Spring Sports Highlights 5.15.17

 

Westminster found itself hosting a familiar foe May 10 at Hop Meadow Country Club, going head to head with the girls of Ethel Walker whom Westminster had faced several times during the season. The final outcome of 2.5 to 2.5, a tie, reflected the tight nature of this contest from the opening shot. Speaking of opening shots, Katie Kosior '18 at #4 in her first competitive match of the season scorched her first drive at least 230 yards and established a tenor that she was ready to play. Not showing any pre-match jitters, she would go on to win her match 3/1 culminating with a beautiful eight iron over the water on the final par three and a statement that she is a gamer. Johanna Hultin '18 at #5 also played her first match of the season and learned that on some days one's swing is more elusive than others. While she fell to her EWS opponent, she enjoyed the competition and learned, what many already know, that some days require lots of improvising to make up for swing blues. Elisabeth Morin '18 struggled with consistency at the #1 spot, as did her opponent, and competed hard in a seesaw battle that would end with a gritty par on #9 to halve the match. Caroline Kelter '19 at #2 ran into Walker's most consistent player of the match but worked hard to stay in the mix and take advantage of her driving strength even though she was unable to slow her opponent who won 4/3. Quietly, Eve Cathcart ’20 at #3 posted a solid 50, being one down after four and then rattling off five straight holes to win her match. This turn of events was a nice comeuppance for Cathcart since her opponent May 6 did the same to her. 

 

Second Boys' Golf played host to Kent at Hop Meadow Country Club on a cloudy and chilly afternoon. Westminster's total score of (216) topped the visitor's (231) total. Carson Roth '19 was match medalist for the first time this season firing a fine 39 (+3). Roth birdied the difficult par three ninth hole by sinking a curling downhill eight-foot putt for the 2. Other Martlet scores included Alex Biedron '18 (41), Jagger LeClair '18 (43), Darion Benchich '20 (45), Wes Oltsch '20 (48) and Justin Schuster '19 (53).

 

The Martlets had a thrilling victory over Choate. Despite a slow first half, Westminster came out for the second half ready to go with Maddie Dwyer '18 and McKenzie Roller '20 scoring less than two minutes in to give Westminster a one-goal lead. Westminster was able to hang on tightly to its lead despite a late surge from Choate. Nadia Lee '18 came up with some amazing key saves. The Martlets did an excellent job executing plays on offense and forcing turnovers on the defensive side of the ball. Roller had a hat trick on the day. Other goal scorers included Megan Rittenhouse '20, Dwyer and McKenna Burelle ’17.

 

Second Girls’ Lacrosse faced the Wyverns from Kingswood-Oxford on a beautiful afternoon. The Martlets took a long time to find their footing as the Wyverns charged ahead scoring the first four goals. But the Martlet offense refused to quit as the team took back control of the game, scoring five goals in 10 minutes and tying the game at 5-5 by halftime. Both teams came out of the break with a renewed sense of purpose, as play was back and forth for much of the second half. Both teams' goaltenders made many saves to keep the scored knotted at five all. Finally the Wyverns broke the stalemate but the Martlets then countered with another goal. Ultimately, the Wyverns scored the go-ahead goal and ran out the clock to finish the game.

Second Boys’ Lacrosse earned an exciting win against Berkshire. Falling behind 4-1 early, the boys came back to tie the game at four and went into halftime deadlocked at five on the strength of goals from Matt Quinn '19, Will Livingston '19, Willie Noble '20, Alex Gadowski '18 and Chanler Miller '18. Both teams missed some great chances in the third quarter, but the Bears managed to open up a 7-5 lead going into the final quarter. However, in a three-minute stretch, Quinn brought the Martlets to within one off a feed from Jake Szykowny '17. Szykowny tied the game with an underhand crank and Quinn scored the game-winner after a dodge. Credit the team defense for shutting the Bears out in the final quarter. Also noteworthy on the day were several great ground balls from Merlin Ennis '17, and some timely saves late in the game from Kyle Forsyth ’17.

 

The Martlets took the show on the road and headed up to the Northeast corner of Connecticut to take on the Rectory School. The home-team was ready to go. They jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead. Rectory has a great face-off guy who would get the possession right back on goals either way. At halftime, the score was 3-3 and the game shifted to lots of special teams. The Martlets did a great job at killing some lengthy penalties in the second half. Up 5-4 late in the game, Westminster had a number of chances to settle the ball and forced a few shots and passes that would turn into easy turnovers. Rectory had the ball in the offensive zone the last three minutes and was pushing for the tie. With a flag down on Westminster and a free shot in hand, Rectory found an open attack man on the crease with just 18.2 left, Eddie Lie-A-Cheong '19 went to post and was able to match the attack man's stick for the save of the season. Lie-A-Cheong picked up his second game ball of the season with a strong 13-save performance. 

