball player] and now I think he loves it.” The older Knapp, along with Bahouth, libero Jonathan Hubschmitt ( team-high 57 digs), Adam Schlapfer (33 aces), and Jake Kozlowski played their final game last Tuesday. Early on the Eagles played with energy, winning the first set 25-14 behind six kills from [Dylan] Knapp. Farmington rallied to win the next three sets thanks to the consistent play of captain Mike Bobylov and setter Jack Dunphy. Stanley thought the Eagles had the right mindset, but were unable to finish, “We came in really strong with this positive attitude and with a lot of energy and then it was kind of like a roller coaster. I tell them that all the time, we have really high highs, but then they get down and to get back up is kind of challenging.” “They learned to trust each other and work together,” added Stanley about the teams’ progress this spring, “When they have that energy, they are unstoppable.” Senior Sam Forrest battles Cheshire's defenders during the Guardians tournament game last Monday
Quitting was never an option for the girls’ lacrosse team at Glastonbury High. The gritty Guardians fought until the bitter end, nearly erasing a four-goal deficit by scoring three goals in the final two minutes, before falling to Cheshire 12-11 in the opening round of the Class L tournament last Monday night at GHS. “You can fold or you can fight, and they fought. You can’t ask much more than that,” GHS head coach Kris Cofiell said following the elimination loss, “I think that everybody on the field played for the seniors, and I think the seniors played for their team. They saw it slipping away and they fought. I’m proud of them for that.” Cofiell’s girls left it all on the field during the tightly contested postseason bout. Sam Forrest led the offensive charge with six goals, including three goals and an assist in the first 20 minutes of the game. Her third goal, a sidearm flick to the lower right corner of the goal, put the home team up 4-1 with 9:01 left in the first half. The visiting Rams rallied with four straight goals, taking a one-point lead into the break. “When we played them the first time we were up at half and they came out and they were super strong coming out of the gate, and we were playing chase the rest of the game last time,” said Cofiell, referencing a 14-9 loss to Cheshire on May 6, “This one was exciting because it was back-and-forth and you knew it was going to be a game of who possessed it more and took advantage of those opportunities.” Contrary to the regular season game, it was the Guardians who came out on fire in the second half, scoring three goals within the first seven minutes. The first from Bella Acosta, who rebounded her own miss and fired in a close-range goal. Less than a minute later, Christina Guanci spun around a defender before finding the back of the net to regain the lead. Acosta added a wrap-around goal, putting Glastonbury up 7-5 with 18:15 to play. Oner the next 17 minutes, Cheshire scored seven of the next eight. Senior Taylor Warburton’s team-leading fourth goal provided the Rams a 12-8 cushion in the closing minutes. “Sometimes games are won and lost on heart, and we had moments of time when we got in our heads too much. We were defeating ourselves at times, but then the end we pulled it together, we made it exciting.” recalled Cofiell. Facing a seemingly insurmountable deficit, Glastonbury did not go quietly into the night as Forrest tallied two quick goals, scoring at the 1:15 mark and again with 35 seconds remaining. 20 second later, Joelle Solecki scored, narrowing the margin to a single score. Mary Norman won the ensuing faceoff and Forrest gained control, weaving her way towards the goal before feeding it back to Norman, who was swarmed by defenders and unable to get a shot off before the horn sounded. The closing seconds showcased how tight the tournament game was. “We had a chance to come up with some turnovers those last four minutes and [Cheshire] came up with the possessions,” recalled Cofiell, who credited the opponent, “They’re a great team. They hustle, they work hard.” The loss ended another successful season for the lacrosse program, which won 13 of 16 regular season games and capturing the conference crown for the 13th consecutive season. It was the final high school season for five seniors; Forrest, Acosta, Solecki, Norman, and Leah Suydam, who Cofiell credited for being the “heart and soul” of the defense. Cofiell praised the five, pointing out their individual prowess and how well they worked together, “They all have their own roles and they filled it. That’s why