Winter Sports Highlights 12.9.19

In the final preseason game, the Martlets came up short to a disciplined St. Luke's ballclub. The Martlets grabbed the momentum early but St. Luke's continued to battle throughout the first half. At the half, St. Luke's led by two; the score was 35-33. The Martlets started a little slow and the opposition took advantage by getting to the line. In the closing minutes of the game, the Martlets battled hard to cut the lead to three. However, St. Luke's sealed a close game with free throws. Chris Robinson '20 led the Martlets with 24 points, six rebounds, six assists and seven steals. Teddy Mangiarotti '21 also had 19 points and four rebounds. Gabe Charleston '21 chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds.

 

The Martlets opened the season with a tough loss to Kingswood Oxford. The first half was back and forth and KO lead by five going into the half. The score was 21-26. Gabe Charleston '21 led the Martlets with 14 points and three blocks. KO opened up the second half with more intensity, which happened to be the turning point in the game. However, it was good to see Wylie Clarke '21, Joe Walsh '20 and Kellen Seeley '22 all play tough defense throughout the game.

 

In their first game of the season, a young Westminster squad turned the ball over too much, not so much because of Kingswood's strong defense but rather from their own sloppy doing. They were also outmatched on the boards, giving two and often three chances to Kingswood every possession. The Martlets trailed significantly after the first half but put together more of a complete second half, outscoring the Wyverns 25-24. The defense tightened up and the offense started moving the ball around more liberally, showing some hope for a better overall result next game. Baker Morton '22 finished with 15 points and a couple of steals, Matt Greggains '23 contributed six points and Josh Mason '23 put up five points. Mason showed plenty of upside as a gritty ballplayer who will do anything to win possession for the black and gold.

 

Third Boys’ Basketball played Eaglebrook in a close game from start to finish. The Martlets soared to an early lead over the Eagles with a basket by Lawrence Taylor ’23. With some back and forth baskets, the team extended its lead thanks to a pair of early three pointers, including one from Junyoung Bak ’22. The Martlets would hold on to their lead through the first half and well into the second half with solid defense. The Eagles fought back, and with a late-game, corner three pointer, took the lead; Westminster fought hard in the last minutes, but the Eagles held out and the game concluded at 28 to 31.

 

Westminster traveled north to NMH for the opening game of the regular season. The team was ready to get going after a good showing against DA at home Dec. 4, and anticipation was palpable. However, the Martlets started a little slow, lacking the same jump and sense of urgency they had Wednesday. Bennett Ostern ‘21 started in net for the Martlets, and he would play a strong game between the pipes coming up with 23 saves on the day, most of them in the first period. NMH had Westminster on its heels in the opening frame, and was able to capitalize on a broken play and breakaway midway through the first period. From there, the Martlets carried the play, but they were unable to break through when NMH packed the front of its net. With 37 shots on net, the story of the game was NMH’s goaltender, who came up with timely saves to keep his team ahead by one. The second and third periods saw greater urgency from Westminster, and a higher compete level, something the team will need moving forward.

 

First Girls’ Hockey made the trip up to St. Mark’s Dec. 4 for the first game of the season. Physical and fast-paced from the beginning, the Martlets worked to find their rhythm. Despite some good team play in the offensive end, the team went down 2-0 by half-way through the second period. Ever resilient, the girls looked to each other to climb their way back in. Dynamic defensive play by Sam DeLeo ’21 helped generate some offense as all the forwards clamored to get to the net. Finally, with just two minutes left in the second, Megan Rittenhouse ’20 broke free and entered the zone beating the defenseman and finding herself one-on-one with the goalie. Rittenhouse shot the puck top corner to get the Martlets on the board. The start of the third period belonged solely to Westminster as the team cut off breakout passes and maintained possession of the puck in the offensive end. In an incredible one-on-one battle to break the puck out, Hailey Tullo ’22 out muscled her opponent down the ice and shot the puck far corner to tie the game at 2-2 with nine minutes left. From there, Westminster had incredible chances as it hit posts and sent tips just wide of the net. Goalie Mandy Busky ’21 worked hard to keep her team within reach of the win. Unfortunately, a penalty resulted from a battle in the corner and St. Mark’s was able to pull away with a power play goal with just one minute left. Westminster did not get the result it wanted, but the team demonstrated a level of grit and commitment that will certainly serve it well in the season ahead.

