glastonbury citizen Top 22: Local Sports Moments of 2022

The girls’ cross-country team at GHS was named as the Girls’ Cross Country Team of the Year by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) after winning a class title, state title, and regional title this fall. Pictured from left; Jackie Dudus, Ava Gattinella, Kelley MacElhiney, Brooke Strauss, Lila Garbett, Lucy Bergin, and Mikayla Nedder are pictured at the CHSCA Cross Country Banquet receiving the Team of the Year Award.   

1. GHS XC Queens of New England
Glastonbury High School girls’ cross-country completed the Triple Crown of racing, winning the Class LL Championship, State Open, and the New England Championships. At New England Championships on Nov. 12, the Guardians proved to be the best of the best by finishing ahead of 28 other schools from across the East Coast and holding off runner-up Champlain Valley Union of Hinesburg, Vermont for the championship. Kelley MacElhiney led a well-balanced group of GHS runners that had five racers place in the top 53 out of the 245 racers that completed.  
           
2. Youth Baseball Wins Title
Glastonbury Amateur Baseball (GAB) 13-and-under team coached by Ian Race won the first state championship in the history of the GAB on July 30. After finishing 23-3 in the regular season and earning the No. 1 seed in the state tournament, the 13U team swept through the state tournament with five straight wins, including a 7-0 shutout of Torrington in the championship game at Riverfront Park. In the handful of tourney wins, Glastonbury outscored their opponents 39-12 and connected on 35 more hits than the opposition. Zachary Bernabeo was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament after starring from both the plate and mound, and Derick Li was named the tourney’s Most Valuable Hitter after reaching base on 70% of his plate appearances, along with leading the team in hit and runs scored this summer. Bernabeo, Li, Jack Fisher, and Cooper Saunders earned All-Star status after a historic summer on the diamond.
           
3. 500 Ks for Tracy
GHS softball pitching sensation Brooke Tracy struck out her 500th batter during a 16-strikeout performance in a tournament game against Trumbull on June 1. Tracy, who finished her high school career 503 strikeouts, was named All-State and All-Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) in each of her final two seasons at GHS. Tracy is now a freshman pitcher for the Bulldogs of Bryant University.   
           
4. Oakwood Brings National Title Back to Town
The Oakwood Soccer Club U17 team became national champions on July 10, defeating Florida United to secure the Girls Academy (GA) National Championship in St. Louis, MO. The team, which featured Glastonbury players Skylar Fiske, Kelly Stepnowski, and Katherine Zaino, won three playoff games in California to reach the knockout stage in Missouri where they would beat three more nationally-ranked teams to secure the title.  
           
5. Guardians Football Tops Maloney
GHS football shocked the local football world on Nov. 10, knocking off previously unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Maloney 28-21 in overtime at Falcon Field in Meriden. All-state running back Jack Petrone scored a 10-yard rushing touchdown on the Guardians first play of overtime and Jaelen Greene secured the victory with a sack on 4th down to end Maloney’s last ditch effort to extend the game. The victory was part of a three-game winning streak to end the regular season for the Guardians, who would go on to upset West Haven in the first round of the playoffs. GHS finished with nine wins, the program’s most since 2013.

6. Strauss Sizzles on the Trails
GHS sophomore Brooke Strauss returned from an injury just in time to win the Cross-Country State Open Championship on Nov. 4. Strauss ran a 19:05 to win the race, just ahead of Kathryn Marchand (19:11) of Trumbull who had finished nearly a full minute ahead of Strauss just a week earlier at the Class LL championships. The extra week of recovery allowed Strauss to be at full strength on the state’s biggest stage and add another championship to her growing list of titles.   
           
7. Hamilton Delivers at Dunkin’
Elliot Hamilton threw a one-hitter, striking out 10 as GHS baseball sank Simsbury 12-0 at Dunkin’ Donuts Park on May 24. Hamilton, who will be playing for Salve Regina University this spring, retired 17 straight batters at one point and also drove in two runs from the plate to secure the win, which wrapped up a 14-win regular season and an unforgettable night under the lights in Hartford.
           