we named them all captains. Without one, we are not who we are. With all five, we’re strong and we work hard until the end.” Even in defeat, the seniors continued to lead. As the team exited the turf at GHS for one last time, Forrest consoled freshman Stephanie Koppy before the team enjoyed a finale team meeting, in which Cofiell tearfully expressed how proud she was of her team. All told, Forrest led the team with 74 goals this season, also finishing tied for second on the team in assists (26) with junior Mary McKiernan. Guanci led the team in helpers with 31, adding 36 goals, while Solecki (33 goals/16 assists) and Acosta (20 goals/25 assists) rounded out a potent offense. Seniors Joelle Solecki, Bella Acosta, Sam Forrest, Mary Norman, and Leah Suydam vs Cheshire Baseball
Newington entered the Class LL tourney as the #10 seed and won a pair of games. In the first round they defeated #23 New Milford 3-2 behind a solid pitching performance from Zack Nakonechy. Austyn Howe was 2-2, scoring two runs, and Alex Cappellucci went 2-3 for an RBI. In round two, the team traveled to Trumbull and won 8-6 thanks to Shaun Callahan, who went 2-3 and drove in two runs. The Nor’easters season came to an end with a hard-fought 12-10 loss to McMahon in the quarterfinals. Cromwell defeated SMSA in the opening round of the Class S tourney behind another fabulous pitching performance from junior Zachary Zajac, who tossed a no-hitter. The #8 Panthers fell to Shepaug in the second round, ending a season where the team won 15 of 21 games. Rocky Hill destroyed University/Classical, 27-1, in the first round of the Class M tourney. The Terriers racked up 29 hits, three apiece from Tyler Carlstrom, Brendan Whalen, and Jeffrey Beliveau. Carlstrom scored four runs, while Whalen, Nick Aderhold, and Braeden Murawski each scored three. Senior Zach Mascaro added four RBIs. In round two the #20 seed Terriers took #4 seed Waterford to the limit, playing to a 2-2 tie through five innings, before losing 7-2. Softball Rocky Hill blanked Platt Tech, 20-0, in the Class M first round behind a no-hitter from Shauna Kehoe, who struck out 14. Christina DeNovellis was great from the plate, connecting on four hits, driving in four runs, and scoring four more. Maddie Dillon added three runs and Erin Slavin drove in three. The #19 Terriers nearly upset #3 Granby in the second round, losing 1-0, as Granby pitcher Abigail Kidd limited Rocky Hill to three hits and struck out 18. Cromwell earned a bye in the opening round before knocking off Old Lyme, 4-3, in the second round of the Class S tourney. Freshman Victoria Wiatrak drove in two runs, including the game-winner in the bottom of the 7th when she sent home Jaime Anderson, who scored her second run of the day. The Panthers fell Norte Dame-Fairfield in the quarterfinals, ending the season and the high schools careers of twins Monica and Erica Dewey, who were the team’s only two seniors. Monica Dewey posted this after the tourney loss, “Cromwell softball has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Through Little League, middle school and high school, the people surrounding me have been like family and they’ll remain that way forever. I have no regrets because I have put my heart and soul into this game and held nothing back. For my teammates and for the blessing to play, I will always be thankful.” Girls Lacrosse Rocky Hill defeated Old Lyme 6-1 in a Class S qualifying round game behind Isabella Santos, who had two goals and an assist. Emma O'Connell added two more goals, while Molly Morgan and Sarah Whelan each scored. Goalkeeper Gracie Manushi had seven saves and the Terriers defense led by Maddy Gurrera, Hannah Fuller, Beverly Mastorianni, and Katie O'Connell helped cement the victory. Boys Lacrosse Newington defeated Branford-East Haven 7-6 in the qualifying round of Class L before falling to Hall in the first round, ending a solid season for Newington, who won 11 of 15 regular season games. In the regular season, Mike Zapatka led the team with 68 points (51 goals) and Trevor Reilly added 43 points, including a team-high 22 assists. Sam Davies manned the goal for a majority of the season. Wethersfield wrapped up their first varsity season with a 14-1 regular season record, good for the second-best record in Class M. The Eagles lost an 11-10 overtime heartbreaker to Brookfield in the first round of the tourney, despite four goals from senior Ethan Rocheleau and three more from sophomore Wil Bankowski. Peter Sposito (left) with fellow volleyball captain Liam Scales