 

Westminster took the ice in its first home game against Hill School from Pennsylvania. The Martlets were excited to build on the good momentum from Dec. 4. The first period was back and forth as both teams tried to maintain pressure in the offensive end. Westminster forwards executed their forecheck perfectly, taking good angles and causing turnovers. While they couldn't transfer on a goal, it was a consistent period. The team took control in the first minutes of the second period as defenseman Sam DeLeo '21 intercepted a puck at center ice and went in one-on-one to send a top shelf shot over the shoulder of the Hill goalie. Just 90 seconds later, Casey Winslow '21 came through the neutral zone with speed and entered the offensive end wide. Winslow saw defenseman Abby Munger '20 jump in the play and sent a perfect pass across the top of the zone. Munger's shot hit the post, but Taylor Adams '20 swooped right in to bury the rebound and to put the Martlets up 2-0. Hill pushed back in the final minutes of the second period, but Westminster goalie Kayla Ireland '22 kept her team in it with some outstanding saves. The third period was back and forth yet again as Hill pressed the play. Westminster had to kill some penalties and thanks to some shot blocks by Jenny Guider '20, the Martlets kept the lead for the first half of the period. Hill would not be denied in even strength and snuck a goal in with just six minutes left. Westminster buckled down and kept things simple and in a simple, but beautiful play, Munger sent a lofting puck into the neutral zone to a cutting Hailey Tullo '22 who slide the puck into the empty net, securing the Westminster win with just 30 seconds left. It was a great team win as the players relied on their grit and grace till the final buzzer.

 

The Seconds hosted a very talented Eaglebrook team at Jackson Rink to open the 2019-2020 season. The undefeated visitors were playing their seventh game of the season while the home team was wearing their black and gold sweaters for the first time this winter — and it showed. Eaglebrook played with real confidence and speed, and were it not for the terrific play of Martlet netminder Will Scott '20, the result could have been more heavily in Eaglebrook’s favor. Scott had 26 saves on the night, many of them spectacular, and deserves full credit for giving his team a chance until the final whistle. For their part, the Seconds could only muster 15 shots, and while several were dangerous scoring opportunities, the Eaglebrook keeper was equal to the task in a well-deserved shutout. Eaglebrook had two power-play goals on its side of the scoresheet, including its second goal of the evening midway through the second period after an attempt by a Westminster defensemen to pass behind the home net to his partner hit a stanchion and bounced directly in front of the Martlet net for an easy tap-in goal. Up until that point, the Seconds, led by Scott, had withstood the Eaglebrook attack and was slowly gaining its sea legs. That unlucky bounce energized the visitors and deflated the Martlets and it took until the third period for Westminster to regain some momentum. Pressing hard through the waning minutes to no avail, the Seconds yielded a final, fourth goal at the game-ending buzzer on another odd bounce that led to a partial Eaglebrook breakaway. Overall, lots to take away from the game for the Seconds, and the team will have to rally quickly: the always-tough Cardigan Cougars will face off against the Seconds tomorrow at Jackson Rink, and then the team will have its third game in four days Monday against the Connecticut Huskies. The coaches were busy taking notes, and are confident that this hard-working, earnest group can make real progress as the season unfolds.

 

Playing their second game in as many days, the Seconds welcomed Cardigan Mountain to Jackson Rink for a late afternoon tilt. The always strong Cougars, having played several games already, were certainly firing on all cylinders and set the pace from the opening faceoff. But the Martlets battled hard, keeping the game close at 0-1 into the second period. Goalie Will Scott '20 was again a rock between the pipes, turning aside several quality Cardigan shots. A rash of penalties, however, hobbled the Martlets as the Cougars scored a pair of power-play goals to stretch it lead to 0-3. Owen Kaplan '22 put the black and gold on the board with a strong individual effort, picking up the puck in center ice and weaving through several Cougars before beating the Cardigan keeper under the crossbar. After a fourth Cardigan goal, Kaplan netted his second on a power-play after a neat move and perfect pass out of the corner from Newt Cutler '22 to pull the Martlets to 2-4 to end the second period. Unfortunately, the Martlets were clearly feeling the tired legs brought on by playing two tough opponents back-to-back so early in the season and could not match Cardigan's intensity in the final stanza. After an early Cardigan tally, Xander Cardia '21 made it 3-5 when he ripped home a wrist shot created by a nifty combination play involving assists from linemates Will Mazzaro '21 and Willie Noble '20. But with little left in the tank, Westminster conceded three goals in the final five minutes, and the game ended with the home side down 3-8. All credit is due this talented Cardigan team, who played a fast, skilled and well-coached game. The coaches are pleased with the team’s improvement, and will look to build on that as we move forward.

