Winter Sports Highlights 1.14.19

Westminster played well and fought hard early and only found itself down 8-12 in the first few minutes of the game, but Choate, which boasts four senior starters all bound for Division 1, was too fast, strong and athletic for the team. To Westminster’s credit, the team never gave up, even when the game was clearly out of hand. Laura Velez '20 and Bethany Winters ‘20 hit a few outside shots, captain Laynie Tawney '19 made a couple shots and executed several good passes, and Bella Tawney '22 battled hard against the Wild Boars' triumvirate of six-footers and came away with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

 

First Girls’ Basketball beat Canterbury on a put-back by Isabella Tawney ’22 as the buzzer sounded, 43-41. Westminster got behind 17-0 with 11 minutes left in the first half but the team worked its way back to an eight-point deficit, then took the lead with about two minutes left. Canterbury tied it with 52 seconds left, but Westminster again pushed through. Bethany Winters ’20 was player of the game with nine points, 10 rebounds and a shutout defense of Canterbury’s second-best player in the second half. Sam de Kanter ’22 and Laura Velez ’20 each had their career highs in points. Margaret Kennedy ’22 was 4-4 from the free throw line and held Canterbury’s leading scorer to five points in the second half. Tawney contributed 16 rebounds and five blocked shots.

 

 

Second Boys' Basketball played its best offensive game yet, but the result ultimately left a sour taste. They started the game fast, jumping out to a 13-3 lead in the first half by sharing the ball, getting to the free throw line and capitalizing on their opportunities near the basket. All players were firing on all cylinders. Changing their defensive strategy, Choate eventually, however, chipped away to tie the game at 25 at the half. Westminster made its own adjustments in the second half and built another formidable lead behind the athletic play of Lukas Dudzik '19, who finished with 22 points and Cooper Kistler '22, who added 14 points of his own, before Choate heated up from three-point range. The Martlets saw their nine-point lead diminish to three, and with eight seconds remaining in regulation, Choate stayed hot, tying the game on a contested three at the buzzer. In the five-minute overtime, Westminster led by two for a while only to see its efforts thwarted once again by another long-distance sniper. As they found themselves down by three (the only time they trailed during the whole afternoon) and with just seven second remaining, Raymond Liu '22 attempted a desperation three that hit the back of the rim. The end result was dissatisfying for the Martlets, but they gained newfound confidence in their scoring abilities. They received great games from not only Dudzik and Kistler but also a few points and strong rebounding from Eddie Lie-A-Cheong '19 (eight points), Teddy Schellbach '20 (five points) and point guard Henry Mitrano '19 (five points). Brad Donegan '20 and Kellen Seeley '22 added their own versions of smart, hard-nosed basketball.

 

Second Boys’ Basketball started flat Jan. 11 in New Milford against a young but sharp-shooting Canterbury team that made 11 three-pointers. The away team fell behind early, ultimately trailing 13-33 at the half. The second half, however, was much better. The Martlets played with renewed urgency, pushing the ball up the floor, getting to the hoop, crashing the boards and altogether creating more scoring opportunities for themselves. Despite the onslaught of three-pointers from Canterbury, the second half was, in fact, even. Teddy Schellbach '20 led Westminster with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Eddie Lie-A-Cheong '19 added 10 points, including two threes. Will Lynch '20, Kellen Seeley '22 and Cooper Kistler '22 showed tremendous grit and hustle.

