Glastonbury High School Spring Sports Preview

​ Christian Kaverud will return as the Guardians top singles player. Kaverud, a junior, has committed to play college tennis at Southern New Hampshire University after graduting from GHS in 2023.
 
Boys Track & Field
Head coach Mark Alexander has a senior-filled team returning for the spring season following a solid 8th place finish in the Class LL championships during winter’s indoor season. The winter season was highlighted by the 4x400 relay team earning all-state and qualifying for the New England Championships.   
           
Alexander said the winter season was a good measuring stick for the athletes heading into the outdoor season.  
           
Michael Sardo and Joseph Accurso lead a deep group of runners, spanning all the distances. Sardo and Accurso are joined by fellow seniors Jackson Stone, Jack Schaffner, Kevin Clarke, Thomas Ryen, Alex George, Michael Maciolek, and Cody Stone.
           
Juniors Dominic Pena, Harrison Krause, Ben Yalof, Jackson Boyd, Cameron Colletti, Kalym Richards, Jonathan Wihbey, Max McCurdy, along with sophomores Aiden Katzman and Tye Karpicky will also be counted on this spring.      
           
“I am looking forward to this spring and watching these guys improve as track and field athletes. There is a sense of motivation and excitement this spring. We had a lot of younger athletes get a lot of experience last spring and are ready to make the jump up to the varsity level,” added Alexander. “Our conference is the toughest in the state with Hall, Conard, Avon, and Simsbury and the team will be ready to put their best foot forward against tough competition.” 
           
The Guardians are slated to have four home meets, starting with a showdown with Southington at GHS next Tue., April 5 at 3:45 p.m.
 
 Girls Track & Field
 Head coach Brian Collins is hoping his team can duplicate the Class LL title from last spring—which also included a runner-up finish in the State Open. The Guardians are also coming off an indoor winter season in which they capture a Class LL championship in February. 
 
The Guardians are again stacked in all areas with plenty of runners, jumpers, and throwers.

Key athletes returning will be: Lucy Bergin, Hannah Caiola, Jackie Caron, Riley Carroll, Sarah Christina, Kate DeSousa, Liv Dickson, Jackie Dudus, Alex Edwards, Haley Evans, Jenna Fradin, Lila Garbett, Ava Gattinella, Alyssa Healy, Anna Hilary, Kylie Hilliard, Annika Hurley, Brianna Jordan, Rebekah Kilgore, Allie Lips, Kelley MacElhiney, Anna Morris, Mikayla Nedder, Sarah Ongley, Annika Paluska, Cici Ryan, Meghan Smith, Layla Spann-McDonald, Zoe Spann-McDonald, Amanda Steckler, Sophia Urban and Jocelyn Wolf.
           
Collins said that although they have lots of pieces coming back, they graduated a lot of experience from lasts spring’s championship team.
           
“It will take a lot of commitment, hard work daily and dedication from all of the athletes to have the same type of success that the team had last year,” said Collins, who added he likes how well-rounded the team is. “It’s a talented group of returning athletes and with some development of some new athletes it could be a very successful season.”          
           
The Guardians are scheduled to have five home meets, beginning against Southington at GHS next Tue., April 5 at 3:45 p.m.
 
Boys Lacrosse
Head coach Scott Hinchey brings back a hungry bunch that helped win 10 games, including a state tournament contest a season ago. 
           
Hinchey believes the team is equipped with strong leadership and enthusiasm from the senior class. On the field, he added on the team will rely on speed and athleticism in the midfield and a lot of balance on the offensive end.  
           
Senior captain Kayden Hinchey, who led the team in scoring in 2021, will return to lead the attack. Coach Hinchey called his field general the “QB of the offense providing balance with both scoring and setting up his teammates.”
           
Senior Warren Channing and junior Brady Stone will also play important roles on the attack this spring.   
           
Senior Cole Cummings, a long stick midfielder, will head a talented group in the middle. Coach Hinchey said Cummings is, “great at ground balls [and an] aggressive defender and vocal leader of defense.”
           