 

 

The top eight boys on the Westminster squash ladder won 10 matches in all in a late afternoon match up at Salisbury. Sixth Formers Travis Paulsen and Gus Hartmann played twice so that each of the 10 Salisbury players could get a match. Every match went 3-0 to the Martlets with the exception of the No. 4 match where the Salisbury player won the second game against Scott Lee '20 in a tiebreaker. Jack Turvey '20 and Alex Unruh '22 led the way at the top allowing the fewest points against. Captain Mac Dye '20, Peter Miller '22 and George Hartmann '23 were the other winners.

 

First Girls’ Squash opened its season with a 6-1 win over visiting Loomis. Five of the six wins were three games to none, with particularly dominant performances turned in by girls making their First Team debuts — Clara Ekholm '20 at No. 6 (0, 1, 7); Lauren Way '20 at No. 5 (8, 4, 4); and Nicole Smith '23 at No. 2 (2, 3, 0). Returner Ellie Bailey '21 patiently, but ruthlessly, took down a determined defender 3, 10, 7 at No. 1. Captain Rebecca Sargent '20 combined added timely defending to a steady application of pressure to earn an impressive win at No. 3 (7, 10, 6). The remaining two matches saw inspiring comebacks for the Martlets. At No. 4, Eve Cathcart '20 made some great adjustments and leveraged her court coverage and aggressive volleying for an exciting five game win ((3), (9), 10, 3, 7) that turned out to provide the fourth and decisive point. At No. 7, Gemma Green '21 also found herself in an 0-2 hole in her first Westminster squash match. Her strategy of relentlessly hitting deep drives allowed her to roar back with games of 11-1 and 11-2 to even the score. The fact that her comeback fell short doesn't detract from the promise suggested by her performance. Also promising was the 3-0 win (3, 5, 5) earned by Shelby Oken '22 in her exhibition match. This team figures to get better and better.

 

Second Boys' Squash defeated Suffield Academy 6-2 to open the 2019-2020 season. The Tigers were stronger at the top of the ladder, taking two of the top three matches, but the Martlets controlled the bottom five matches, only losing two games total. Cooper Organ '21 and Jay Henry '23 came up from the Third Team to fill in for two missing JV players, and both of them won their matches. William Mell '21, Gabriel Lugo '23 and Charlie Pappas '22 all had great starts to their JV squash careers. The "nail" goes to Charlie von Stade '21, who returned to squash after a four-year hiatus and played outstanding squash to defeat at very talented Suffield No. 1 in five games, 10, 7, (8), (11), and 6.

  

The Martlets opened the 2019-2020 squash season with two wins over solid opponents. Against Taft, Westminster dropped matches at Nos. 1-3, but swept 4-9 en route to a gritty 4-3 win. Strong performances were turned in by Wheatley Sutro '22, Diana Tsibikova '21, Sasha van Vredenburch '21, Elise Strawbridge '22, Kristina Oganyan '22 and Sofia Daniele '22. Sutro won in four games, Tsibikova in five games while van Vredenburch, Oganyan and Daniele won in three. The Loomis matchup while one-sided, saw some excellent matchups. Georgia Nolan '20 playing No. 1 for the first time, came roaring back from two games down to prevail 11-9 in the fifth game. Daniela Mays-Sanchez ’20 also won at No. 2.

 

Westminster opened its season against arguably its toughest opponent, a talented and deep Eaglebrook team. Playing at No. 5 and 7 respectively, John Clofine '21 and Matthew Westlake '22 each took a game from their opponent, eventually losing the match in four. Peter Barrett '22 played smart and gritty squash against a worthy foe, with numerous extended rallies that had both coaches take notice. Meanwhile, Hewitt Shelton '23, Alex Shao '22, Teddy Feroleto '22 and Jerry Wang '22 all battled hard in their debut squash matches.