 

In a well-played game between two outstanding Founders League teams, Westminster prevailed in a tense and hard fought contest in front of a large crowd. The Martlets got on the board in the first inning when Gabby Brown '17 reached base on an error and advanced to third on a single by Brenna Monroe '17. Emily Samar '18 then drove in Brown with a base hit up the middle. Ashlee White '18 followed with a hit, and Gabby Nemarich '20 fought off a tough pitch and deposited the ball into right field to give the Martlets a 2-0 lead. In the third inning, Nemarich led off with a single, Katie Neilsen '18 put down a perfect bunt, and Westminster had runners on first and second base. Hannah Stone '18 then drilled a hard ground ball under the glove at third base to make it a 3-0 game. Monroe opened the next frame with a single, and Samar doubled. Nemarich then had her third hit of the day, lifting the ball over first base and scoring two runs. Ethel Walker came charging back in the sixth, scoring three runs on two doubles and a triple. Monroe was able to work out of the jam by getting the third out on a ground ball and stranding a runner at second base. In the bottom of the seventh, she retired the side with a 1-2-3 inning to close out the game. For the day, Monroe pitched well, allowing only five Ethel Walker hits. White was involved in eight put outs at shortstop and was the defensive star of the game for the Black and Gold. Neilsen, Brown and Samar also made some important plays in the field for the Martlets. Ethel Walker was led by Sydney Longley's fine pitching performance.

 

Ally Marenco '18 and Brenna Monroe '17 combined to pitch a one hitter against Choate as the Martlets won at home. Westminster opened the game with an offensive outburst in the first inning. After singles by Mackenzie Griffith '17 and Gabby Brown '17, Monroe walked. Emily Samar '18 then drove in three runs with a triple to left field. Ashlee White '18 doubled, and four consecutive singles were then delivered by Gabby Nemarich '20, Katie Neilsen '18, Lucy Noel '18 and Meg Cournoyer '19. On the day, Nemarich, Neilsen and Cournoyer had two hits apiece. Monroe didn't allow any hits during her two innings on the mound, and Marenco struck our five batters and gave up just one single over the final five innings. Cournoyer caught a fine game behind the plate, and Nemarich had a terrific day in the field, registering eight puts outs at third base.

Brenna Monroe '17 struck out 10 batters and allowed just four hits as Westminster defeated Miss Porter's in Farmington. The victory clinched the Founders League Title for the Martlets. It was the ninth league championship for Westminster in the past 11 years. In the first inning, Gabby Brown ' 17 put the Black and Gold on the board with a solo home run. In the third frame, Brown doubled, advanced to third base on an error, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Monroe. The contest remained a hard fought 2-0 pitcher's duel until the fifth inning, when Katie Neilsen 18, Mackenzie Griffith '17 and Monroe singled. Emily Samar '18 then doubled to drive in two runs. The game was a close 4-0 contest in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Brown and Samar combined on a play that proved to create a momentum swing. After a Miss Porter's single, Brown fired home and Samar made a great diving tag at the plate to end the inning. In the top of the seventh frame, eight consecutive Westminster batters reached base and the Martlets suddenly had a significant lead. Brown, Griffith, Monroe and Samar had two hits apiece in the game. Ashlee White '18 and Gabby Nemarich '20 each had two RBIs for Westminster. Miss Porter's was led by the play of Jessica Sardilli and Hannah Zukowski.

 

The Martlets made the quick trip to Farmington to face Miss Porter's. While the Fighting Daisies were stronger at the very top of the ladder, the Black and Gold proved to be the deeper squad. Things started well in doubles where all the three teams were up at the five-game break. Nat Wilson '18 and Clara Ekholm '20 overpowered their opponents and played sharp tennis at the net to win 8-1 at #2. Ellie Suit '20 and Olivia Zhang '20 also took control of their match to win 8-3. While Lily von Stade '17 and Mary Kille '18 started up 4-1, their opponents regrouped and reeled off seven impressive games to take the set. At the same time, #5 singles player Maggie Chaves '19 jumped ahead of her opponent and walked away with an 8-1 win. So after four matches, the Martlets were up 3-1. Kille, Wilson and Suit were all dominant in their singles matches to secure the team victory. Von Stade battled at #1 but ultimately fell 8-4, and Zhang struggled to string together enough points against her opponent at #2. It was another good match for the team.