 

In the closest game of the season yet, Boys’ Third Basketball faced off against the Berkshire Bears in a standoff like no other. Out of the gate, the Martlets put up five points, holding the Bears close for the first half. Berkshire inched ahead, little by little, but strong rebounds by Lucas “Leaning Tower of Pisa” Wahlberg ’21 and alacritous leadership by Justin “The Wizard of Westfarms” Flaks ’20 kept them in check. The first half ended at 7-10, though Hunter “Yellow Pages” Hoogkamp ’21 helped tie the score up as the boys set the stage for a true battle. Two dueling dragons in the crisp winter air, circling one another point after point, first tied 19-19, then 25-25, finally 29-29 with Kade “Orange Krush” Smith ’22 unleashing his vigor defensively and drawing attention from both crowds and officials alike. With seconds left in the game, neither team could pull away with the lead, and the first Thirds overtime in years took place. Again, the dragons soared high above the clouds, snapping at one another with gusto. In the end, it was the Berkshire Bears with a quick layup to end the game at 29-31, but the boys of Westminster Thirds Basketball are eager for more high-level play.

 

In their biggest win yet since the dawn of time, the Martlets of Westminster Thirds Basketball faced off against the Canterbury Saints in their most profound tilt yet. After a strong start to the first half, the young Hunter "the Golden Son" Hoogkamp '21 and Justin "Tropic Thunder" Flaks ’20 led the team to a commanding 24-14 lead at halftime. Despite the high level of defensive play by Ben "Jet Lag" Li '21 the Saints sharpened their swords, bolstered their shields and claimed the battlements as the second half began. They closed the gap, and Westminster's consistent five-point or more lead since the outset of the fight, tied the score at 29-29 with seven minutes left in the second half. A series of free throws and three pointers by the Saints left the Martlets posting and toasting, hot on their heels to reclaim the lead after going down by as much as six points. Coaches, players and officials alike were stunned as the clash came to a screeching halt at a 42-42 tie: that's right, the second overtime game in a row. This time, it was personal and Jack "Loose Shoes" Roberts ’20 and Ben "See No Evil" Mihailovich ’22 teamed up with their fellow Martlets to pull off a 47-44 win.

 

The Martlets took to the ice for the 2019 portion of the season ready to take on a tough Choate team. From the beginning of the game, the pace was fast and Choate got the edge early getting the puck to the net at every chance. Westminster began to counter with offense of its own. Forechecking plays by Callista Adorno '22 and Jenny Guider '20 helped the team even the shot tally. By the end of the first, the game was locked in a stalemate. The second period brought some important power play opportunities for Westminster, but the Choate penalty killers managed to keep the score tied. With just under five minutes left in the period, the Martlets lined up for an offensive zone face-off. Center Jill Parsons '19 won the draw cleanly back to Casey Winslow '21 who let off a quick shot. Margaret Sadak '22 read the play and drove to the net tipping Winslow's shot to put Westminster up 1-0. The goal gave the team much needed momentum late into the game. Just minutes later, Hailey Tullo '22 picked up the puck at center ice and entered the zone wide. Megan Rittenhouse '20 joined the play and drove straight through Choate defenseman to the net. Tullo let a hard shot go from the dot that found its way past Rittenhouse's screen to put the Martlets up 2-0. Choate started the third with urgency that put Westminster on its heels. Goalie Kayla Ireland '22 had to make three consecutive saves to help weather the storm. At the 14-minute mark, Rittenhouse worked to turn the tide as she picked up a puck at center ice and used her speed and strength to beat the defense and slide the puck past the goalie as she cut across the net. This third goal was crucial in helping restore the team’s confidence. Choate did not give up and capitalized on a bad Westminster line change to make it 3-1 with nine minutes left. In the final minutes Choate put the pressure on as it pulled the goalie for the extra skater. Tullo managed to break the puck out and send it flying down the ice into the empty net to make the score 4-1. Overall, it was a great start to the new year.

