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Winter Sports Highlights 2.27.17

Basketball-First Girls'
Feb. 22: Basketball-First Girls’ 40 vs Deerfield Academy 58
Westminster succumbed to Deerfield’s pressure defense in the first half and got down early. Westminster played much better in the second half, and the team’s reserves made a nice run late in the game. Jaclyn Laplante '20 scored six points and rebounded and defended well; McKenzie Roller '20 played stifling defense and provided excellent leadership; Emma Alpaugh '18 showed tremendous hustle and grabbed 10 rebounds; and Sophie Tawney '17 scored a career-high 14 points to lead the offense.
 
Feb. 25: Basketball-First Girls’ 35 vs Pomfret School 53
Westminster got down early and went into halftime trailing by 20, but the team rallied in the second half and actually outscored Pomfret by five. Bethany Winters ’20 scored eight, and Emma Alpaugh ’18 again showed tremendous hustle, but it's fitting that the departing Sixth Formers, Sophie Tawney ’17 and McKenna Burelle ‘17, combined to lead Westminster in scoring. The team appreciates everything the Sixth Formers have done for the team over the past four years, and they will be missed. Thanks to all the parents and players for their effort, support and commitment through a challenging year.
 
Basketball-First Boys'
Feb. 22: Basketball-First Boys’ 62 vs Williston Northampton School 76
Feb. 25: Basketball-First Boys’ 56 vs Taft School 65
 
Basketball-Second Girls'
The girls finished their season undefeated!
Feb. 22: Basketball-Second Girls’ 32 vs Deerfield Academy 19
Feb. 25: Basketball-Second Girls’ 49 vs Pomfret School 38
 
Basketball-Second Boys'
Feb. 22: Basketball-Second Boys’ 46 vs Williston Northampton School 43
Feb. 25: Basketball-Second Boys’ 38 vs Taft School 60
 
Basketball-Third Boys'
Feb. 22: Basketball-Third Boys’ 48 vs Salisbury School 63
 
Hockey-First Girls'
Feb. 22: Hockey-First Girls’ 2 vs Lawrenceville School 1
 
Feb. 25: Hockey-First Girls’ 3 vs Kent School 5
Westminster finished its season off with one of its best games yet. Westminster came out fighting hard from the start, earning two breakaways in the first 10 minutes of play. Jill Parsons '19 was able to break away from two defenders to gain a breakaway and beat the goalie blocker side to put Westminster on the board first. Senior captain Lily von Stade '17 added a second tally to the Westminster side with a power play goal just minutes later, assisted by Taylor Adams '20 and Ashlee White '18. Kent was able to tie the score at two to round out the first period and was able to continue its scoring streak throughout the second period leaving the score at 4-2 entering the third. Westminster did not give up. Every player continued to skate hard and fight for every loose puck, leading to another goal late in the third by Adams. Unfortunately, the late surge was not enough to lift Westminster over the strong Kent offense, but it was an unbelievable game, particularly for our Sixth Formers Mackenzie Griffith '17, von Stade, Cynnie White '17, Madie Bologa '17, Leah Klassen '17 and Lauren Ferraiuolo '17.   
 
Hockey-First Boys'
Feb. 20: Hockey-First Boys’ 3 vs Kent School 0
The boys showed up to play on Feb. 20 at Kent. From the first puck drop, the Martlets swarmed the puck and dominated the pace of the game. Kai Edmonds ‘19 continued his strong performances with a shutout, making several spectacular saves along the way. Westminster outshot Kent 39-19. Tasso Housakos ‘18 scored first on the power play, and Sam Knowlton ‘17 followed up with a goal in the second period. The final tally came late in the third on another power play.
 
Feb. 22: Hockey-First Boys’ 0 vs Gunnery School 2
In their seventh game in two weeks, the Martlets struggled to mount significant offensive pressure until late in the third period. Gunnery was quick and physical, and used the small rink to swarm pucks and take away time and space. For two periods Westminster weathered the storm, but Gunnery was able to notch two goals. It looked like the Martlets earned one back, but traffic in front prevented vision of the puck in the net. In the third period Westminster found a little bit of a groove. Stellar play from the Gunnery goaltender kept Westminster off the board, and penalties late in the third prevented any comeback. Kai Edmonds ‘19 had another strong showing. Deerfield next.
 
Feb. 25: Hockey-First Boys’ 3 vs Deerfield Academy 1
The boys ended a good season with a convincing win over Deerfield on Feb. 25. In a rematch against a team that took a game from the Martlets earlier in the season, the Sixth Formers on Westminster took charge of the game and earned a win. Deerfield was physical from the get-go, but Westminster stood strong and did its best to avoid undisciplined penalties. It was a tough game from start to finish, but the Martlets found the edge and defeated the Big Green. Jack Flanagan ‘17 scored a highlight-reel goal off some tic-tac-toe passing from Cam Scott ‘18 and Ryan Doolin ‘18. Deerfield evened the game in the second period on a screened shot from the point that caught Kai Edmonds ‘19 off guard. John Hunt ‘17 scored the first of his two goals on the day on the power play off an excellent feed from Cal LeClair ‘17. His second sealed the deal late in the third off a feed from Doolin. Edmonds had another great game, and earned a win for his team. Thanks for the great leadership and play from Sixth Formers Jay Powell, Jake Kirby, PJ Roy, LeClair, Flanagan, Sam Knowlton, Peter Horsfall, Logan Hinton, Hunt and Alec Costanza. Good luck next year, and Westminster looks forward to seeing you in the rink again soon.
 
