glastonbury citizen's Top 21 Local Sports Moments of 2021

Glastonbury's fearsome foursome of (l-r) Ava Gattinella, Casey MacElhiney, Jackie Caron, and Emma Smith first helped GHS track & field win a state title in June and then teamed up to break a school record in July. Picture at the National Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

1. Malz, Girls Track & Field Jump over Competition
 The Glastonbury High School girls outdoor track and field team won the Class LL championship at Willow Brook Park on June 1. The Guardians soundly defeated Southington, 109.50-88, thanks to a mixture of endurance, speed, and strength. Mallory Malz won three individual events (pole vault, long jump, and triple jump) and the 4x800 relay team of Ava Gattinella, Kelley MacElhiney, Casey MacElhiney, and Jackie Caron also captured a class title. The Guardians had several other top-five finishes to secure the program’s first state title since 2010.  
 
2. Forrest Dubbed State’s Best Female Athlete
Sam Forrest, who is one of the most decorated athletes ever at Glastonbury High School, was named the Top Female Athlete of Connecticut by Maxpreps on June 15. Forrest, who will play lacrosse at the University of North Carolina this spring, wrapped up an illustrious high school career in which she made All-State, All-Conference, All-New England, and much more during her four years competing in soccer, indoor track, and lacrosse. Lacrosse head coach Kris Cofiell called Forrest the most impactful female athlete she has seen at GHS in her 20 years of coaching.
 
3. Goode Great at States 
Connor Goode won the Division I championship, shooting a tourney best 70, finishing three strokes ahead of the field at Chippanee Country Club on Oct. 18 The senior, who has committed to play golf at The University of Connecticut, was arguably the best golfer in the state this year after also winning the 80th Junior Amateur tourney during the summer and finishing with the state’s fourth best overall average on the links in the fall.

 4. Girls XC Dominates Field
GHS girls cross country turned in an extremely well-rounded performance to win the Class LL state championship at Wickham Park in Manchester on Nov. 1. Freshman Brooke Strauss led the Guardians with a runner-up finish, followed by Jackie Caron (11), Ava Gattinella (17), Jackie Dudus (19), Lucy Bergin (24), Haley Evans (32), Kelley MacElhiney (39). The balanced line-up allowed the team to easily defeat second-place Hall and win the program’s first title in four years.

5. Petrik Shines, Captures Silver in Tokyo
2015-GHS graduate Karen Petrik won a silver medal at the Paralympic games in Tokyo, Japan on Aug. 29. Petrik was the coxswain for the PR-Mixed 4+ rowing team that finished second on the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo Bay. Petrik, who lives in Glastonbury, captained a boat powered by Allie Reilly, Dani Hansen, Charley Nordin, John Tanguay. The five were the only U.S. rowers to medal during both the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.  

6. Casey Shatters Diving Record
Jade Casey broke the program’s dive record at the Central Connecticut Championship (CCC) and then shattered her own record at the Class LL championships at Middletown High School on Nov. 11. The splendid sophomore first broke a 17-year old mark, held by Erin White since 2004, during the conference finals and then topped that mark with an 11-dive gem, totaling 461.20 points at the state meet.    

7. Bassett Eclipses Milestone
Charlotte Bassett broke the 1,000-point scoring barrier against South Windsor on March 2. Bassett, who is currently playing basketball at the University of New Haven, surpassed the four-digit mark after making a lay-up in the second quarter during the Guardians 63-52 victory over the Bobcats. The prolific scorer averaged 17 point per game during her final season at GHS  

8. Softball Buries Berlin
GHS softball defeated #1-seed Berlin 3-0 in the opening round of the CCC tourney on May 27. Pitcher Brooke Tracy was magnificent, striking out 13 Redcoats over seven innings of work, allowing only one hit. Tracy also added a run from the plate, joining Sadie Scurto and Rayah Snyder, who also scored in the game. Scurto, Snyder, and Gabby Lambert each had an RBI in a game that head coach Karen Costes called the best win of her coaching career.   

9. Kudlac Sister Power Record-Breaking Fall  
Twin sisters Avery and Riley Kudlac were involved in six of the seven swimming program records that the GHS team broke this fall. Avery broke the 200 freestyle (1:51.50) and the 100 butterfly (55.66), while Riley broke the 50 freestyle (23.36) and the 100 freestyle (51.07). The twins also teamed up to break two relay records, combining with Annika Paluska and Norell Paluska to break the 200 freestyle (1:35.90) and joining forces with Brooke Sowka and Annika Paluska to break the 400 freestyle (3:28.74). Rachel Davis also broke the school record in the individual medley (2:07.19). All in all, it was a banner fall for a Guardians team that finished third in both the Class LL championship and the State Open.  

