Sports Highlights 02.30.16

 

 

After finishing the regular season with a 12-11 record, the Martlets raised their games in the postseason to take first place in the Class B New England Tournament!

Westminster went 19-6 in the weekend tournament to earn 90 points out of a possible 112, while Choate finished in second with 84 points and Kent took third with 78 points.

 

Playing in the No. 6 slot, Sam Worcester ’16 (2-2) secured a sixth place finish, while Henry Amory ’18 (4-1) had a thrilling comeback victory in his final match to take fifth place at the No. 3 position. At No. 2, Wonjune Kang ’16 (1-2) battled through injury to finish in fourth place, and Declan Horrigan ’16 (2-1), playing on his 18th birthday, fought back in his last match to take third-place at No. 6. Will Leathers ’17 (3-0), Bryan Yekelchik ’16 (4-0) and Aly Tolba ’18 each took first-place honors in their respective positions at No. 5, No. 4 and No. 1.

 

Leathers, not to be outdone by Amory and Horrigan, had a pair of great comeback wins in the tournament. After a 3-0 victory against Salisbury in the morning, he found himself in a tight match against an opponent from Millbrook. Although he won the first and third games, he lost the fourth game 4-11 and was down 7-10 in the fifth before reeling off five straight points to propel himself into the finals on Sunday against a Choate opponent he had faced just one week prior. With a good game plan, Leathers took the first two games, turning a 1-7 deficit in game two into an 11-8 victory. He lost the third game 10-12 and was showing some fatigue, but managed to hold on to take an exciting 10-8 win for first place.

 

Yekelchik started hot, defeating his Williston Northampton challenger in 20 minutes on Friday night. In fact, he won all of his matches in three games during the weekend, handily defeating an opponent from Kingswood Oxford on Saturday morning and then besting the No. 2 seed from Kent on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, Yekelchik faced a heavy hitter from Berkshire, but he was able to get the low, hard balls back to put his opponent in the rear corners. The games were close, with Yekelchik winning the final game 12-10 to emerge as the champion.

 

After a bye on Friday night, Tolba swept his opponents from Loomis Chaffee and Phillips Andover 3-0 on Saturday to earn a spot in the finals – a rematch against a tough competitor from Kent who defeated him 11-9 in the fifth and deciding match back in January. On Sunday, the outcome was more definitive. Although the first two games were close, Tolba played well the last three games. He lost the first game 11-13 after hitting seven tins, but fought back to win the second 13-11 and then settled down to win 11-5 and 11-5 to become the champion at the No. 1 position.

 

 

First Girls’ Squash also had a strong showing in the New England Tournament over the weekend, winning fifteen of 24 matches to place seventh out of 16 teams.

 

Caroline Percival '19 was a tough out at No. 3, twice going to four games in losses and twice coming from behind to win in a ninth place showing in her draw. After going 2-1 on Saturday, Abby Newman '16 won a seesaw five-setter Sunday morning against a higher-seeded player, but fell in four in her final match to take sixth place at No. 7. At No. 1, Abby LeBlanc '17 posted a 4-1 record on the weekend en route to a fifth place finish. Each of her wins came in three; her lone loss came in a very well contested match with the eventual third-place finisher ((5), 9, 9, 7). Sarah Poling '16 also went 4-1 for fifth place at No. 5. Her lone loss was also a tough four-setter ((7), 5, 12, 9), but she was pushed harder in her wins on Sunday. In the morning she alternated games, to set up a wild fifth game that ended 13-11 in her favor. In the afternoon she avenged a loss at Nationals, defeating her Westover counterpart in a fitting capstone contest, 7, 4, (14), 2. Finally, the best individual finish went to Katie Deveaux '16. Her consecutive five-set wins on Saturday – 8, 9, (7), (3), 7 against St George's and 9, 9, (8), (5), 9 against Westover (another  Nationals loss avenged) put her in the semifinals. Two tough losses on Sunday left her with a fourth place finish. The girls can be proud of the way they brought their season to a conclusion.