 

Westminster took the ice for a night game Jan. 12 at Jackson rink. The team was ready to build off the success of the team effort against Choate Jan. 9. Forward Emma Gurnell '21 led the way as she scored the first goal unassisted just two minutes into the game. NMH turned up the tempo and the middle of the first was full of back and forth play. Westminster goalie Mandy Busky '21 came up with some key saves to maintain the Martlet win. With just five minutes remaining in the period, Abby Munger '20 made the most of a power play opportunity by burying a pass from Jill Parsons '19 and Sam DeLeo '21. The second period was more in Westminster’s favor as the team generated solid offensive zone time. Jenny Guider '20 stepped up on a NMH turnover, beat her defenseman and scored to put the team up 3-0. The third period was a bit more back and forth as fatigue set in a bit for the Martlets. Resolved to turn the tide, Megan Rittenhouse '20 helped get the puck deep and would eventually score on a beautiful pass from Hailey Tullo '22 to make the score 4-0. With just one minute left, Tullo notched another goal off a great play from Guider and Nina Ausperger '19 to make it 1 5-0 final for the Martlets. The team worked to stay focused after a long week and long day down at the rink.

 

The return from winter break can be difficult, especially when the break is as long as the recent. Three days of practice just about got the Martlets up to speed, though, it would take about a period against Taft to remind Westminster what it means to play the competitive teams in this league. Westminster was playing down a few key contributors due to injury, and a few boys returned from break sick as well. Taft had already played two games since getting back to school last week and it showed in the first period. The Martlets struggled in their own zone, and took a few penalties as a result, giving Taft a 5-3 power play. Taft took advantage of the opportunity and jumped out to the 1-0 lead. The lead was short-lived. Ned Blanchard ‘20 corralled a puck at the blueline and found Wyatt Pastor ‘20 on the back side to tie it up. The second period was a tricky, with a few turnovers giving Taft the lead. However, Westminster had many opportunities that were stopped by Taft’s netminder. Jordie McKenna ‘19 cut Taft’s lead to one when he stole a puck inside the blueline and beat the goalie with an opportunistic deflection that went over the goalie and found the back of the net. Both teams had chances in the last few minutes, but only Malik Alishlalov ‘20 was able to score after picking up a loose puck in the left faceoff circle and firing it short side high to tie the game up. Neither team was able to capitalize in OT, and the game would end in a tie.

 

 

During the first period, Westminster battled to find the back of the net, peppering the Choate goalie with numerous shots. The Martlets prevailed in the second half with two beautiful goals from Blake Cote '19 and Mary Dutton '20, with an assist from Molly Rubin '22. Ali Hatfield '20 connected with Susie Mahoney '20 to round out the scoring for the game. Westminster defense and Julia Krys '19 played solid throughout the game, only allowing six shots.

 

Westminster hit the road for the first time this season to take on a skilled and determined Williston Northampton team. Late in the first period, Westminster jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Blake Cote ’19 got things started, scoring unassisted on a breakaway. Abby Moss ’20 followed up with an unassisted goal of her own less than a minute later. Assisted by Cote, Susie Mahoney ’20 capped off the first period scoring. Williston Northampton got on the board quickly in the second with a power play goal just 15 seconds into the period. A couple of minutes later, Cote and Mahoney connected again for Westminster’s fourth goal. Williston Northampton, however, battled back, capitalizing on a series of Westminster penalties to score four unanswered goals late in the second and early in the third. Behind for the first time and short-handed again, Natalie Rubin ’19 dug deep to tie things up. With six minutes remaining in the game, Rubin once again skillfully danced her away around several defenders to score. Mahoney followed up two minutes later with a diving shot in front of the net for the game winning goal. Williston Northampton fought hard until the end, and scored with 40 seconds left in the game, but thanks to a strong defensive effort Westminster was able to hold on for the 7-6 win.

 