Hockey-Second Girls'
Feb. 22: Hockey-Second Girls’ 6 vs Pomfret School 1
Feb. 25: Hockey-Second Girls’ 3 vs Kent School 10
 
Hockey-Second Boys'
Feb. 22: Hockey-Second Boys’ 1 vs Avon Old Farms School 2 (OT)
Second Boys’ Hockey completed its home-and-away season series by hosting the Winged Beavers of Avon. Unlike the first contest which was more of a wide open affair, this game was very tightly played with both teams giving it their all. Unfortunately, Avon avenged their 4-3 loss at home with a hard-fought 2-1 victory in OT. The Martlets opened the scoring with three minutes remaining in the first period, when Walker Stevens '19 and Jack Griffith '17 combined to get two shots on net with Max Powers '17 eventually banging in the rebound. The visitors tied the game just two minutes later on a delayed penalty call against Westminster and some rare soft defense. Despite both sides generating some promising offensive chances during the next two periods of play, neither goaltender would allow any additional scoring. It was fitting that this very even game would go to overtime. Sadly, at the one minute mark in OT, Avon got a couple of whacks at a loose puck in front of the Martlet net, producing the game-winning goal, handing Westminster its second loss of the season. It was a tough way to lose this excellent hockey game on Senior Day. Westminster's Alex Gadowski '18 made 22 saves while the Avon Old Farms counterpart kicked out 21. This was the final home game for 11 Martlet Sixth Formers.
 
Feb. 25: Hockey-Second Boys’ 4 vs Deerfield Academy 0
Second Boys’ Hockey took to the road for its final tilt of the season against a 15-3-1 Deerfield team and came home with a very satisfying 4-0 shutout win. Late in the first period, Darion Benchich '20 found the back of the net by camping out off the opponent's left goalpost. Benchich received a pretty cross-crease pass from Max Powers ’17 and indirectly from Jack Griffith '17. Four minutes into the second period, with Westminster on the power play, Charlie Flam '20 and Quinn Armstrong '20 maneuvered the puck into the Deerfield crease and line-mate Wyatt Pastor '20 banged it home for a 2-0 lead. Just over a minute later, Jeffrey Guiliano '17 scored from the slot after collecting a tape-to-tape pass from Conor Brennan ’17 and Jake Szykowny ‘17. With two minutes remaining in the game, the Martlets scored the final goal of the afternoon and cemented the win when Brendan Jacobs ’17 made a pretty toe-drag move and fired the puck past the Deerfield net-minder. Griffith and Szykowny earned assists on the play. Everyone on the team contributed to this fine shutout victory by staying disciplined and moving the puck. The Martlets played good team defense as well and netminder, Spencer Rellinger '17, came up big when needed, particularly while his team was finding its legs early in the first period. A shout-out to Westminster's defensive core of Merlin Ennis ‘17, Walker Stevens ‘19, Tim Harris ‘17, Arthur Renehan ’17 and Szykowny who played the whole game undermanned but got stronger as the game wore on. Westminster hockey is going to miss this special group of Sixth Formers -- Ennis, Harris, Renehan, Szykowny, Ken Mazzaro ‘17, Jacobs, Guiliano, Rellinger, assistant captains Brennan and Powers, and captain Griffith. The coaches would like to thank all the Sixth Formers for their commitment, loyalty, character and work ethic during their careers. Special mention goes to the two members of the "four-year club," Griffith and Powers, who helped their teams earn a 47-17-10 record during their four-year stint, as well as, combining for 49 points in this season. Finally, a big thank you to all the parents and family members who supported the team both this year and in the past. Westminster ended the season with a stellar 15-2-1 record. 
   
Hockey-Third Boys’ 
Feb. 25: Hockey-Third Boys’ 4 vs Taft School 4
 
Squash-First Girls'
Feb. 22: Squash-First Girls’ 2 vs Taft School 5
The girls finished their regular season with a 5-2 loss at Taft. The wins came at the top of the ladder and the bottom. Abby Leblanc '17 completed her fourth and final season on the first team with a 16-3 record after winning a five-gamer at #1. She jumped out to a commanding two game lead (5, 6), but her opponent managed to scrape out a pair of 11-9 wins in games three and four before Leblanc put the hammer down with a ferocious 11-2 win in the fifth. Rebecca Sargent '20 got the other win in four at #7. She dropped a tight first game, but took control in the next two with a nice combination of defense and timely, clever attacking. She finished it off with grit, taking the fourth game 15-13. The rest of the ladder all went down in three, but not without displaying the fight they will bring to New Englands this weekend.
 