 

 

Coming off of a heartbreaking overtime loss to The Gunnery on Wednesday that would’ve put the team in the “Elite 8” Stuart/Corkery Tournament, First Boys' Hockey regrouped to finish the regular season with a resounding 8-2 victory over Deerfield on Saturday. The first period was tight, as Westminster was forced to kill off three penalties, but the game was blown wide open when the Martlets scored four unanswered goals in the second to take a commanding 6-1 lead into the final period. The boys had great puck control in the third period and added two more goals to the final tally. Goals scorers on the day were Johnny McDermott '16 (3), Taggart Corriveau '16 (2), Jay Powell '17 (2) and JP Schuhlen '16. Stephen Gasior '16 had a busy first period and stood tall, finishing the day with 17 saves. With the win, Westminster clinched the No. 2 seed in the large school Martin/Earl Tournament. The team plays No. 7 St. Sebastian’s School on Wednesday afternoon at 3:45 p.m.

 

 

Westminster’s Swimming and Diving team traveled to Hotchkiss for the Founders’ League Championships on Saturday afternoon following the Founders League Diving Championships, which took place at Choate Rosemary Hall on Wednesday, February 24.

 

The girls’ squad had a strong showing on Saturday, including breaking a school record and setting a number of personal best times. The 200 medley relay team of Elizabeth Brewer '17, Co-Captain Charlotte Lennox '16, Nornia Xu '17 and Leta Giordano '17 began the meet by breaking the school record in the event. Giordano also won a third place bronze medal in the 200 yd. freestyle and a second place silver medal in the 100 yd. butterfly. Personal best swims were set by Dallis Alvarez '18, Brewer, Maggie Chaves '19, Lily Johnson '19, Shannon Keefe '19, Liza Lennox '18, Nathali Madrid '17, Elisabeth Morin '18, Mia Poling '18, Mary Su '18, Alex Wolf '19 and Xu.

 

In the Diving Championships for the boys, Jack Norman '16 took to the 1 meter springboard, placing fourth with a personal best record of 316.55. At Hotchkiss, the boys enjoyed many personal best swims, including personal best times for Co-Captain Jordan Gabbidon '17, Albert Gao '18, Joel Groves '17, Co-Captain Jack Horrigan '16, Matt Norris '18, Jeevan Palaniyandy '19, Justin Schuster '19 and Gary Simons '17.

 

The team will finish the season at the New England Championships on March 5 at Roger Williams University.

 

 

Second Girls’ Basketball ended the season on a five-game winning streak, including a close 30-28 win on Wednesday over Deerfield and a dominant 58-23 victory over Pomfret on Saturday. On Wednesday, though the Martlets struggled to find their offensive rhythm during the first half of the game, the girls played smart offense and aggressive defense in the second half to jump ahead with just a few minutes left. Hard work and composure helped the girls hold onto a narrow two point lead to clinch a 30-28 win.

 

On Saturday, the Martlets won their final game of the season 58-23 over Pomfret. The girls moved the ball extremely well up and down the court and were able to make some beautiful plays. They also played excellent zone defense, shutting down most of Pomfret's offensive opportunities. Though Westminster started the season with a bit of inconsistency, they finished strong, displaying all of the ways in which they've continued to improve, and the hard work they've put in from the very first practice to the final whistle. It was a great team win to the end the season!

 

 

Second Boys’ Basketball also ended its season on a winning-streak, taking its last nine games with excellent team play and some terrific individual performance. In its final game on Saturday, the team edged out Taft 35-30 on Saturday. Simon Aber ‘18 led the closing effort with 16 points.

 

 

The Martlets were pretty much unstoppable this season, boasting a 12-1 record after winning their final two games 10-0 over Pomfret and 7-2 over Kent.

 

The girls knew going in to Wednesday’s game that Pomfret was in a rebuilding season and had many players still learning to play. Westminster took the opportunity to mix up its lines and get more playing time for the lower lines, all of which played outstanding hockey to get a 10-0 win. Eight players scored in the game; Julia Carter '16 and Ana Wigmore '16 scored their first goals of the season, while Megan Cournoyer '19 made her debut as a Martlet hockey player after spending the season building her skills. The team had a lot of fun playing with new line mates and in different positions.

 

In their final game of the season on Saturday, and the final hockey game at Westminster for the graduating Sixth Formers, the Martlets once again played high-level hockey from the opening whistle to the final buzzer. Sixth Formers Julia Carter, Katie Simeon, Evie Pope and Ana Wigmore all played well and can be proud of the effort they put forth all season; the team could not have had such a strong season without their leadership on and off the ice. Saturday's challenger, Kent, had only lost to one other team this season, making Westminster's 7-2 victory even more satisfying. Everyone on the team skated hard and brought their A-game. Katie Neilsen '18 and Kendall Brown '17 scored in the first to give the Marlets an early lead that they would not relinquish. In the second, Kent got one back, but Natalie Rubin '19 and Evie Pope '16 put the girls up 4-1 heading into the third. Again, Kent started the scoring in the final period, but Pope, Wigmore and Georgia Swank '19 put the game on ice with three more Westminster goals. The girls are sad to see this incredible season come to an end, but they're already excited for what's to come next season.