Alec Paro '19 scored midway through the first period to give the Martlets a 1-0 advantage and then assisted on Carson Roth’s '19 power play goal in the third period to lead Westminster to a 2-1 win over Founders League rival Taft. Paro himself started the play that led to the first goal by winning the puck in the far corner on an aggressive forecheck and making a quick move around the net to feed linemate Hunter Johnson '21 crashing the Taft net; the Rhino keeper turned aside that effort but Paro won the puck again below the goal line before circling up to the face-off circle and firing it near post to get the Martlets on the board. Real credit is due Black & Gold goalie Jack Schroeder '22 in the first period (and throughout the game), who again turned in a stellar performance and turned aside all 13 Taft shots in the opening frame as the Martlets, on the road, got off to a somewhat slow start. Taft evened the score on a shorthanded breakaway goal in the second period when an unfortunately mishandled puck trickled in to center ice to send the game knotted at 1-1 into the third. That period was tightly contested, as the physical play escalated and both teams took their turn in the penalty box. It was on a Westminster power play that Roth pounced on the rebound of a Ben Michaud '22 bullet from the point (who took a nifty cross ice saucer pass from Paro) and banged home the game winner. The Martlets held fast for the final five wild minutes, with Schroeder often seemingly the only cool head on the ice. For the game, Schroeder posted 26 saves; the Martlets generated 24 of their own. Additional credit goes to the hard-working blueliners Alex Tonioni '22, Nate Stevens '21, Wes Oltsch '20 and Rex Flinn '21 who had to hold down the fort — and did so with aplomb — after Michaud left the game with an injury. Flinn, in particular, played a solid game. Also making very solid “thinking man’s hockey” contributions was the line of Will Rizzo '21, David Harris '21 and Newt Cutler '22, who did a great job of winning both bluelines and turning back the Rhinos. The same should be said of the line of Will Mazzaro '21, Wick Carter '19 and Walker Jones '20 (Jones deserves mention for one really smart play late in the first period that blunted a real threat from the home side). All told, a solid team effort in difficult circumstances: after a long layoff, playing a road game at 5 p.m. against a tough opponent is not an easy task.

 

Second Boys’ Hockey welcomed a talented and undefeated (10-0-3) Hillside team to Jackson Rink, losing a spirited battle 0-1 to drop its first game of the 2018-19 campaign. Will Scott '20 turned in a strong performance in net, turning aside 27 of 28 Hillside shots in the loss. For their part, the Martlets generated only 13 shots as they struggled to make plays and find teammates against the hardworking and talented Hillside squad. It didn't help that the Seconds took eight penalties against the Hillsiders' three. That's almost a full period of man-down hockey, always a challenge to overcome. The bottom line: you're not going to win too many hockey games unless you can stay out of the box and do a better job of getting the puck to the net. The Martlets had a few close chances to score the equalizer, particularly in the second period with the puck bouncing around in front of the Hillside net, but were unable to find the handle and finish the play; credit is due the Hillside keeper for posting the shutout. Special mention goes to the line of Will Rizzo '21, David Harris '21 and Newt Cutler '22, who again turned in several good shifts that led to solid scoring chances; they're destined to find the back of the net soon. The short-handed blueline unit also deserves recognition: Nate Stevens '21, Alex Tonioni '22, Wes Oltsch '20, Rex Flinn '21 and Owen Murphy '22 (called up from the farm system for his first Second team game) all played well in front of Scott.

 

A significantly short-handed Seconds Team traveled to Salisbury for its second game in two days, losing to the Knights 1-5. A penalty-strewn affair – with over 18 penalties between the two teams (seven for the Martlets and 11 for the Knights) – the game was a bit choppy and disjointed from the get-go. In truth, the Black and Gold need to do a better job of keeping their heads about them and playing good, smart hockey. Three times while on the power play the Martlets took what only can be described as "selfish" penalties that negated the man-up advantage as the team chased the lead from the opening frame. Salisbury scored first midway through the first period when the Martlets failed to clear a bouncing puck and the Knights knocked in the rebound; they stretched the lead to 2-0 on an odd-man break and a strong shot over the shoulder of Westminster keeper Jack Schroeder '22. The Martlets were able to cut the lead in half on a power play goal late in the first – Alec Paro '19 tipped a strong shot from the point by Nate Stevens '21, who collected a cross-ice pass from Wes Oltsch '20. But the Knights took advantage of another miscue late in the first to regain the two-goal lead and end the period up 1-3. The final two periods were marked by penalty after penalty, as both teams found themselves up a man or frenetically defending their own net. As has been the case, the Martlets struggled to score, though several excellent chances were created by Aidan Petrie '20 (who played a particularly strong game), Will Rizzo '21, Hunter Johnson '21, Carson Roth '19 (a whirling dervish of hard work), Paro and Newt Cutler '22. Also contributing with strong defensive efforts were Will Mazzaro '21, Wick Carter '19 and Walker Jones '20. As has been the case, the thin blue line defensive corps of Stevens, Oltsch, Alex Tonioni '22, Rex Flinn '21 and Owen Murphy '22 logged yeoman hours on Salisbury's big sheet. Goalie Schroeder had to contend with Salisbury's big, aggressive forwards throughout the game who routinely tried to take up residence inside his crease. His hands full, he did make several strong saves. In sum, a frustrating day for a team missing several key players.