8. GHS 4x8 Triumphant in Boston
Annika Paluska, Kylie Hilliard, Ava Gattinella, and Brooke Strauss ran a season-best 9:29.14 to win the 4x800 relay at the New England Championships in Boston on March 5. The foursome entered the regional tournament as the seventh-seed based on best times during the state competition yet turned on the speed once the race started, besting runner-up Brookline High School and holding off a strong field of relay teams spanning Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine.
           
9. Boys Golf Takes Down Titan
GHS boys’ golf stunned the state’s No. 1 ranked team, defeating Fairfield Prep at Patterson Club in Fairfield on Sept. 29. Despite taking their longest road trip of the season, the Guardians took down the top-ranked team in Division I, edging the Jesuits (157-159) on their home course. Junior captain Gavin Kvadus finished as the co-medalist (sharing the honor with Fairfield Prep’s Robbie Rosati), shooting a pair of birdies to post a (+2) 38 at the historic, yet unfamiliar course. Sophomore Derek Thomas posted a 39, while senior Jared D’Angelo and junior Zachary Durant both posted 40 to help the Guardians secure a season-defining victory.
           
10. Hall of Fame Coach Wins 300th Game
Longtime GHS girls’ field hockey head coach Maureen Perkins had a fantastic fall. First she was inducted into the Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame on Sept. 11 and then she won her 300th game in a home victory on Oct. 15. Perkins, who has been coaching the program since 1999, has led the team to a dozen conference championships and two state titles during her illustrious tenure.
           
11. Back-to-Back for Outdoor Track
 The girls’ outdoor track and field team at GHS won a second straight state championship on May 31, easily edging runner-up Greenwich (118-63.5) at Willow Brook Park in New Britain. Anna Hilary (pole vault) and Layla Spann- McDonald (discus) won individual titles, while the 4x400 relay team (Riley Carroll, Meghan Smith, Alyssa Healy, and Molly Harding) and 4x800 relay team (Ava Gattinella, Kelley MacElhiney. Jackie Caron, and Annika Paluska) also won titles. 
           
12. GHS Grad Wins College World Series
Ryan Bagdasarian, a 2016 graduate of Glastonbury High School, was the starting center fielder for Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) baseball team that won the 2022 NCAA Division III national championship on June 7. Bagdasarian drove in a pair of runs, which proved to be the difference in the championship-clincher, a 3-2 victory over Salisbury University at Perfect Game Field in Iowa. It marked a perfect end to Bagdasarian’s career at ECSU, capping a senior season in which he led the Warriors in hits (73), scoring 56 runs and driving in 51 more for a Warriors team that won 49 of 52 games.
           
13. GHS Indoor T&F is Class Champs, Again
The girls’ indoor track and field team at GHS won a second straight Class LL championship, blowing away the competition on Feb. 11. The Guardians scored 91.50 overall team points, finishing nearly 30 points ahead of runner-up Fairfield Ludlowe. Brooke Strauss (1,000 meters) and Zoe Spann-McDonald (55 meter hurdles) won individual titles, while the team of Annika Paluska, Kylie Hilliard, Jackie Dudus, Ava Gattinella won a relay title in the 4x800. 
           
14. 11 Straight Conference Championships for Girls Swim
The GHS girls’ swimming and diving team dominated the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) East championship at GHS on Nov. 3, winning the program’s 11th straight conference title. The Guardians won 12 of the 15 events, winning nine individual events and all three relays. Riley Kudlac had a perfect four-win afternoon, while Annika Paluska won three events. Brooke Sowka, Lauren Lord, MK Booth and Avery Kudlac each took home a pair of wins, and Lucy Boisoneau, Jade Casey and Belle Christensen also won individual conference titles. Once the waves had settled, Glastonbury scored a staggering 430 points, besting second-place South Windsor by 141 points.
           
