Fall 2012 Season Preview

It will be an exciting fall for the Martlet field hockey program as they play on the newly constructed and beautiful Hovey turf field. The First Team will again look to make it to the Class A New England tournament, guided by strong leadership from captains Alli Devins ’13 and Eleni Tebano ’13. Tebano will hold down the center of the field at center middie, while Devins will anchor the defense. Other important returning players include Brooke Wolejko ’14 up front, Abby Reed ’14 in the back, speedy and tenaciousAnnie French ’13, and Kat Pate ’14 who developed into a very impressive goalie last season. A strong group of newcomers have also joined the squad. Ashley Carbone ’16, Stina Ladd ’15 and Susanna Baker ’15 will immediately have an impact on the field, and Emily Crocker ’14 has enthusiastically volunteered to learn the goalie position. This hard-working, tight group has already begun to develop impressive chemistry that bodes well for a successful and memorable season.
 

After graduating six of their top runners from the 2011 squad, this year’s team is much younger and less experienced but no less enthusiastic. The leadership of co-captains Travis Percy ’14 and Will Sprenker ’13 will prove vital to bring the talented group of newcomers up to speed quickly. Aaron Rubin ’15, in his second year of competitive running, trained hard over the summer and came back ready to be the frontrunner of the pack. Tommy Griffith ’14, in his third season, is looking to earn and hold a First Team position and will be joined by newcomers Luke Tressy ’16, Toby Casper ’14 and Ben Shaver ’16, and returners Dan Parsons ’13, Ronald Yeung ’13 and others. There is a good deal of potential on this year’s team, which will be competitive up and down the ladder.
 

The Martlets have been hit hard by injuries over the last few seasons, and this season sees two of the top returners, Emily Kunsman ’14 and Tori DeAngelis ’14, sidelined at the start. However, the return of tri-captain Molly Mullen ’13, who was out all of 2011, as well as the arrival of some talented newcomers, bodes well for this year’s harriers. Paige Capistran ’16 is leading that new pack, closely followed by Sydney Rivers ’13, who is running cross country for the first time as a Sixth Former. Klara Lindstrom ’14 is another strong new runner while Mary Anderson ’14 trained hard over the summer for this season. Great intraschool pick-ups, Alaina Bisson ’15 and Jolene Patrina ’15, have added more depth to the program while tri-captains Morgan Rubin ’13 and Julia Benson ’13 will continue to push the team forward. If they can stay healthy, this squad will place well in the middle of the pack and could surprise some opponents.
 

After compiling a 5-3 record in 2011, Westminster is looking forward to building on last year’s success. With a faster team, the Martlets are implementing a new “spread” offense that should take advantage of their speed. Co-captains C/LB Kevin Murray ’13 and T/DE Mike Natale ’14 will lead the squad. Other returners include G/LB Ryan Strange ’13, WR/DB Tristan Rai ’14, RB/DB Jamie Moross ’14, and RB/DB David Carter ’15. A host of postgraduates will also make significant contributions. Quarterback Yianni Gavalas ’13 is joined by RB/DB Mark Ellis ’13, TE/LB Ryan Nardi ’13 and T/DE Keye Frank ’13. Younger new impact players WR Tyler Buckley ’15, G Carl Doucette ’16, DLs Ricardo Vazquez ’16 and Robert Ebrahimi ’16 all will get significant playing time on at least one side of the ball. This combination of experienced veterans and talented new blood will make for an exciting 2012 season.
 

The Martlets head into the 2012 season with high expectations as they return nine starters from last year’s team including All-Stars Iris Dayton ’13 and Laura Moore ’14. While the team is a veteran one, it is also a young one with only two Sixth Formers on the roster. Dayton and goalie Sydney Daniels ’13 serve as the captains and leaders for this experienced squad. Key contributors will be returners Sally Sandoval ’15, Meg Richard ’15, Eliza Christman ’15, Jenn Girard ’14, Eliza Christman ’15 and newcomer Jacqui Richard ’16. The defense will need reorganizing due to the graduation of some players, but it looks to be a promising for this seasoned group.
 

Westminster heads into the 2012 season with a new head coach, Arturo Solis, and a well-disciplined and hard-working team that will give it their all to embody “grit and grace” on the field. Led by captain Greg Jarvis ’13, the Martlets do a good job of possessing the ball and controlling the play but need to work on creating more scoring opportunities. Up front, Jarvis is joined by returner Vinny Gisonti ’13 and newcomer in the middle, Christian Barral ’13. The backs are anchored by veteran Lorin Tobey ’15 and Alvin Heumann ’14. The boys are anxious for their first game against Taft to see how they stack up ag