10. Hinchey Reaches Century Mark
Glastonbury boys lacrosse head coach Scott Hinchey earned his 100th win after the Guardians defeated Trumbull, 14-7, in the qualifying round of the Class L tournament on May 28. Hinchey, who achieved the triple-digit plateau in only his eighth season at the helm, has been a pillar of consistency, guiding the Guardians to at least 11 victories in each of his seasons. In the momentous win, Kayden Hinchey had six goals and three assists.

11. Daniels, Petrone Run Wild on Newington
Matt Daniels and Jack Petrone engineered a ground game that ran for 331 yards as the Guardians traveled to Newington and shocked the football world, winning 28-20 on Oct. 8. Glastonbury entered the game winless (0-4) and the home Nor’easters were undefeated (4-0), but Daniel’s had a fourth quarter for the ages to preserve the team’s first victory, totaling 191 scrimmage yards and two scores over the final 12 minutes. The Guardians run defense was just as impressive, holding Newington to a measly two yards on the ground.

12. Guardians Roundball Crowed at Conference
GHS girls basketball defeated Wethersfield 55-21 to win a conference championship at GHS on March 22. The Guardians held the visiting Eagles to a season-low in points and leaned on seniors Charlotte Bassett, Jillian Margaglione, Jaci Budaj, and Rachel Roman, who captured a conference crown in their final game at the high school. Overall, the four helped the program win 31 of 40 games during their four-year tenure. 

13. Baseball Walk-Off at Dunkin
GHS baseball defeated RHAM 3-2 at Dunkin Donuts Park in Hartford on May 25. With the game tied at 2, senior Spencer Azzara connected on a shot through the center of the defense, sending Sam Benedict home for the game-winning run. The walk-off winner ultimately provided the Guardians a home tournament game and left the players with a moment they will never forget at the beautiful venue in the Capital City. 

14. Relayers Break Record at Hayward 
Girls outdoor track & field standouts Casey MacElhiney, Jackie Caron, Ava Gattinella, and Emma Smith broke the school record in the Distance Medley Relay at the Outdoor National Championship in Eugene, Oregon on July 3. MacElhiney ran the 1600 meters, Caron ran the 1200, Gattinella ran the 800, and Smith ran the 400, finishing with a program record time of 12.14:74 at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. 

15. Strauss Strides to Conference Title
Brooke Strauss won the CCC championship at Wickham Park on Oct. 19. Strauss ran a course-best 19:20, edging runner-up Katherine Saunderson of Hall, who ran a 19:21. The fantastic freshman took the local cross country trails by storm this fall, also finishing second at both the Class LL finals and the State Open in November.  

16. Sweet 16 for Girls Tennis
Girls tennis at GHS finished the regular season undefeated (16-0) with a triumph over Farmington at Farmington High School on May 25. #1 singles player Catherine Zak and #3 singles player Emma Cantor both won in straight sets. Double partners Mirta Atigetchi/Sammy Chung, Erin Cabana/Norah Anderson-Orth, and Nirdget Corey/Lexi Tran swept the three doubles matches to secure the perfect mark.  

17. Christina Lifts Guardians in Landers’ Debut
Alayna Christina scored the go-ahead goal as girls soccer rallied to defeat Farmington 3-2 on Sept. 9. Christina’s goal came with less than five minute left, helping secure a victory for head coach Mark Landers who was making his debut on the sidelines after 20 seasons serving as the boys head coach. Trailing 2-1, sophomore Angela Chavez tied the game up with 8:39 to play in regulation before Christina delivered the eventual game-winner.     

18. Norman Scores in Homecoming
Mary Norman scored a goal in her first game back playing at Glastonbury High School as the Guardians lacrosse team defeated Granby Memorial on May 19. Norman, who was returning from shoulder and hip injuries following an All-State field hockey performance in the fall, found the back of the net for the first time following a long layoff. Teammate Sam Forrest described Norman’s return as her favorite moment of the year. 

19. Taleb’s Hat-Trick on Senior Day
Senior Ali Taleb scored three goals as GHS boys soccer exploded for a season-high nine goals in 9-1 win over Bristol Eastern on Senior Day, Oct. 25. Kevin Carmichael, Matt Doucette, Timothy McGuire, Nathan Infante, Gage Haines, and Alexa Silverman added goals in the win. Taleb, who scored a season-high four goals in a game against Tolland on Oct. 15, would end his senior season with a team-high 19 goals and added seven assists.  

20. Fantastic Finish for Freshman Football        
GHS freshman football wrapped up a 9-1 season with a resounding 34-6 win over Xavier on Nov. 18. The Guardians won their first eight games this fall and allowed only 11 points per game despite the first-year high schoolers playing together for the first time since seventh grade after competition was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

21. Peterson Delivers for Legion
Owen Peterson pitched a complete game on the mound and then connected on a walk-off single as Glastonbury Legion 19U baseball defeated Tri-County 3-2 on July 28. Peterson pitched a complete game and then drove home Jayden Sgro to end the game at Glastonbury High School.  It was Peterson’s second walk-off winner of the summer.