Spring Sports Highlights for 4.16.18

 

 

Second Boys’ Baseball lost its opening game to Hotchkiss 2-8. Tasso Housakos '18 was superb in center field and Zach Eckerson '21 was solid at second base. Harrison Lehman ’21 was solid behind the plate.

 

With a late morning scratch of No. 2 Becca Gavel '18 due to illness, the Martlets sensed that their matches against the perennial powers of Loomis and Greenwich would be even more challenging as each player would shift up on the ladder and the team would automatically lose at the No. 5 spot without a player to compete. Both the Pelicans and Gators would sweep the Martlets in this match even though Susie Mahoney '20, Elisabeth Morin '18, Elaina Comia '19 and Katie Kosior '18 grinded hard throughout another chilly, blustery afternoon at Tumblebrook. Highlights included Kosior's strong execution of her drives, an area that eluded her in the last match, Comia's impressive birdie on a par 5, and Mahoney having a great match with the Gator's No. 1 player, only to fall on the final hole.

 

Short-handed again with only four players, the Martlets headed north for a match up with host Williston and Taft. The Martlets, however, would prevail over Williston 3.5 -1.5 but fall to the Rhinos 1-4 in a wonderfully competitive match. Highlights included No. 2 Becca Gavel '18 sweeping both her opponents and finding confidence in her ever-solid swing. Susie Mahoney '20 also enjoyed good ball striking, defeating her Williston opponent solidly and losing two down on the ninth hole in a back and forth match with her Taft opponent. Elaina Comia '19 also played well dialing in consistent drives and finding real success with her putting that yielded her win on the final hole. Eve Cathcart '20, in her first match of the season, grinded hard throughout the afternoon and ultimately earned a half point against Williston. In post match conversations, all of the Martlet players felt as if the extra work with putting during the week had been a key part of their match success.

 

On a beautiful day at Simsbury Farms, First Boys' Golf came home with victories over Suffield and Wilbraham & Monson in a very closely contested match. The final scores were Westminster (209), Suffield (210) and Wilbraham & Monson (216). Alex Biedron '18 (Westminster), Pat Harding '18 (Suffield) and Peter Bowie '18 (W&M) all shot 39 (+3) to tie for match medalist honors. Other Westminster scores included Peter Sanger '21 (41), Ned Blanchard '20 (42), Justin Flaks '20 (43), Ian Broadbent '18 (44) and Peyton Knauf '19 (45). The victories move the Martlet golfers to 4-1 for the young season.

 

With gusty winds impacting play, First Boys’ Golf came away with victories over Berkshire and Kent at Wyantenuck CC. The final scores were Westminster (213), Berkshire (220) and Kent (221). Grant Noble '18 played an excellent round, shooting a 1-over 37 to capture match medalist honors by five strokes. Other Westminster score included Ned Blanchard '20 (42), Peyton Knauf '19 (43), Alex Biedron '18 (45), Justin Flaks '20 (46) and Ian Broadbent '18 (48). With these two victories, the team now stands at 6-1 for the season.

 

Second Boys' Golf travelled to host Williston to play its first match of this young season at Wyckoff Country Club. The combination of little practice and an unfamiliar course put the Martlets at a disadvantage. Regardless, the visitors did not play to their potential and ended the day with a win against Rectory School (215 to 253) and a loss to Williston (215 to 206). Westminster's own David Harris '21 was the match medalist shooting a most impressive 36 (+2) on this short but tricky layout. Other Westminster scores included Cam Scott '18 (45), Carson Roth '19 (46), Alex Gadowski '18 (43), Charlie von Stade '21 (45) and Wes Oltsch '20 (48). Four of the six Westminster players competed in their first ever Westminster golf match. The team hopes to improve on this initial team total with more frequent practice and play in the days ahead. Host Williston had a very strong day of golf and earned this match win.

 

Second Boys' Golf hosted Loomis in its second match of the young season and won 206 to 254. Even though Loomis was missing several key players, Westminster would have been tough to beat on this day. A team score of 206 is a competitive score for many varsity matches. Carson Roth '19 led the Martlets with a fine match medalist score of 37 (+1). He was closely followed by Cam Scott '18 who produced an impressive 38. Other Westminster scores included Alex Gadowski '18 (46), David Harris '21 (44), Charlie von Stade '21 (42) and Darion Benchich '20 (45). It was a delight to play under relatively warm and calm conditions at Simsbury Farms Golf Club.

