Winter Athletics Preview

The Martlets will hit the courts this winter with a young but gritty team. Three of the top six players from last year’s squad are back and add the valuable experience of the previous seasons. Co-captains Meaghan O’Herron ’12 and Marielle Lafaire ’12 will provide leadership on and off the court. Additional returnees Charlotte Gould ’13, Laura Tingley ’13, Annie Lacey ’14, Rachel Monroe ’14 and Eugenia Naamon ’14 will have a significant impact this season. Newcomers Dana Niland ’13, Lizzie Hark ’14, Meg Richard ’15, Olivia Tawney ’15, and Alyssa DiMaria ’15 join them. With so many fresh faces, there will be significant potential for growth this year, and it should be exciting to see how this group comes together.
 

Westminster First Boys’ Basketball returns six lettermen, but having lost the top two scorers from last year’s squad, the team will be looking to fill those spots this season. Each returning player brings a powerful work ethic as well as physical and mental toughness to the floor. Early in the season, Coach Peter Newman ’80 plans on focusing primarily on defense and rebounding. Co-captains Dillon Tiner ’12 and Alex Tomashoff ’13 are more than up to the challenge of leading the squad and being good role models for young and new players alike. Additional players will also have the opportunity to step up and make major contributions this season.
 

The two-time defending New England Division I Champions have big shoes to fill once again, but the Martlets are more than ready for the challenge. Despite losing a number of talented players to graduation, veterans and newcomers alike will look to equal the success of recent seasons. Rachel Kennedy ’12 and Sydney Daniels ’13 will lead the offense. Other key forwards include Brooke Heron ’12, Nina Gozzi ’12, Molly O’Sullivan ’12, Alli Devins ’13, and Tori DeAngelis ’14. Returning goalie Brooke Wolejko ’14 and newcomer Emily Wigdale ’13 will share duties between the pipes, while veteran defenders Eleni Tebano ’13, Hadley DesMeules ’12, and Kat Pate ’14 are joined this season by Kaitlin Tse ’15 on the blue line. The team is anxious to get to work and see what new chemistry can be created this season.
 

After last season's impressive 21-6-2 record, a Flood-Marr championship, and a Martin-Earl tournament championship, the expectations are high for this year's Martlet squad. The team returns a number of key players, highlighted by tri-captains, Jeff Smolens ’12, Chris Izmirlian ’12, and Patrick Spano ’12. Izmirlian will lead the offense along with fellow classmates Nick Finn ’12 and Emilio Audi ’12. This trio of Sixth Form forwards will be supported by David Hallisey ’13, who is looking to improve on an exceptional Fourth Form season, and newcomers Vincent Gisonti ’13 and Sean Orlando ’13. Smolens will anchor the defense along with classmates Evan Neugold ’12 and Andy Michailidis ’12, both of whom give the Westminster defensive core an offensive spark. Also pitching in on the blue line will be Dan Snyder ’13, Xavier Morin ’13 and newcomer Erik Rost ’14. Backstopping the Martlets for the third consecutive season will be All-New England goalie Patrick Spano ’12. As usual, this Martlet team will be a hard-working squad with great speed and lots of grit.
 

After ending last year’s season by capturing the New England Class B Championship, the Martlets hope to have an equally successful 2011-2012 campaign. Captain Christi DeSimone ’12, one of the top players on the ladder for the last two years, will again push her teammates to improve. Veteran Cricket de Galoma ’14 and newcomer Ginny Durfee ’15 will also battle for positions at the top of the ladder and will be joined by Lauren Darnis ’12, who is returning after a year off from squash. Alex Regan ’13 and Eliza Worcester ’13 have also made the jump to the First Team after playing on the Second team last year. While the squad will suffer somewhat from inexperience, they will more than make up for it with a great, hard working attitude that should produce dividends over the course of the winter.
 

After a historical 2011-2012 season that culminated in a second place finish in the New England Class A Tournament, the Martlets are again poised to have an outstanding squad. Led by last year’s best player in New England, Ahmed Abdel Khalek ’12, the team returns a number of key members, despite losing four starters. Four-year starter and captain Michael LeBlanc ’12 will also be tough to beat at No. 2, after finishing fourth in New England in this spot last season. Additional players include veteran Harry Ganek ’14 and, moving up from the lower teams, Beau Orchard ’13, Will O'Donnell ’13, Ben Shively ’14 and Sandro Giacometti ’12. They are joined by Alvin Huemann ’14, who brings experience and strong playing from his previous school. It will be exciting to once again see the high level of play that this team will produce.
 

A core of experienced swimmers and divers returns to lead this year’s campaign in the pool. Key veterans are co-captains Emily Teschner ’12 and Natalie Bideron ’12 in sprint freestyle, Emily Kunsman ’14 (Breaststroke, IM), and Sarah Holmes ’13 (Fly, IM). Divers will be very strong led by co-captain and school record-holder Sarah Dimmitt ’12, with Kayla Foley ’13 and Caroline Brady ’12 right behind her. Newcomers Aubrey Moulton ’15 (Breaststroke) and Emily Sirbaugh ’13 (Breaststroke) will help add depth to the squad. Highlights of the season will include the training trip to Florida in February and hosting the New England Class B Championships in March.
 

The Martlets look to have a promising season with returning Sixth Formers/captains leading the way: Conor Mullen (Freestyle, Backstroke), Josh Kokulis (Distance Freestyle), and Jake Cahill (Backstroke, IM). Post-graduates Emil Henry and Patrick Holowesko will have an immediate impact in the freestyle and breaststroke events, respectively. New Fourth Former Henry Chou will add strength in the breaststroke and butterfly races, and returnees John FitzPatrick ’13 (Breaststroke, IM), Herbert Cheng ’13 (Backstroke), Drew Poling ’13 (Free, Back) will be key swimmers in the mix this season. The team is especially excited to host the New England Class B Swimming and Diving Championships in March.