 

In their best match of the season to date, the Martlets defeated Choate 8-1. Westminster got off to a strong start winning all three doubles matches. Mary Kille '18 and Lily von Stade '17 dominated at #1 8-1, and Alex Wolf '19 and Maggie Chaves '19 showed confidence and strength at #3, winning 8-4. Nat Wilson '18 and Clara Ekholm '20 had the closest match of the day at #3 doubles. A back and forth affair, they fought off a couple of match points to prevail in a tiebreaker, 7-5. In singles, Chaves overwhelmed her opponent at #5, 8-1, and Olivia Zhang '20 didn't give up a game at #2. Kille controlled her match from start to finish at #3 winning 8-3. Ellie Suit '20 pulled away from her opponent after the first few games at #6 with another 8-3 victory. Von Stade fought from behind at #1, and her patience and smart play paid off, earning her the 8-6 win. It was an excellent team win. Everyone was focused and determined to take care of business.

First Girls' Tennis played in the annual Kent School de Villafranca Tournament and had its best showing in years. Leading the way was the doubles duo of Mary Kille '18 and Nat Wilson '18, reunited after not playing with each other for the last two seasons. In the morning round robin matches, the Martlets were undefeated with wins over seeded teams, Kingswood-Oxford and Exeter. They faced Hotchkiss in the semi-finals and got out a strong fast start. The Bearcats rallied however, eventually going up 7-4. But Kille and Wilson persevered and got as close at 7-8 and 8-9 before falling 8-10. The girls should be proud of their play. In singles, Lily von Stade ’17 played well in the #1 round robin earning victories over Berkshire and Loomis. Olivia Zhang '20 also scored a win in the #2 singles flight over Kent. She also played a competitive match against a strong Exeter player, losing 5-7. The Martlets battled with the big schools at this tournament and held their own. The team finished fifth out of 10 teams. There were a total of 13 different matches between singles and doubles.

First Boys’ Tennis traveled to Avon Old Farms and, despite playing some tightly contested matches, came away with a 6-1 loss to the Winged Beavers. The Martlets fell behind 1-0 after the doubles matches, losing all three matches. Azat Mukhametkulov '19 and Nikola Kostic '18 lost 8-3 at #1, Carl Ekholm '19 and Ethan Na '19 lost at #2 8-6 and Connor Seeley '18 and Chris Whipple '18 fell 8-3 at #3. Stone Brown '17 was the lone victor at #6 singles, winning 6-7 (3), 6-2 and 10-7 in the super tiebreaker. Mukhametkulov lost 6-2, 6-2 at #1 singles, while Na lost at #2 5-7, 6-3 and 10-4 in the super tiebreaker. Kostic lost 6-0, 6-2 at #3, Ekholm fell 7-6 (4), 6-0 at #4 and Whipple went down 6-2, 7-5 at #5.

First Boys' Tennis hosted Hotchkiss on a beautiful day in May, but came up short, losing 2-4. In singles, Azat Mukhametkulov '19 lost #1 by 1-6 and 1-6. Ethan Na ’19 lost #2 by 2-6 and 1-6. Nikola Kostic ’18 lost #3 by 0-6 and 3-6. Carl Ekholm ’19, #4, won both sets by 6-3. Chris Whipple ’18 lost #5 by 6-3, 5-7, and fell short at the tiebreaker, 4-10. Stone Brown ’17 won #6 4-6, 6-3, and won the tiebreaker by 10-8. 

First Boys' Tennis traveled to Loomis on a bright sunny day but came up short, losing 1-6. Azat Mukhametkulov '19 and Nikola Kostic'18 lost #1 doubles in a very close match by 8-10. Ethan Na '19 and Carl Ekholm '19 lost #2 by 4-8. No. 3 Connor Seeley '18 and Stone Brown '17 lost 1-8. In the singles, Mukhametkulov lost #1 0-6 and 3-6. Na lost #2 by a close 4-6 and 3-6. No. 3 Kostic won 7-5 and ret. No. 4 Ekholm won the first set 6-1 but lost the next two by 5-7 and 4-10. Chris Whipple ’18 lost #5 by 0-6 and 0-6. Brown lost #6, 2-6 and 2-6. 

Westminster had strong wins with singles players Maggie Kelly ‘18, Mia Poling ‘18, Elena Lie-A-Cheong ‘17 and Rosy Sieglaff ‘18. Doubles teams Isabel Niles ‘18/Annabel Bradley ’19 and Stacia McBreen ‘18/Klaudia Khegay ’19 also won.