Sposito is a team captain for the GHS volleyball team that defeated Fairfield Ludlowe in the first round and upset Southington in the quarterfinals of the Class L tournament. During the regular season, the senior led the team in sets played and was second on the team in kills, along with top-three in blocks and aces. Sposito, who also starred for the Guardians basketball team, recently decided to attend Choate Rosemary Hall for post-graduate year next fall as he expands his educational and hoops horizons. “My goal is to play basketball at the best academic and athletic school possible, and I felt Choate would give me the best opportunity to do that. I’m really excited to jump in with the Choate community and prepare to win a NEPSAC Class A title as a Wild Boar,” he said. After spending his early years in West Hartford, Sposito and his family moved to Glastonbury a decade ago. “I’m really going to miss the GHS community. I have great relationships with many of my peers and teachers/coaches, so leaving these great people will be a tough, new change,” stated Sposito, whose older sister, Mary, is currently at Penn State and older brother, Matthew, attends Loyola University in Maryland, “I’m very excited for my opportunity next year at Choate and will try and get home to support Glastonbury athletics as much as possible.” GHS Boys Tennis- Liam Kelleher, Matt Guasta, Luke Vredenburg, and Christian Kaverud made All-CCC
GHS Girls T&F Crowned Class Champs Glastonbury girls track and field blew away the competition at the Class LL finals, scoring 109.50 points and soundly defeating runner-up Southington (88 points) at Willow Brook Park last Monday. Mallory Malz was again spectacular, winning the pole vault, long jump, and triple jump. The 4x800 relay team of Ava Gattinella, Kelley MacElhiney, Casey MacElhiney, and Jacqueline Caron also took first place. Caron was also the runner-up in the 800m, joining the 4x100 relay (Hannah Caiola, Alyssa Healy, Emily Smith, and Riley Carroll) and the 4x400 (Healy, Carroll, Emily Smith, Megan Smith) which also placed second. Emma Smith finished third in the 100m hurdles, while Meghan Smith and Carroll finished fourth and fifth in the 400m. Layla Spann McDonald placed fourth in the discus and Kathryn DeSousa finished fifth in the high jump. The championship marked the program’s first state championship since 2010. GHS Softball Wins Pair of Tourney Games Glastonbury came back from a two-run deficit to defeat Conard 7-6 in the first round of the Class LL tourney last Monday night at GHS. The Guardians used discipline from the plate to secure the comeback. Trailing 6-4 in the bottom of the 7th, Natalie Lessard singled to reach base and Sadie Scurto followed with a single of her own. Lessard and Scurto each scored after a walk, a wild pitch and two hit-by-pitches. Nabia Crawford crossed home to complete the victory following a passed ball. Lessard led the team with two hits, scoring twice, and Rayah Snyder scored twice and drove in a run. Brooke Tracy pitched all seven innings to earn the postseason win, striking out 10 in the process. The team then went on the road and defeated Shelton, 4-2, in the second round. Tracy again struck out 10 in seven innings on work, and connected on three hits from the plate, scoring one run. Molly Doherty scored twice, while Snyder scored and had an RBI. The Guardians totaled ten hits in the tourney road win. The team’s season came to an end in the quarterfinals, losing #1 seed Southington in the quarterfinals. It ended the year for a young Guardians team that started four freshmen, three sophomores, and three juniors. Boys Golf Rolls On GHS boys golf finished the regular season 15-0-1 with wins over Windsor (148-223), Berlin (147-173), Portland (152-166), and Rocky Hill (145-235). Against Windsor, junior Charlie Dolan led all players with a (-1) 34. The Guardians clinched the division title in the win over Berlin at Glastonbury Hills Country Club. Connor Goode was the match medalist with a (-1) 35. Dolan and senior captain Ethan Kalk each shot (+1) 37 to help secure the title. Head coach Tom Zelek said this of the title-clinching victory, “Berlin had tied us at Timberlin earlier this season so everyone playing today knew the significance of this match. I’m very pleased with our scoring at this stage of the year with season ending tournaments coming up.” The match verse Portland featured two undefeated teams and Glastonbury dealt Portland their first loss thanks to Goode and Dolan, who each shot (+2) 37. Freshman Gavin Kvadus shot a 38. Boys Tennis Takes Two Rounds GHS boys’ tennis, who won 14 of 15 matches in the regular season, defeated Enfield (6-1) and Fairfield Prep (5-2) in the first two rounds of the Class LL tournament. In the win over Fairfield Prep, #1 singles Christian Kaverud defeated Charlie Farbo (6-1, 6-4) and #2 singles Luke Vredenburg defeated Brando Savin (6-1, 6-3). Eliot Kim also picked up a singles victory and the doubles teams of Liam Kelleher/Matt Guasta and Matt Daniels/Niteesh Kalangi also won. A loss to Westhill (4-2) in round three ended the season for the Guardians, who had four players selected to All-Conference (Kaverud, Vredenburg, Kelleher, and Guasta). Kaverud, Kelleher, and Guasta later earn All-State honors. Boys LAX Wins Qualifier GHS boys’ lacrosse defeated Trumbull 14-7 in the Class L qualifying round. Kayden Hinchey scored six goals and added three assists to lead the way. Holden Conroy added three goals and an assist, while Matt Harding scored two goals and Josh Heaney had three helpers. Others to score goals were Warren Channing, Lance Domanick (first career goal), and Capers Shaw, who added an assist. Goalie Graham McLaughlin and Ryan Bell combined for 10 saved to limit Trumbull’s offense. Following the win, the Guardians fell to Darien in the first round, ending the season for a team that finished 9-6 in the regular season. Spencer Azzara stepped to the plate with the game tied and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Under normal circumstances that would be stressful. Add in that it was the Guardians’ final regular season home game, played at Dunkin Donuts Park, with playoff implications on the line. “It was just about getting the ball in play,” Azzara said of the tense situation, “When you put the ball in play, good things happen.” A calm, cool, collected Azzara slapped a shot through the heart of the infield, sending home Sam Benedict for a 3-2 walk-off win over RHAM last Tuesday night. “He put the ball in play and won us a baseball game. I’m super happy for him, that’s a moment he’ll remember for a long time,” said head coach Dennis Accomando, who added the Azzara had to work his way back into the starting lineup this spring, “He's been one of the grittiest guys for us all year and I don’t use that term lightly. It was only two short weeks ago he got benched, not for attitude but for performance. He owned it and he kept working hard for that moment. He’s a great guy to have in that situation because he’s not fazed and he wanted it.” Azzara, who started the game pitching and ended it with game-winning hit, was mobbed as he rounded first base by his teammates who sprinted out of the dugout as Benedict crossed home plate. It ended what turned out to be an edge-of-your-seat game, particularly the last two innings. With the game scoreless in the top of the sixth, RHAM loaded up the bases before scoring two runs when Sean Connolly drove in Chase Melzen and Michael Poncini crossed home plate following a wild pitch, putting the Raptors up 2-0. Reliever Elliot Hamilton, who was pitching for the first game this season following a back injury, got out of the jam by striking out Chase Massey, stranding three baserunners. Accomando liked how Hamilton and his team battled through the six-inning adversity, “My message to the guys is that we want this. The more you’re in those environments, the more you’ll learn to thrive in those environments. If you keep sidestepping those tough innings, you’ll never be prepared for the state tournament.” The Guardians bats responded in the bottom of the sixth. “At that point we had seen their pitcher at least a couple of times through the order. I felt confident that we would get going,” said [Sam] Benedict, whose twin brother [Jake] Benedict follows him in the batting order, “Jake put one through the 3-6 hole and then Ben [Curcio] hit that double, and I just knew.” Curcio’s doubled sent [Jake] Benedict home. “We knew we had to be able to hit the best, because we knew we’d have to hit the best in the state tournament,” said Curcio, “We just shortened up our swings and got on base, and thankfully I was able to gap one.” Curio reached third on a sacrifice fly and then Accomando brilliantly gambled with a suicide squeeze, sending Curcio home as Owen Stephens executed a textbook bunt, tying the game at two. “It’s something we practice. We’re prepared for that situation and everything just kind of lined up. I felt like it was the right move,” recalled Accomando, “That pitch it was very difficult for Owen to get that bunt down, and he did a great job.” Heading into the seventh inning, the momentum had clearly shifted towards Glastonbury and relief pitcher Daniel Cantafi make quick work of RHAM’s lineup with