 

In the Martlets first game back from break, they faced off against a well-coached Springfield Rifles travel team. After going up 1-0 off an early breakaway finish from Azat Mukhametkulov ’19, the Springfield team fought back in seemingly unending waves, scoring three unanswered rebound goals. The boys from Westminster showed fight however, putting in a rebound of their own off the stick of Theo Vandervoorn ’20. Going into the break down 3-2, the night of heavy scoring was just getting started. After a few more opportunistic bounces going the Rifles’ way, Benno Wurts ’22 found the net himself for his first of the year to keep the team in it. Mere minutes later, Vandervoorn etched himself into the score sheet for his second of the game off an incredible diving effort on a loose puck in front, getting the Westminster team back within shooting distance with momentum heading into the break at 4-6. From there on out, unfortunately, it was all Rifles. Beck Winsor ’21, Owen Murphy ’22, Charlie von Stade ’21 and Finn Gerry ’20 gave interminable efforts through the final whistle. The proverbial game puck goes to goaltender Rich Mugler ’22 for stopping what was likely more than 40 pucks.

 

Jan. 12: Hockey - Third Boys’ 0 vs. Salisbury School 8
The Martlets went out to Salisbury Jan. 12 in what had promised to be a tough matchup against the perennial powerhouse. A back and forth first period saw the short-handed Westminster squad not as overmatched as many would have thought, yet despite several powerplays, and a myriad of substantial chances, the boys could not seem to get it past the strong Salisbury defense and goalkeeper. As the game went on, however, the boys seemed to wear down against the almost relentless Salisbury forecheck, and despite another outstanding performance by Third Form goalie Rich Mugler '22, the boys from Salisbury were able to capitalize against the tired Martlet legs and build a sizable lead.

 

The girls dominated their less experienced opponents from Suffield, dropping only one game in the nine contests, including exhibitions. It was a good start to the new year.

 

 

Westminster opened the new year at home versus Founders rival Kingswood Oxford. The score did not convey how close the match was. The Martlets won two matches in five games. Had those swung to KO, the match would have been 3-4 the other way. Co-captains Khalil Walker '19 and Nate Swift '19 were the victors in those two swing matches. After co-captain Nate Londal '19 and No. 6 Sam Pagon '21 split matches in the first round, it wasn't clear which team would emerge with the edge. Walker fought back from a 1-2 deficit and put The Black and Gold squarely in the lead. Londal hung on for a 3-0 victory with a gritty 13-11 win in game three. In the second round, Alex Unruh '22 and Ethan Na '19 won in three games. Na was particularly efficient with many volley drops down into the nick. The most exciting match of round two, however, was Swift's. He led 2-0 and then was tied 2-2 before taking game five with a dominant display of hustle and determination. Swift moved as his name would suggest and played with a tactical sophistication heretofore unseen in his game. After the fifth game, he seemed to float off the court.