 

The Martlets hosted Sacred Heart April 11. Despite scoring first, and trading goals for the first 10 minutes with the opposing team, Westminster was not able to maintain this strength. The Martlets were successful in the first half with draw controls, ground balls and caused turnovers, but those key statistics — the ones that often determine the end result of a girls’ lacrosse game — belonged to Sacred Heart in the second half. The opposing team also capitalized on Westminster's second half turnovers in the midfield transition and converted them into fast break goals. Goalie Gaby Salgar '18 turned in a great game, making much needed saves throughout the game while defenders Greta Baker '19, Georgia Swank '19, and Meg Rittenhouse '20 and midfielder Blake Cote '19 paced the defensive third with key caused turnovers and strong crashes in the eight meter.

 

First Girls’ Lacrosse turned in a solid team win over Pomfret on Hovey Field. The Martlets won the first draw, scored the first goal and did not let up for the entire game, maintaining possession the majority of the contest. With over 75 percent of the goals assisted from multiple goal scorers and assisters, and many of those goals converted from caused turnovers and fluid transitions from our defensive third, Saturday’s win over Pomfret proved that Westminster can be an incredibly successful and effective unit end to end. In goal, Ellie Bailey '21 and Gaby Salgar '18 turned great games, making key saves late in the game.

 

Westminster Goalie(s) / Saves Totals

Malcolm Kleban, 7; Liam Tucker, 4

 

Westminster Goal Scorers (by period)

Sal Iaria, 2g/3a; Quinn Armstrong, 3g; Jordie McKenna, 1g/1a; Bear Lockshin, 1g/1a; Brett Daubert, 1g/1a; Riley Larsen, 1g

 

Records for Each Team

Westminster 2-2 / Choate 3-1

Westminster Goalie(s) / Saves Totals

Malcolm Kleban, 10

 

Westminster Goal Scorers (by period)

Jordie McKenna, 3g/1a; Brett Daubert, 2g; Quinn Armstrong, 1g/1a; Sal Iaria, 1g/3a; Bear Lockshin, 1g/1a; Ian Dardani, 1g; Riley Larsen, 1g; Walker Stevens, 1g

 

Records for Each Team

Westminster 2-3 / Taft 4-1

 

Second Girls’ Lacrosse got off to a strong start against the Griffins of Pomfret, winning the first draw and keeping much of the play in the Griffins’ defensive end. Rebecca Sargent ’20 scored the first Martlet goal two minutes into the game and Katy Maxon ’18 buried a nice lefty shot a minute later. The Martlet offense used its speed and pressure in the midfield to maintain possession for much of the first half. The score at halftime was 10-1. After a short break and strategy session, the team started the second half focused on running plays and moving off-ball to keep the Griffin defense on its toes. Natalie Fay ’19 set up Maxon for a beautiful quick-stick goal with a nifty feed from behind the Griffin net. Goalie Lizzi Cronin ’21 had some great stops as the defense worked well to defuse the Griffins’ offensive threats. Nine different Martlets combined to score 13 goals: Sargent, Maxon, Fay, Maddie Dwyer’ 18, Sarah Levine ’19, Jenna Kosior ’21, Celia Sotirhos ’21, Laura Velez ’20 and Annabelle Smith ’21.

Second Boys’ Lacrosse took down the boars on the road in its first big win of the season. The first half started with a bang, and Riley Wood ‘19, Teddy Shellbach ‘20 and Willie Noble ‘20 scored notable goals. An outstanding defensive performance by Brendan Greene ’20 carried the boys into the second half as goalie Zach Papapetros ’20 continued to defend the cage like a brick wall, unfazed as the boars peppered him with shots. In fact, the defense impressively held the boars to a shutout until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Not to be forgotten are Theo Vandervoorn ’20 and Daniel Pinckney ‘20, who both made contact with the net in the second half.