 

Westminster Boys' Swimming/Diving kicked off the 2019-2020 season with a convincing win over the visiting Dragons from St. George's, led by impressive performances from its veterans and a bundle of nice surprises from many newcomers who made their presence known. The meet began with big win in the 200 medley relay, swum by Max Larock '22, Eddie Shin '21, Jason Shi '21 and Layton Harmon '21; they finished just 0.64 seconds short of a school record. Larock then won the 200 freestyle with Kieran Haug '21 taking second, and co-captain Hudson Stedman '21 won the 200 IM, with J-C Lane '21 in third and a particularly strong race from Mason Zottolla '23 in his first individual race as a Martlet. Harmon and Shi sprinted to a 1-2 finish in the 50 freestyle, although in the final yards of the race Shi suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the meet. Leo Kolomeiskii '21 beat out two challengers from St. George's in the diving event to take the top spot, and Justin Shi '21 and co-captain Daniel Pinckney '20 placed second and third in the 100 fly, respectively. Harmon won the 100 freestyle, with Alvin Zhang '23 in second, and Stedman won the 500 freestyle with a solid swim. Also in the 500 was Spence Kwan '22, who, in his first meet for the black and gold, tackled the longest event in the program and had a fantastic, gritty swim, good for third place. In the 200 freestyle relay, Owen Huang '23, Justin Shi, Zhang and Shin placed second, while Jamai Miller '22, Pinckney, Grant McCargo '21 and Kwan placed third. Larock won the 100 backstroke with a quick time, with Haug and Lane in third and fourth, respectively, and another fast swim from Zottolla in his debut. Shin and Zhang went 1-2 in the 100 breaststroke, respectively, both with very good times, and the 400 freestyle relay team of Stedman, Harmon, Justin Shi and Larock put the icing on the win with a strong showing in the meet's final event. The boys looked great in their season opener, revealing not only good veteran performers at the top, but also impressive depth from many new athletes who got their first taste of racing in black and gold. Well done!

 

Lucy Benoit '23 and co-captain Cece Raymond '20 put their names on the wall with school record performances in the 200 IM and diving, respectively. In her first individual swim as a Martlet, Benoit took the top spot in the IM at 2:12.54, eclipsing the previous school record of 2:14.25, held by Michelle Herd '01 since 2000. Minutes later, Raymond nailed her final of six dives to set a new school record of 226.35, besting her former teammate Jane Ogden's '19 score of 223.50, set in 2017. This meet was an impressive opener for the Martlets — a debut for many new swimmers and divers that resulted in a convincing win over the visiting Dragons, 95-83. The meet began with a first place finish from Benoit, co-captain Angelesia Ma '20, Katherine Ashe '21 and Ellie Thorson '21, in the 200 medley relay, followed by a strong showing from Ashe in the 200 free (second place). Benoit won the 200 IM, with Ma in third and Annie Brewer '21 in fourth, and Thorson, Campbell Swift '21, and India Lalor '21 finished second, third and fourth, respectively, in the 50 freestyle. Raymond, Ola Szopa '20 and Riley Vincent '23 swept the top three places in the diving event, and Ashe won the 100 fly with a best-ever in-season time. Thorson, Margaret Breen '23 and Simonne Ponce '21 finished second, third and fourth, respectively, in the 100 freestyle, and Brewer and Sydney Schuster '21 finished second and third in the 500 free. Ma, Lalor, Ponce and Janessa Yan '22 won the 200 free relay, with Isabel O’Connell '20, Schuster, Charlotte Trafelet '23, and Michelle Wu '21 taking third place. Benoit then won the 100 backstroke, with Swift taking third, and Ma, Breen and Yan, went 1-2-3 in the 100 breast, respectively. In the final event, Ashe, Yan, Thorson and Benoit teamed up for a second place finish in the 400 freestyle relay to secure the team victory. Overall, it was a great day for both veteran Westminster swimmers and divers and for many first-timers. Many newcomers stepped into their events — and, in some cases, overcame some nerves — and performed beautifully in their first meet for the black and gold. A great start to what is sure to be an exciting season!