Winter Season Preview

Girls' Basketball

First Girls’ Basketball will enter the 2009-2010 season with a new coach and a new regime. Coach Bryan Tawney is taking over the program and is excited about the opportunity to work with both new and veteran players. Captain Corinne Werner ’10, who is joined by returnees Karin Yoshida ’10, Meg Barnes ’10, Eliza Breed ’11, Kaleigh Kelley ’11 and Louise Marenakos ’11, will lead the team. Players moving up from the seconds team as well as students new to Westminster or the program will bolster the squad.

Coach Tawney is looking to apply a pressure defense that will create turnovers and opportunities for a fast-break style offense. The team is athletic and quick, and will try to use those attributes to its advantage.

Boys’ Basketball

Sixth Form captains forward Greg Miller and guard Rafi Rojas will lead First Boys’ Basketball this season. Experience will be key to the team, with nine Sixth Formers on the roster. Coach Charles Wright, in his inaugural season with the Martlets, is excited about the upcoming season. With Assistant Coach Peter Newman, the direction of the team is high-energy play on both ends of the court. The Black and Gold will look to leave everything on the court as they compete with Grit and Grace.

Boys’ Hockey

First Boys’ Hockey is looking to improve on its solid 14-8-3 season last year and will be led by captains Ryan Tyson ’10 and Brian McQuillan ’10. With strong returning players complemented by some impressive newcomers, expectations are high. Returning up front with Tyson will be offensive stalwarts Daniel Hnatko ’10 and Peter Michailidis ’10, each of whom contributed more than 30 points last season. They will be joined by Connor McBride ’10, a smooth-skating postgraduate who hails from Hartland, Wis.

Helping McQuillan out on the defensive side of the ice will be veteran and fellow Sixth Formers Jeff Coffin and Alex Pascal, a tough two-way player for the Martlets. The defensive crew will be particularly solid with other returnees Christian Pomarico ’12 and Jeff Smolens ’12, and new additions, Jake Bolton ’11, Andy Michailidis ’12 and Stuart MacKenzie ’11. Goaltending should be very competitive as returnee Nick Thompson ’11 vies for time with newcomer Patrick Spano ’12. With such players, the Martlets’ hopes are high as they enter what will undoubtedly be an exciting 2009-2010 season.

Girls’ Hockey

With a slew of returning players bolstered by some impressive new talent, Coach David Pope is excited to get the 2009-2010 season underway. Captains Sara Ugalde ’10 and Paige Decker ’10 will lead an experienced crew that advanced to the New England tournament the past several years. Tori Pizzuto ’10, Amanda Boulier ’11 and Carmen MacDonald ’11 will anchor the defense, and Casey Breese ’11, Rachel Kennedy ’12 and Rachel Farrel ’11 will support Decker and Ugalde up front. An exciting incoming class of skaters that includes Sydney Daniels ’13, Alli Devins ’13, Eleni Tebano ’13 and Brooke Heron ’12 will make an immediate impact as well. With a nice mix of depth and talent, the Martlets are anxious to hit the ice and see what they are capable of achieving this season.

Girls’ Squash

Peter Ulrich will take over the helm of the Girls’ Squash program in what will be a rebuilding year after graduating five players, including last season’s top four. While the team is young, it is enthusiastic and shows great potential for growth this season. Opponents with strong top players will pose a challenge to the Martlets, but the Martlet lineup is fairly deep and should provide good competition up and down the ladder. Captain Chessy di Galoma ’11, Olivia Frank ’11 and Hannah Leathers ’11 represent what is remaining of the 2008-2009 squad and will be solid in the middle of the ladder. The team will look to new players Christi DeSimone ’12 and Alex Marshall ’13 to challenge for the top two spots. It will be exciting to watch the progress of this group over the course of the season.

Boys’ Squash

If the performance of Boys’ Squash at the WALKS round-robin scrimmage is any indication of its strength, it will be a good season for the Martlets, who look to improve on their 6-7 record from last year. With most of the lineup returning from 2008-2009, Coach Peter Doucette is excited about his team’s prospects. Ross Bolling ’12 and Michael LeBlanc ’12 will again sit at the top of the ladder for the Martlets followed by a number of players who have made significant improvement in the off-season, including Matt Leach ’11 and Jacob Lee ’11. Captains Eddie Gentle ’10 and Cris Gomez ’10 will combine strength in the middle of the lineup with leadership and spirit. This will be one of the teams to watch this season.

Girls’ Swimming and Diving

Coach Grant Gritzmacher will look to a solid core of Martlets to produce for Girls’ Swimming and Diving this winter. Key returnees include co-captain Katie Adams ’10, who will handle the sprint freestyle events. Emily Schwartz ’11, last season's MVP, is versatile and can swim IM, fly and backstroke. Caitlin Fabbri ’11 is the team’s top returning breaststroker. Newcomer Rebecca Wardell ’11 will be a strong addition in the fly and breaststroke events. A strong corps of returning divers includes Jennie Gavrich ’10, co-captain Maddie Garnett ’10, Sarah Dimmitt ’12 and Anna Eckerson’11. The potential for some impressive individual performances exists as Coach Gritzmacher pushes the Black and Gold to produce all that they can.

Boys’ Swimming and Diving

Boys’ Swimming and Diving looks to have a strong combination of returning and new swimmers for the season. Veterans who are sure to make an impact are co-captain Colin McLaughlin’10, NEPSSA finalist in the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM and school record-holder in the 200 Medley Relay, and co-captain Connor O'Brien ’10, who looks to round out his Westminster career with a breakout season, focusing on sprint freestyle and fly races. Utility-man Jake Cahill ’12 will play a key role in the fly and IM and possibly swim some distance races alongside Josh Kokulis ’12. Newcomer Javier Vargas ’10 shows great promise in sprint freestyle and butterfly. Newcomer Conor Mullen ’12 is a seasoned competitor whose versatility will be a major asset to the team this year. Eric Wainman ’11 returns as the team's top diver and will lead Brendan Sullivan ’11 and rookie Cullen Matt ’13 in the springboard events. With this group, it will be another exciting season in the pool for Coach Gritzmacher and his team.