15. Petrone Wins Ski Championship 
Jack Petrone won a U.S. Skiing Junior National Championship at Utah’s Olympic Park in Park City, Utah on March 18. Petrone, who is also an All-State football player at GHS, defeated 79 of the best 18-and-under ski racers in the country. It was Petrone’s first national title, previously winning several regional titles, and was second year in a row competing at the former home of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
           
16. Local Runner Sets Marathon Record
Glastonbury resident Angie Rafter broke the women’s 5k record at the Hartford Marathon on Oct. 8. The 23-year-old ran the 5000 meters in a blistering 16:15, averaging 5:14 per mile, to shatter the previous record of 16:47 held by Amy Nedeau since 2003. Rafter, a graduate of Killingly High School, is an all-conference runner at Central Connecticut State University where she has broken several school records.
           
17. Home Cooking for GHS Tennis
The girls’ tennis team at GHS won their 15th straight regular season home match, sweeping Simsbury (7-0) on May 20. The program’s home winning streak dates back to May 15, 2019 and over the past two years the Guardians have won 30 of 31 regular season matches regardless of the venue. 2022 was also another banner year for the Guardians who won a second straight Central Connecticut Conference (CCC)-West title after beating Avon in the regular season finale. Nora Anderson, Annee Bess Blair, Sammie Chung, and Catie Zak were named all-conference following the season. 
           
18. Perfect Regular Season, Conference Title for Spikers
The boys’ volleyball team at GHS wrapped up an undefeated regular season with a four-set win over South Windsor on May 23, finishing with a record of 18-0, and then won a Central Connecticut Conference championship with a three-set victory over Enfield on May 27. All told, the Guardians won their first 23 games behind a strong senior class led by all-conference recipients Ryan Barcikowski, Stephen Dayton, Paul Giliberto, Ryan Hoffman, and Eric Rose.
           
19. History Making Spring for Softball
The softball team as GHS finished the regular season 18-2, ending the season on a nine-game winning streak to capture the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) Patriot division following a victory over Simsbury on May 20. The team’s .900 winning percentage marks an all-time best for the program. All-conference recipients Natalie Lessard, Sadie Scurto, Rayah Snyder, and Brooke Tracy led the Guardians as they made history on the diamond.
           
20. Anderson’s Tourney PK Advances Guardians 
Sophomore Corey Anderson buried a penalty kick to end a marathon of a match and advance GHS girls’ soccer past Danbury in the second round of the Class LL tournament on Nov. 10. Gianna Angelillo and Riley Carroll each scored in the first half as the Guardians battled to a 2-2 tie with the visiting Hatters through regulation and two overtime periods. GHS goalie Marla Radikas made a crucial save in penalty kicks and GHS made four of five penalty kicks, highlighted by Anderson’s game-clincher in front of a packed house at GHS. 
           
21. Lucky 13 for Boys Tennis
The boys’ tennis team at Glastonbury High School wrapped up a 13-1 regular season by blanking Simsbury on May 20. Christian Kaverud, Joseph Chan, Andrew Risinger and Josh Souder picked up singles victories, while the doubles teams of Matt Daniels / Niteesh Kalagni, Brendon Wagner / Nate Azimov, and Eric Hine / Arthur Cao also posted wins. The Guardians would go on to defeat Fairfield Ludlowe in the first round in the Class LL state tournament.
           
22. Another Conference Crown for Boys Swim & Dive
The GHS boys’ swimming and diving team won the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) East Championships, capturing the conference crown on May 3. The Guardians dominated the multi-school event by winning all three relays and taking the top spot in six of the nine individual events, scoring 425 overall team points and beating runner-up Windsor by 151 points. Campbell McFall (200 Individual Medley / 100 Backstroke) and Sander Silverman (200 Freestyle / 100 Butterfly) each won a pair of individual races, while Jack Wilson (500 Freestyle) and James Liao (100 Freestyle) also took home conference victories. McFall and Silverman were named the Co-Swimmers of the Meet. Glastonbury has been the kings of the conference since its inception, winning every championship meet since the 2010-11 season.
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