In a highly physical game against the Winged Beavers of Avon Old Farms, the Martlets stood tall on the field at home. In the first half, Daniel Pinckney ‘20, Teddy Shellbach ‘20 and others had outstanding offensive play to give the Martlets a 3-3 tie at the half. In the third quarter, Nate Stevens ’21 made contact with the net and brought the Martlets a lead, but with just minutes left the Winged Beavers tied up the game. Outstanding defensive stalemates forced by Wick Carter ’19 and Brendan Greene ’20 brought the game into overtime, where Avon eventually took the game.

 

A hot and fortuitous day brought the Westminster boys to Watertown to take on Taft. Banner performances on man up situations marked the first half, with Willie Noble ’20 and Nate Stevens ’21 touching net quickly. A beautiful goal came screaming across the field from defensemen Brendan Greene ‘20, bringing the score to 3-2 with minutes left in the first half, and Alec Paro ’19 sniped the scoreboard up another notch to 4-3 as Taft managed to stay in the running. Noble quickly responded to the threat, delivering another blow to the goalies cage and 5-3 was the score at the half. As the second half began, outstanding defensive play by Liam Seeley ’20 is not to be forgotten as the Martlets held Taft to the best of their ability. Noble, James Plumb ‘18 and Teddy Shellbach ’20 marked the top left corner of the cage during the second half, bringing the score to 8-4 at the near outset of the fourth. With minutes left in the game, Riley Wood ’19 delivered a fell blow to Taft’s defense and brought the Martlets to a commanding lead, followed by an own goal on Taft. Westminster took the day 10-4, and it was a glorious win, indeed.

 

Mandy Busky '21, Ally Marenco '18, Gabby Nemarich '20 and Hannah Stone '18 had multiple hits and combined to drive in 13 runs as the Martlets won on the road. Busky reached base in every plate appearance, while Marenco had four hits and three RBIs. Nemarich doubled, tripled and drove in four runs. Kiki Magid '19 added two singles for Westminster. Bethany Winters '20 played well and earned her first win as a pitcher. Winters and Marenco combined to allow just three Kent base hits. Meg Cournoyer '19 caught a fine game and Busky made some nice plays in the field for the Black and Gold.

 

The Martlets found themselves in a grudge match when they traveled north to Deerfield. While they ultimately fell 6-3 to the Big Green, the girls put forth a valiant effort in defeat. The Black and Gold got off to a solid start in doubles. Lauren Way '20 and Alex Wolf '19 were again dominant, winning 8-1 at No. 3. Mary Kille '18 and Nat Wilson '18 found themselves in a battle at No. 1. They pulled ahead fairly easily to start the match, up 6-2 at one point. Deerfield didn't quit however and the match ended up in a tiebreaker, which Wilson and Kille pulled out 8-6. Ellie Suit '20 and Clara Ekholm '20 had some nice moments at No. 2 but fell 8-4. Many of the singles matches were closely contested, but Maggie Chaves '19 at No. 5 pulled out the only win. After losing the first set, she fought back, down 4-1 to win the second and ultimately the match in a tiebreaker for the third set. Kille had a super close battle at No. 1 singles. She lost the first set but also battled to win the second 6-4. The tiebreaker was a tense affair for the third set and ultimately Kille was unable to best her DA opponent. Way also had a close one at No. 3 singles. While she lost in two sets, both were close and she almost pushed the contest to a third. All in all, it was a good outing for the Martlets who faced stiff competition and adversity and dealt with both admirably.

 

For the third time in as many matches, the Martlets boarded the bus and headed out of town, this time out west to Millbrook, NY. Despite the long drive, a compressed schedule due to the ACTs, and playing the home-team's chosen 4-3 format, the Black and Gold played impressive tennis, losing only seven games in the 12 sets played. All three doubles teams took control from the start. Nat Wilson '18 and Clara Ekholm '20 were particularly efficient and intimidating in their 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 1. The ‘Way of the Wolf,’ Alex Wolf '19 and Lauren Way '20 also refused to drop a game at No. 2 and played textbook doubles, volleying with precision and confidence. Paired for the second week in a row, Maggie Chaves '19 and Liz Casey '18 at No. 3 were consistent and smart in their 6-1, 6-1 win. In singles, the Black and Gold were equally in control. Mary Kille '18 at No. 1, Olivia Zhang '20 at No. 2 and Ellie Suit '20 at No. 3 all kept their opponents off the board and were determined to win in convincing fashion, 6-0, 6-0. At No. 4, Laura Mittelman '20 fought off a hard-hitting foe to win the final match, 6-2, 6-3.