Senior Colin Hersom and junior Liam Doyle will be reliable starting midfielders, along with junior Parker Wallace and senior face-off midfielder Zach Caporale
           
Senior Tyler Heaney is a returning starter on defense that will help protect senior goalie Ryan Bell. Hinchey called Bell a “vocal leader and backbone of defense.”
           
"I'm looking forward to this season. I've coached many guys in our senior class since they were in 1st and 2nd grade. We expect to compete for a conference championship and play our best lacrosse heading into the states,” stated Hinchey. “We play a great schedule with many of the top teams in the state along with two strong out-of-state games. Our goal is to improve as a team each and every day and compete as hard as we can every time we hit the field."
           
The team’s first home game is against an out-of-state opponent when they welcome Iona Prep from New York to GHS on Sat., April 2 for a 1:00 p.m. face-off. 
 
Girls Lacrosse
Head coach Kris Cofiell returns a motivated group that helped the Guardians win 13 of 16 games in the regular season last spring.  
           
Christina Guanci, who earned all-conference after scoring 36 goals and leading the team in assists (31), along with Mary McKiernan (17 goals, 26 assist) and Hannah David (21 ground balls) will be the team’s senior captains. Guanci and McKiernan will head the offense, while David will anchor the defense. 
           
Returning starters Bridget Clarke (goalkeeper), Sydney Norman (defense), Sydney Shaw (defense), Avery Olchefskie (midfielder), and Steph Koppy (attacker) are back with a season’s worth of experience. Seniors Amelia Carroll (attack) and Grace Mooney (defense) will also play major roles.   
           
Cofiell will need to fill some voids, after graduating what she called “a very influential class in 2021”. She added that her seniors “have shown excellent leadership thus far and with their continued efforts we will be having very focused practices so that we can get everyone up to speed and identify each player's important role on the team.“ 
           
“We expect that as the season progresses some of our younger returning athletes and those new to varsity will get up to speed and contribute to our success. As always, we will work hard, honor the game, and demonstrate good sportsmanship,” added Cofiell. “Guanci and McKiernan will lead on the attack end as both play integral roles in setting the pace and sets in the attack end. David will be tasked with leading the defensive unit along with Clarke in goal. Clarke continues to shine in goal. She is tough and tenacious.”
 
Cofiell added that Olchefskie will see an expanded role in the midfield and has demonstrated incredible growth in the offseason.   
           
The team welcomes RHAM to GHS for the season opener on Thur., April 7 for a 4:00 p.m. start.
 
Boys Tennis 
The Guardians won 14 of 15 regular season matches and a pair of tournament matches a as team a year ago. 
           
#1 singles player Christian Kaverud is back for his junior season and will be tasked with the same duties on the court, as well as assume more of a leadership role. 
           
Kaverud said his expanded leadership responsibilities have also helped his confidence and added that he put in a lot of work, on and off the court, during the offseason by hitting the gym to improve his strength.
           
“The offseason was great,” said Kaverud, who recently committed to Southern New Hampshire University for collegiate tennis. “Going Into the season I am very excited and I feel I will do a lot better than I did last year.”
           
The Guardians graduated a great group of seniors last spring, including three all-conference players, but have some experience coming back. They also welcome a robust freshmen class that may be asked to fill some key roles this spring. 
           
Kaverud has been impressed with the incoming freshmen, calling them “talented and athletic”, adding, “100% I think we’ll have a good season. We have a very solid team this year with 20 kids on it.”
 
 Girls Tennis
Head coach Sharon Murphy brings back an experienced line-up that played pivotal roles as the team won all 16 regular season matches and a conference title last spring. Catie Zak, who played in the State Open a year ago, along with Annee Bess Blair, Zoe Gates, and Olivia Lee will be Murphy’s court captains this year.
           
“I believe we will be a strong contender in our conference this year and hope to win it as we did last year. I believe we will have a strong singles lineup this year,” stated Murphy, who added that her captains will battle in training camp to determine the order, “We have a number of other girls to team up for a strong doubles line up as well. I’m looking forward to a winning season with a driven team.”
           
The Guardians welcome Maloney to GHS for the team’s first home match on Mon. April 11 at 3:45 p.m.
 