three consecutive outs. [Sam] Benedict single to start the bottom of the seventh, before both [Jake] Benedict and Curcio were walked, setting up Azzara’s moment in the sun where the Yard Goats normally graze. “Coach really wanted to make it special for the seniors this year because of what happened last year,” said Curcio, “To see Spencer, a senior, come up and hit a single up the middle to win the game was awesome, it was pretty special.” The seniors agreed that playing a previous game at the Hartford-base ballpark on May 5, against Simsbury, alleviated some of the nerves last Tuesday. “We tried to keep it business as usual and keep calm,” Azzara said of the team’s mindset prior to the game, “Last game we had here I might have let it get to me because it’s such a big stadium and everyone was here, but this time I was able to keep my composure and get loose.” All in all, it was a magical week for the team. The walk-off win was bookended by an 11-0 demolition of Simsbury on Monday and a 2-0 shutout of New Britain on Thursday at Beehive Field. Stephens pitched a perfect game in the win over Simsbury, pitching 42 strikes on 57 pitches, and extending his scoreless streak to 17 innings. “You think about it a little bit, but you just have to have fun out there. It’s a game, that’s why we play,” Stephens said of the final innings of his no-hit masterpiece, “This is the first year that I started to throw a lot again. I pitched a lot in 13-14U but this year I knew we lost a lot of pitchers, one being my older brother who was in the senior class last year, so I just try and throw strikes and if they put the ball in play we just make sure we get outs.” [Sam] Benedict led the offensive charge in the win over Simsbury, going 4-4 with two singles, a double, and a triple. The win over New Britain closed the regular season and extended the Guardians winning streak to seven games. Dan Beagle picked up the win and Cantafi earned the save, combining to allow only three hits. The Guardians offense came from Azzara, who scored in the fifth on a double by Hamilton, and Luke Fahey, who scored on a sacrifice by Jayden Sgro. The win secured Glastonbury the #13 seed in the Class LL CIAC Tournament. The final two weeks of the regular season where a complete turnaround for the Guardians, who were sitting at 7-6 following a loss to Berlin on May 12. “You always want to come together at the end, and we use the word ‘believe’ because in the beginning we didn’t know if all the guys really believed that we could come together and win a state championship but they’ve all adopted that mantra,” said Accomando, “It’s been really exciting as a coach because they are finally playing to what we think is their potential.” Accomando’s pupils have followed his lead. “I think we just settled in. We had played a tough schedule and we lost some tight game against Berlin and Hall, and now were just figuring out how to win those games,” said Stephens, “We’ve come together as a team, playing for each other, pulling the same rope.” Azzara added, “We’re all individually good players but when we’re playing together that’s when we’re at our best.” -Special thanks to Bob Curcio for providing stats and information about GHS baseball this spring Senior Spencer Azzara earned the G-Chain following his walk-off hit to beat RHAM last Tuesday ![]() Malz won both the Pole Vault and Triple Jump, and finished second in the Long Jump, at the CCC finals on May 25. Her triple jump of 35’8.5” broke a school record, which was her second school record this spring, also breaking the pole vault record earlier this season with a height of 11’3”. Besides track and field, the senior is also part of Big Brother Big Sister, Advisory Club, Spanish Club, Youth Advisory Council, Glastonbury Dance Center, and Skyjumpers (a pole vault club in based in North Franklin, CT). After graduating this month, the Glastonbury native’s next stop will be Villanova University in Pennsylvania where she will major in exploratory arts and compete on the Wildcats track and field team. “I am extremely excited to say I am continuing my athletic and academic career at Villanova,” stated Malz, “I am definitely looking forward to competing at the college level. I think the level of intensity at Villanova is what I am most looking forward to, as any opportunity for self-betterment, whether through personal growth on a new team or literally getting those higher marks, is welcome in my books.” Malz added that she’s grateful to have had one last season to compete at GHS, “The best part about this last season has definitely been my teammates and coaches who have been such an integral part of my high school career. They have supported me through it all, and to have this one last season, and to be finally back to competing after such a drought, was so rewarding in itself. I am so lucky to be part of such a passionate, close knit group of dedicated athletes!” Undefeated Season for Girls Tennis