 

Fresh off a win versus Kingswood Oxford, the Martlets took to the home courts for a match against Founders League rival Kent. The match was close from start to finish and lasted close to two hours. Co-captain Khalil Walker '19 continued to impress, notching another five-game win at No. 2. Co-captain Nate Swift '19 earned his second straight victory with a 3-1 win, 12-10 in the fourth. Swift has taken his game up a level in both intensity and tactical awareness. Co-captain Nate Londal '19 was so close to making it a sweep in the first round. He was up 10-7 in game two and had game balls in game three, losing both in oversets. Coach Peter Doucette was imagining Londal up 2-1, even though the score was 0-3. Just a four point swing kept Kent from trailing 0-3. Sam Pagon '21 came out with great intensity taking the first game, but that was all he could manage. Ethan Na '19 took major control of his match with an 11-3 win in game four and then lost the thread in game five. His kill shots keep improving but he couldn't pull this one out. After Sean Gregg '22 had lost at No. 3, Na's loss sealed the match for Kent before No. 1 Alex Unruh '22 could finish his match. Unruh played great squash and had game balls to take his match to five games before suffering his first loss of the season. Kent played well and earned the win with spirited play up and down the ladder.

 

After the earlier defeat against Kent, Westminster rested for an hour while Kent fell to Hopkins. This match was not close. Hopkins showed superior skills up and down the ladder. Ethan Na '19 earned seven points twice as did co-captain Nate Londal '19. Alex Unruh '22 was the only other player to surpass seven. Unruh did it in each game. He lost in a tiebreaker in game one and was leading 8-5 in game three before losing 9-11. Unruh hit some great cross-court nicks and competed well but still couldn't quite manage to get a game. Coach Peter Doucette was pleased with the gracious and tenacious play of the boys. They competed hard and enjoyed the challenge of playing strong players.

 

Westminster improved to 3-1 on the season with 3-0 wins by Olivia Zhang '20, Clara Ekholm '20, Anna Veber '21, Elaina Comia '19 and Daniela Mays-Sanchez '20. Martina Daniele '19 also swept her opponent in exhibition play. Meanwhile, Lauren Way '20 fought illness and overcame a 2-1 deficit to defeat her opponent in a thrilling five setter, 3-2. Celia Sotirhos '21 reeled off five consecutive points in the final game to outlast her opponent 3-2 at No. 8. Sasha van Vredenburch '21 came storming back to win 3-1 after dropping the first game.

 

Westminster made a clean sweep of the Jan. 10 tilt with local rival Kingswood Oxford. The Martlets won 30 of the 31 games played as they dominated at every ladder position. Westminster improves to 4-1 on the season.

 

The Martlets, down to only seven players because of illness and injury, made the long trek to Salisbury on a cold gray afternoon to face the Scarlet Knights and came away with a 7-0 victory. Westminster won at Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 in straight games. At No. 4, Ral Reyes '21 rebounded after losing a close first game to defeat his opponent in four games, while Zach Eckerson '21 split the first four games of his match before claiming victory in an extra-point fifth game. Coach Michael Cervas awarded the "nail" to Ian Lee '21 for his domineering victory, a match in which he surrendered only seven points total in three games. 

Still missing two players in the middle of the ladder, the Martlets lost to a good Kent squad 2-6. Quoc Truong '20 battled back from a 0-2 deficit at No. 6 to win games three and four at seven and three before running out of gas in the fifth game. Mac Dye '20 also found himself in a five-gamer at No. 3, but he was able to win the final two games by the thinnest of margins, 11-9 and 12-10. Finally, Peter Miller '22 played solid squash in defeating his opponent 9, 5, (10), 2 at No. 2. Scott Lee '20 battled gamely at No. 1 but fell in four close games.

 

Although many of the matches were incredibly close, Third Girls’ Squash achieved a convincing 6-1 victory over Williston. Michelle Kim '20 had to fight for every point in order to earn her 3-1 victory. Nina Ahl '22, Jacq Autorino '20, Eliza Breen '22, Olivia Goldstuck '21, Georgia Nolan '20 and Solveig Nycander '20 all played well and emerged victorious.