 

This was a close match from start to finish. A game time scratch of James Manderlink '21 led to a new doubles team of Ethan Na '19 and Azat Mukhametkulov '19. The exhibition doubles team of Grant McCargo '21 and captain Nikola Kostic '18 moved up to the No. 3 spot and played well, winning the last five games in a row. Captain Connor Seeley ’18 and Chris Whipple ’18 moved up to number two and fought hard to the end with lots of deuces but never really found their groove. At No. 1 the match was on serve much of the whole set with occasional breaks back and forth. When the Martlets took their first lead of the afternoon it was 7-6 and they had match point at 40-30 only to have a second serve flick off of the net cord into the doubles alley for a double fault. In the tiebreaker at 8-8 the Salisbury team earned a match ball at 6-5 but Westminster hung tough and took the next two points for a rousing 8-6 win that brought spontaneous cheers from the whole team. In singles the team won the first set in every match except at No. 4 where McCargo fell 1-6 . Kostic was in an epic battle with long baseline rallies, exciting net play and crafty lobs thrown in. Kostic said he could run all day and he needed to. He took set one 7-1 in a tiebreaker and won set two 7-5 with the whole team watching after the other matches were done. Na was down 1-3 in set two but reeled off five straight games to close out his match. When the team heard his opponent let out a cry of frustration at one point, Westminster knew that Na was on his game. Seeley won with strong, consistent play. His match was like a tidy business deal, done quickly and efficiently. Whipple was on the adjacent court and split sets after his opponent dialed his forehand down a bit and turned some long balls into winners. He fought to the end but came up short in the third set tiebreaker. McCargo rebounded with six straight games to level his match. In the tiebreaker for the third set, McCargo found himself down 5-8 before reeling off five straight points, showing determined focus. Mukhametkulov reduced his errors from set one and played with head and heart to earn a hard-fought, well-played win against the only Salisbury senior. Every boy played with great resilience, turning many close battles into victories.

 

The afternoon started with four doubles matches (one exhibition) on a sunny 65-degree day. Ninety minutes later after having defended five match balls, Westminster emerged with the doubles point. Ethan Na '19 and captain Connor Seeley '18 found themselves down 2-7 at No. 2 doubles but fought back to 5-7 before finally losing. Their grit in that match was the hallmark for the afternoon for the Westminster boys. In No. 1 doubles Azat Mukhametkulov '19 and Carl Ekholm '19 were up most of the afternoon, but ended up in a tiebreaker at 8-8. Down three match balls 3-6, they one five straight points to even the doubles matches at 1-1 and shift all of the attention to court three where captain Nikola Kostic '18 and Grant McCargo '21 found themselves in a back and forth battle. Down 7-8, 30-40, they fought off a match ball when McCargo ripped an angled backhand out wide on a second serve. It was one of many that he hit during the match. In the tiebreaker the boys found themselves down 0-3 and 3-5, but then up 6-5. After two match balls for the match and another match ball against, they finally pulled out the win 10-8 for a rousing doubles point for the team. In singles the team took early leads in most matches, but every match stayed close with each player playing tiebreakers or sets that went to 7-5. Literally four points separated the team from a 4-3 victory. In the end, only Na was able to earn a point in singles with a 10-8 win in a tiebreaker for the third set. The boys played very well today, fought hard and made Pomfret play its best tennis to claim the victory after three and a half hours and a 15-degree drop in temperature.

Second Girls’ Tennis played hard during its second game and came away undefeated. While all members played very well, the doubles team of Diana Tsibikova '21 and Annabel Bradley '19 played particularly well by having a formidable presence at net and consistent baseline returns.

April 14: Tennis - Second Girls’ 3 vs Hopkins School 4

 

Second Boys’ Tennis in its home opener swept the doubles round and took five of six singles matches en route to a 6-1 win over Kent. Nate Chaves '19 won convincingly at No. 6 singles 8-0 while Ashton Howey '18 took control early in his 8-2 win at No. 2. Scott Wilson ’19 settled down and reeled off six games in a row in his 8-2 win at No. 4. In doubles, the team of Max Torrez '18 and game captain Michael Fiorini '18 set the tone for the Martlets with a spirited victory a No. 1, 8-3. Next, the Martlets head to the Quiet Corner to face Pomfret on April 14.