GHS girls’ tennis wrapped up an undefeated season with a 5-2 win over Farmington last Tuesday. The team won all 16 matches in the regular season, winning conference and finishing as the top-seed in Class LL. In the regular season finale at Farmington, #1 singles player Catherine Zak won (6-4, 6-1) and #3 singles player Emma Cantor won (6-2, 6-3). The tandems of of Mirta Atigetchi/Sammy Chung, Erin Cabana/Norah Andersson-Orth, and Bridget Corey/Lexi Tran won all three doubles matches. Girls Lacrosse Continues Conference Domination GHS girls’ lacrosse won conference for the 13th straight season, finished 8-0 in the Central Connecticut Conference North and 12-0 overall in the CCC. Remarkably, they are undefeated against all CCC team during the entire 13-year span. The Guardians completed a 13-3 regular season with three wins last week. Monday, the team beat Tolland 14-3 behind three goals each from Bella Acosta and Sam Forrest, and two goals and three assists Mary McKiernan. On Tuesday, they defeated South Windsor 14-1 thanks to five goals from Joelle Solecki and three apiece from Forrest and Stephanie Koppy. Forrest and Acosta also each dished out three assists. They beat Southington 15-6 in the regular season finale last Wednesday. Forrest tallied four goals, while Acosta and Solecki had three apiece. Goalie Bridget Clarke stopped eight shots, including six in the second half. GHS Softball Takes Down Top-Seed in CCC Glastonbury defeated #1-seed Berlin, 3-0, in first round of CCC tournament last Thursday. Junior pitcher Brooke Tracy was magnificent, striking out 13 Redcoats over seven innings of work, allowing only one hit. The Guardians scored two in the opening inning, the first by Sadie Scurto, who reached home on a dropped third strike. Scutro added a RBI later in the game. Tracy and Rayah Snyder each scored runs, while Snyder and Gabby Lambert each drove a run home. Head coach Karen Costes called the victory over Berlin, “The best win of my head coaching career.” Glastonbury, who fell to Enfield in the second round of the conference tourney, entered the tournament as the #8 seed after finishing the regular season 13-4. They defeated Simsbury 8-0 in the regular season finale behind three RBIs from Lambert, and pair of runs each from Scurto, Snyder, and Natalie Lessard. Tracy was again on-point, allowing only four hits in seven innings of work, striking out 13. GHS Girls T&F Wins CCC The Glastonbury Girls’ track team improved to 14-0 with another great performance, scoring 217 points to win the Central Connecticut Conference championships last Tuesday. In the field, Mallory Malz won the triple crown, finishing first in the long jump (17 feet), the triple jump (35’8.25”) and the pole vault (11’). Layla Spann-McDonald (94’9”) and Brianna Jordan (88’2”) finished first and second in the discus. In the high jump, Kate Desousa placed second (5’2”) followed by Brittany LeClair in third (4’10”) and Tennaly LeClaire in fifth (4’8”). In the shotput, Layla Spann-McDonald placed third while Monica Robinson placed fourth with throws of (30’6”) and (30’7”). On the track, Molly Harding won the 400 meters (58.7), followed by Riley Carrol in third (60.19), and Meghan Smith in fifth (60.73). Emma Smith finished first in both the 300m hurdles (47.29) and 100m hurdles (16.62). Teammate Zoe Spann-McDonald (16.96) placed second in the 100m hurdles. Finishing out the running events, the 4x400m relay placed first with a time of 4:01 (Alyssa Healy, Riley Carrol, Meghan Smith, Emma Smith). The 4x400m relay team (Alyssa Healy, Riley Carrol, Meghan Smith, Emma Smith) also placed first with a time of 4:01 Other notable relays and runner were the 4x800 relay (Kelley MacElheiney, Mikayla Nedder, Jackie Dudus, Ava Gattinella) and 4x100 relay (Hannah Caiola, Alyssa Healy, Emily Smith, Riley Carrol), who both placed second. Jackie Caron and Casey MacElheiney placed second and third in the 1600m with times of 5:13 and 5:14. In the 800m, Caron placed second, Casey MacElheiney third, and Ava Gattinella fourth. Caiola placed second in the 200m with a time of 26.65. In the 3200, Jackie Caron (11:29) placed third. |
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April 2024
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