 

Westminster Girls Defeats Taft in a Clean Sweep

Third Girls' Squash earned a decisive victory over the Taft Rhino's on a chilly Saturday afternoon. Each player gave it her all and each player emerged victorious.

 

The Westminster boys gave it their best shot against a very strong JV squad from Kingswood-Oxford. Every player, from No. 1 through No. 13, fought hard and played with intensity, but in the end, was simply outmatched. The Martlets were hoping to win one for former Wyvern, Sung Min Cho '22, who was facing his old teammates, but they couldn’t come up with the victory. After losing the first game, Cho battled back in the second, narrowly losing by two points. Johnny Van Leuven '22 had a similar outcome, losing his second game 12-10. Overall, it was a learning experience for the team, one that will only better prepare each player.

 

For the second consecutive match, Westminster met up with a formidable opponent and was unable to win a single match. Jonah Prentiss '22 came the closest, going up two games to one, only to lose the match in five games. Shane Wahlberg '19, new to squash this year, continued his improved playing, coming back to win the third game and narrowly dropping the fourth by the slimmest margin. The squad hopes to rebound.

 

The Martlets swam fast and dived nicely in their first home meet of the 2018-19 season. Westminster welcomed both Kent and Ethel Walker to Hibbard Pool to compete in a triple dual meet. The meet began with an exciting race in the 200 medley relay, in which Anne Brewer '21, Dorka Nagy '19, Katherine Ashe '21 and co-captain Alex Wolf '19 executed a come-from-behind victory over Kent, with Wolf reeling in and passing her counterpart in the final leg. Co-captain Alex Lin '19 won the 200 freestyle with a great swim, and newcomer Ellie Thorson '21 took the top spot in the 50 freestyle, with Wolf in second. Cecilia Raymond '20 and Jane Ogden '19 went 1-2 in the diving event, and Ashe followed up with a victory in the 100 fly. Lin won the 100 freestyle, with Wolf in third and Ashe took third in the 500 freestyle. Lin, Thorson, Nagy and Wolf teamed up for a win in the 200 freestyle relay, and Nagy placed second in the 100 breaststroke, with Angelesia Ma in third. Westminster rounded out its sweep of the relays as Ashe, Sophia Coumantaros '21, Thorson and Lin brought home the win in the 400 freestyle relay. The girls put together some impressive swims after just a week of training, and they look to improve.

 

Co-captain Matt Norris '19 brought his game to a new level Jan. 12, dropping seven seconds off his already fast 500 freestyle time in an early-season meet as he cruised to victory. He also won the 100 fly with his second-fastest time ever. His swims energized his teammates but could not seal the win for the Martlets, who lost their first meet of the season to Kent, 98-80. The afternoon began with a thrilling race in the 200 medley relay, led by Max Larock '22, Eddie Shin '21, Norris and Jason Shi '21, who touched out Kent with a fine collection of relay splits. Larock then won the 200 freestyle, with co-captain Emmett de Kanter '19 passing a Kent swimmer in the final lap to take third. Hudson Stedman '21 pulled ahead of two Kent swimmers in the final 50 of the 200 IM to take second with a fast time, and Shi — whose twin brother swims on the Kent team — won the 50 freestyle. The Martlets led by four points at the diving break, but Kent's divers pulled ahead with a 1-2 finish and the Lions held the lead for good. Norris won the fly, Shi took third in the 100 freestyle and Norris won the 500 with Kieran Haug '21 in third, and the 200 freestyle relay team of Grant McCargo '21, Shin, Liam Seeley '20 and de Kanter placed third. Larock won the 100 back, with Stedman in third and Shin swam a lifetime best to take third in the 100 breast. The meet's final race ended in a win for the Martlets as Stedman, Norris, Shi and Larock teamed up to win the 400 freestyle relay with speedy splits. It was an exciting afternoon that featured many fast swims and close races, but in the end Kent's depth proved too much for the Martlets, who fell to 1-1 in the dual meet season.