 

 

Although the Martlets fell before Suffield Academy today, there was much to be proud of. The girls scored points in every event entered, and spirits were high as the meet concluded with a spirited performance by the 4x400m relay team of Fourth Form women Shaunna Walsh ‘20, Abby Moss ‘20, Elisabeth Knauf ‘20 and Cecilia Raymond ‘20. They finished second to earn three team points. The meet also began with a great performance by Lauren Nam '18, Dylan Foster '20, Raymond and Paige Phillips '20 in the 4x100m relay, which also placed second. Foster finished fourth in the long jump and third in the 200m. Also in the 200m, Phillips came in second, and Raymond came in fourth. Phillips won the 100m dash, followed by Nam in fourth. In the 400m, Charlotte Carrel ’21 finished fourth in her first race as a Martlet. Natalie Rubin '19 won the 800m and Shui Se Phoe '21and Walsh finished third and fourth in the 1500m. The Martlet throwers had a nice day as well. Maya Ruffin '19 won the shot put and finished second in the discus with personal best throws in both events. Another new Martlet to the team, Alisa Toner '21, finished third in the discus and second in the javelin.

 

The 4x100m relay team of Lauren Nam '18, Dylan Foster '20, Chloe Sealy '18 and Paige Phillips '20 started the meet off with a bang as they took first place. Phillips won the 100m and placed second in the 200m. Foster also placed third in the 200m. Sealy went on to win the pole vault. In the pole vault, Sealy's victory was followed by Amanda Liu '18, who also placed third in the high jump. Elisabeth Knauf '20 finished second in the 300m hurdles and third in the 100m high hurdles. The throws were another strong point for the Martlets. Maya Ruffin '19 won the shot put and finished third in the discus. Alisa Toner '19 won the javelin, finished second in the discus and third in the shot put.

 

The Martlets lost narrowly to Suffield Academy but handily defeated Cheshire Academy. In the field events, Fritz Gale '18 placed second in the high jump, third in the long jump and second in the javelin. Drew Brownback '19 placed third in the triple jump. The runners scored points in a variety of events. In the sprints, Teagan Stedman '18 placed second in the 400m and Nate Pane '19 placed second in the 200m. Sean Clarke '19 placed fourth in the 100m. Brandon Williams ’18 placed first in the 110m high hurdles as well as the 300m hurdles, where he was joined by Brownback in second and Roman Mitchell '20 in third. The distance athletes shined today. Emmett de Kanter ’19 won the 1500m as well as the 800m. In the 800m Stedman placed third and John Kuzminskas '18 placed fourth. In the 1500m Justin Schuster '19 followed de Kanter to finish second and Daniel Chey '18 finished fourth. Two 4x400m relay teams were excited to take to the track in the day's final event, and the top team there finished in second place to earn three team points.

 

The 4x100m relay team began meet with a victory thanks to Malik Alishlalov '20, Matt Park '21, Nate Pane '19 and Sean Clarke '19. Pane went on to place third in the 400m as well as fourth in the 200m. Clarke also placed third in the 100m. In the field events, Drew Brownback '19 won the triple jump and placed second in the pole vault and 300m hurdles. Fritz Gale '18 won the high jump where fellow Martlets Hayden Cathcart '18 and Tunji Osho-Williams ’21 finished third and fourth. Gale also placed third in the javelin and fourth in the long jump. The distance runners performed phenomenally. Emmett de Kanter '19 won the 1500m. That race also saw John Kuzminskas '18 finish third and Daniel Chey '18 finish fourth. The Martlets also took three places in the 800m: de Kanter, Teagan Stedman '18 and Kieran Haug '21 finished in second, third and fourth places. Stedman finished fourth in the 400m as well. The final two events of the meet saw more Westminster success. The boys nabbed all the scoring places in the 3000m: Haug, Kuzminskas and Chey were followed by Alex Ellis '20 and Curtis Brockelman '19. Finally, a 4x400m relay team of Stedman, Brownback, Pane and de Kanter finished in second place.