 Girls Crew
 Head coach Eleanor Dowd brings back an experienced team that had a strong performance during the fall season, setting a program record by placing atop all of Connecticut’s public schools during New England Championships at the Head of the Charles competition.
           
Returning rowers are Brooke Beighau (coxswain), Nicole Jasmin, Meghan Jeroszko, Nora Printy, Emily Shadron and Victoria Serrambana. 
           
“These girls were key players last fall and they've really been putting in the work this winter. In regards to the whole team, we have been training hard on the ergs throughout the winter and we are excited to start rowing on the water at Lake Pocotopaug for the start of the season,” said Dowd. “With our continued momentum we are hoping to make an impact at states. Due to Covid, the majority of our team has never participated in a state championship before so the excitement and accompanying stress is a new challenge for us. 
           
Riverfront Boathouse will host the Crash 2G 2k Rowing Challenge on Saturday, April 2 at and then the Guardians will host the Mahoney Cup (the team’s official home race) on Sunday, May 8. 
 
Girls Golf
Ken Barse, the longtime coach of the GHS ice hockey team, takes over the girls’ golf program that finished 7th overall in the spring of 2021.
           
Senior captain Caitlyn Garland, who participated at the state championship a year ago, will head a group and mentor a talented quartet of sophomores in Morgan Peterson, Maya Manzotti, Riley Savidge, and Neeyor Devtale.  
           
Barse, a self-described “golf addict”, said he is excited to get started, adding, "This group of girls are so much fun and have worked hard in the off season. I am really looking forward to walking the fairways with them and helping them achieve all their goals.”
           
The team’s season tees-off on Wed, April 6 when they host South Windsor at Glastonbury Country Club.   
 
Softball
Head coach Karen Costes returns every starter from a season ago when the Guardians won 15 of 20 regular season games, including all six conference contests, and won a pair of state tournament games to advance to the Class LL quarterfinals. 
           
Senior pitcher Brooke Tracy, senior catcher Sadie Scurto, senior Molly Edgington, and junior Rayah Snyder will captain the team. Senior Natalie Lessard and sophomore Nabia Crawford will anchor the outfield, while sophomore Gabby Lambert will play infield and spell Tracy on the mound. 
           
Costes said the team is looking to build off of last year’s achievements behind the arm of Tracy, the spirit and leadership of Edgington, and the bats of Scurto, Snyder, Crawford, Lambert, and Lessard.
           
“This team is special because we are not just a team, we are a family,” added Costes. “We would give anything for one another and always put the success of our team above the success of ourselves as individuals.” 
           
The Guardians open the season at home, hosting Stamford at GHS on Saturday, April 2. First pitch is 12:00 p.m.


Baseball
The Guardians won 14 games a season ago and will need to replace a strong senior class from last spring. 
           
College commits Dan Beagle (Muhlenberg College), Dan Cantafi (Keene State College), Elliot Hamilton (Salve Regina University) and Owen Stephens (Babson College) are slated to return for their senior season, giving the Guardians a deep rotation on the mound and power at the plate. 
           
Senior Luke Fahey (outfield) will also play a major role. Juniors Jayden Sgro and Owen Peterson could also make an impact after having great Legion baseball season this past summer.
           
"On paper the potential for a great year is there. Guys just need to step up and perform the way they are capable of," said head coach Dennis Accomando. "The team will be led by a group of seniors, some of whom have great varsity experience."
           
The team starts with three straight road games before returning to Riverfront Park for a bout with Southington on Mon., April 11. First pitch is 4:45 p.m.

Boys Volleyball
The Guardians have a seasoned senior class returning, all of whom contributed to a 13-win regular season and a state tournament quarterfinal appearance following a pair of tourney wins.
           
Stephen Dayton, Eric Rose, Trey Tennyson, Ryan Hoffman, and Paul Giliberto are the five seniors who will be tasked with picking up where the team left off a season ago. 
           
Giliberto led the team in assists (385) and aces (56). Dayton led the team in digs (56) and Rose and Hoffman finished first and second on the team in blocks. Rose, Tennyson, and Hoffman finished third, fourth, and fifth respectively in kills last season. 
           
​The Guardians open the season at home, welcoming Southington to GHS on Mon., April 4 for a 6:00 p.m. start.