 

 

2nd Boys’ Hockey finished up with an excellent 12-4-3 record after defeating Avon Old Farms 5-1 and Deerfield 5-0 last week. The boys made the short trip down Route 10 to Avon Old Farms on Wednesday and made a lousy weather day brighter with a victory over their crosstown rivals. Four minutes into the first period, Jagger LeClair '18 got the Martlets going when he tucked a loose puck inside the right post with assists coming from Zack Orzech '16 and Walker Stevens '19. At the close of the period, Stevens made a perfect breakaway stretch pass to Jack Griffith '17, who scored to put the visitors up by a pair. The Black and Gold added to the lead in the beginning of the second frame when Arthur Renehan '17 made a great stretch pass from behind his own goal line to a waiting Alec Costanza '17, who neatly beat the big Avon goalie on his breakaway chance. Avon narrowed the advantage midway through the second period on a breakaway opportunity of its own. During a power play, with just seconds left in the middle period, Costanza got one back with a strong move out of the corner and a fine shot from the high slot. In what was a sloppy, penalty-filled third period, the Martlets produced the only goal, as blue liner Stevens (with his third point of the day) slid the puck to LeClair, who flicked a low shot through traffic into the back of the host net. Westminster dominated this game from start to finish, outshooting AOF by 34 to 8. Spencer Rellinger, recently back from an illness, made 7 saves on the day.

 

Coming off a seven-game unbeaten streak, Second Boys' Hockey hosted Deerfield in its final game of the season on Saturday. The boys played a very complete game from start to finish and defeated the visitors by a score of 5-0. Westminster got off to a fast start, scoring three goals in the first period. Connor Brennan '17, playing like a man possessed, gathered a stretch pass from Max Powers '17 and went streaking in on a breakaway to score the first goal of the game. Soon after, during a power play, line mates Costanza and Mac McCormick '16 worked the puck to Griffith in the slot, and Jack wristed the puck inside the right post. The final goal of the period came by way of an Orzech pass to Tommy Jacobs '16, whose shot got deflected high into the air and somehow found its way into the back of the Deerfield net. After a scoreless second period, Griffith scored his second goal of the game on another power play to start the third. On yet another power play opportunity, Costanza earned his third assist of the day when he fed a charging Powers, who scored the fifth and final goal of the game. Even more impressive than the five goals they put on the board was the stout Martlet defense, which limited Deerfield to just a handful of good scoring chances. A shout-out goes to the Blueliners Jake Szykowny '17, Arthur Renehan '17, Tommy Jacobs '16, Walker Stevens '19, Max Powers '17, and Merlin Ennis '17. Alex Gadowski '18 stopped all 19 shots to preserve a well-deserved shutout. Congratulations to the whole team for a very successful season and a special thank you to the Sixth Formers - Assistant Captain Chris Connal, Lars Hammer, Tommy Jacobs, Captain Mac McCormick and Zack Orzech - two of whom (Mac and Zack) were on the team for four years. They all will be missed!

 

 

The boys finished with a stellar 10-2 record after defeating Renbrook 11-1 in its final match on Saturday. Porter Girty ’18 and Carl Ekholm ’19 got things started, winning their matches in four games, many of them close. The remaining nine victories for Westminster were sweeps, although there were numerous well-played rallies as the Hawks clawed and scratched for every point. Special appreciation goes out to four of their players who doubled up to play two matches. Matthew Swenson ’17 held on to finish up his match 16-14 in the third game, while Sean Ryan ’18 and Hayden Cathcart ’18 squared off against resilient opponents who kept improving as their respective matches progressed. Ted Sirbaugh ’16, playing in his final Westminster squash match, unfortunately didn’t finish it out with a win, although he took his opponent to the full five games. Renbrook alum Ethan Na ’19 rebounded from a tough loss at Taft to defeat his opponent in three, while roommates Nate Londal ’19 and Nate Swift ’19 were victorious as well. Finishing up the day, Lukas Dudzik ’19, Ryan Lee ’18 and Spencer Organ ’18 came out on top in workman like fashion. Congratulations to the team on a terrific season.