 

It was a cloudy day, but still and not cold. The Martlets swept the doubles point with Kevin Kuang ’19 and Cam Jury ’19 winning 8-4 at #1, Curtis Brockelman ’19 and Ryan Lee ’18 winning 8-2 at #2, and Mike Fiorini ’18 and Zach Tarazi ’18 coming back from 0-4 to win 8-6 after a reminder to get their first serves in. In singles, Max Torrez ’18 won his first set and looked to have his match in hand but lost the second set 4-6 on some close calls and then a tiebreaker 7-10. There were a number of other tiebreakers during the close team match. James Chun ’19 avoided a tiebreaker taking his match at #5 7-5, 6-3 to give the Martlets a second point. KO took the #2 and #3 matches. At #3 after losing the fist set, Alec Costanza ’17 barely lost his second set 6-7, succumbing in a tiebreaker. At #4 Scott Wilson ’19 lost his first set 4-6 but came back with a 6-2 win in set two to set up another tiebreaker, which he won 10-7, making the match all even at 3-3. Only Kuang at #1 was left. After losing a tight first set 4-6, Kuang won set two 7-6 (13-11). His opponent did a good job of blocking his strong serve and of coming in to net to volley, but Kuang still won a lot of points on his serve and with precise deep shots. In the final tiebreaker of the afternoon to decide the whole match, Kuang took a 9-8 lead as his teammates prepared to storm the court for the victory celebration. But it was not to be. KO won the last three points and took the match 4-3 leaving the Martlets slightly sad about the outcome, but generally feeling good about their efforts.

Twelve hardy girls traveled to The Ethel Walker School on a cold and blustery day in May. The highlight of the afternoon was watching Eda Chen '20 playing at #1 singles. Chen played a terrific match, one that lasted as long as two other matches combined. Chen worked hard to win points against an opponent that was her equal. They traded games up until the Walker's girl pulled ahead and won 8-5. Rounding out the doubles were Isabel von Bargen-Burke '19 at #2, Donatella Mancinone '18 at #3 and Ozzy Kutluel '18 at #4. All the girls faced formidable opponents, who had strong baseline returns, but the girls did win five games combined. On the doubles side, Lily Carrel '19 and Elizabeth Brewer '17 lost 1-8. Hyeon Jo Jeong '17 and Vernita Zhai '20 had some great rallies at #2 doubles, but ultimately lost 3-8. Playing in their first match this year at #3, doubles Lizzy McCoy '20 and Chloe Ferro '20 faced players who had excellent serves, but the Westminster girls did win one game in their tennis debut. Rounding out the afternoon was an exhibition doubles team of Sofia Morales '19 and Mairead DeFronzo '20, who also won one game. 

 

Westminster traveled to Washington, Conn., to face Rumsey Hall on its Grandparents' Day. The weather was nice; three matches were played on the outdoor courts and six matches on the indoor courts; all were six game pro sets. Playing at #1 singles, Justin Liu '18 lost a close match 3-6. The next two singles, Scott Lee '20 and Aidan Wood '20, won their matches but it was also a close win, both by scores of 6-4. Winning handily at #4 and #6 singles respectively were Darian Purcell '19 and Kai Edmonds '19. Quoc Anh Truong '20 also won his match at #5; it was a fun match to watch, as he and his opponent were very evenly matched and the score 6-3 does not reflect the great serves and rallies that both players delivered. Playing #1 doubles, Jack Hajdukiewicz '18 and Chris Turino '20 won 6-3; Hajdukiewicz was a magician at the net, appearing out of nowhere to poach balls, and Turino was steady from the baseline. Nick Wee '18 and Justin Kooi '18 played #3 doubles and won handily 6-1. Rounding out the doubles were Donatella Mancinone '18 and Michelle Kim '20, whose score of 1-6 does not do justice to many of the great rallies they had with their opponents. 

 

Sophie Tawney ’17 is the Founders League champion in the discus and the javelin. Katherine Eckerson ’17 finished third in the 200m dash and the long jump. Eckerson also finished sixth in the triple jump. Tawney also finished second in the shot put. Paige Phillips ’20 finished fifth in the 100m dash. Amanda Liu ’18 placed fourth in the high jump. Chloe Sealy ’18 tied for fourth in the pole vault. Click here for full results. 

Delando Clarke ’17 ended the day a Founders League champion in the high jump and triple jump. He was not alone as Dom Cirillo ’17 won the shot put and placed third in the discus and fourth in the javelin. Track novice Devonte McCall ’17 was a Founders League champion in the long jump; his sixth place finish in the 100m dash also scored points. Fellow newcomer Isaiah Preyer ’17 finished fifth in the 200m dash. The 110m high hurdles saw Payton Prendergast ’17 finish second with Brandon Williams ’18 finishing in fourth. The boys 4x100m relay team also battled a tough field to finish fourth. Drew Brownback ’19 finished fifth in the pole vault. Click here for full results.