Feb. 25-26: First Girls' Squash at New Englands
The girls had a good first day at New Englands. Everyone won at least once and four girls won twice. Two will be playing in the semifinals hoping to compete for the championship of their flight in the afternoon, while the remaining players will be vying for either 5th-8th place or 9th-12th (out of 16). 
 
The girls had a successful weekend at the New England B tournament. Lucy Noel '18 played some of her best squash of the season, securing fourth place in the #7 draw on the strength of two wins on Feb. 25. Dora Mitchel '17 finished her Westminster career with three wins versus two losses to take seventh place at #6. Caroline Kelter '19 powered her way to two wins on Feb. 26 to earn fifth place at #5. Caroline Miller '18 had two five-game wins – both come-from-behind – on the way to tenth place at #4. Katie Kosior '18 won twice on Feb. 26, placing ninth at #3. Caroline Percival '19 won her second five-gamer of the weekend on Feb. 26 to secure eleventh place at #2. Captain Abby Leblanc ‘17 earned the best finish of the weekend. Three consecutive wins got her into the final in the #1 draw, where she took the top seed to five games by playing sublime squash, only to come up on the short end of a coin-flip type result – 11-9 in the fifth. The results placed the team in eighth place, just four points out of sixth.

Squash-First Boys'
Feb. 22: Squash-First Boys’ 1 vs Taft School 6

Feb. 25-26: First Boys' Squash at New Englands

The story of this tournament is a great one. Coming off of the class B Championship last year, this year's team had only two returning players, #2 captain Will Leathers ’17 and All-American #1 Aly Tolba ‘18. The rest of the ladder was populated with boys from last year's Second and even Third teams. This season had all of the markings of a rebuilding year. However, the boys had other ideas. Ranked sixth (of 16) in class B at the start of the tournament, Westminster finished third. Four players placed, including Andrew Doucette ’18 fourth at #3, Riley Wood ’19 fourth at #7, Chanler Miller ’18 third at #4, and Tolba first at #1. Three regular season losses to Berkshire (3-4), Trinity-Pawling (1-6), and Loomis Chaffee (3-4) were reversed with the team easily surpassing Berkshire and TP and tying Loomis. Led by Tolba, who was affectionately called No-Bagel at times because he kept the team from suffering any 0-7 defeats (called bagels), and fiery captain Leathers, who competed best when his back was against the wall, the team showed lots of grit and grace this weekend. Wood surpassed his seed by beating the Rye Country Day #7 in a five-game match, a signature for Wood, whose speed and touch make him formidable. Ryan played his singular best game of the season in his last game, learning to believe in himself and giving great hope to his coaches for next season. Connor Seeley ’18 learned the value of staying out in front and began to show the ability to plan and execute on court. His 3-2 record was crucial for the team. Miller learned to make better decisions and to regulate himself on court. His doggedness is complemented with outstanding counter drops. Doucette inspired with pure determination, great retrieving, and tight backhand drops. His intensity is like the captain's. Leathers played with great heart, especially on Feb. 26, with leaden legs and shaky arms, not that you would notice from outside the court. His gutsy win for seventh place gave the team one more point to set up the final match in which Tolba had to defend his perfect record with a hamstring pull. Turns out that Tolba plays better when he is injured. He focused his mind and played his best squash of the season with very few mistakes and loads of nicks. It was a beautiful display of heart and soul. His two point bonus for winning his draw pulled the team into a tie for third place and left him undefeated on the season. What a finish!
 
Squash-Second Girls'
Feb. 22: Squash-Second Girls’ 2 vs Taft School 5
Second Girls’ Squash visited Taft School for its final match of the season and fell by a 5-2 score. Despite the outcome, the girls finished the season with a strong performance that they should be extremely proud of. The girls started the season with a scrimmage against Taft and lost by a decisive 7-0 margin. This final match demonstrated how much the girls have improved over the course of the winter as a result of hard work and determination. Lily Mahoney '17 (#2), Maddie Dwyer '18 (#4), and Elaina Comia '19 (#6) played in the first round of matches with Mahoney falling (6, 6, 2), Dwyer losing (7, 6, 8) and Comia battling before going down in four games (12, 2, (8), 4). The next round of matches included Annie Hicks '17 (#1), Georgia Swank '19 (#3), Eve Cathcart '20 (#5) and Brinley Cuddeback '17 (#7) taking to the courts. Hicks lost in three (3, 1, 4), while Swank prevailed in four games ((5), 4, 6, 7) in her best performance of the season. Cathcart went down in three competitive games (10, 8, 3), while Cuddeback won in three straight games (4, 5, 5). Nikki Armour '17 won her exhibition match. The girls finished the season with a very respectable 9-6 record.
 
Squash-Second Boys'
Feb. 22: Squash-Second Boys’ 1 vs Taft School 12
The Martlets finished the 2016-2017 season with a 6-7 record, falling this afternoon to a very strong Taft team (12-1). Ethan Na '19 at #9 pushed his opponent to four games, rallying from a 0-2 deficit to take the third game 11-7 before falling narrowly in the fourth game 8-11. In the final game, Na fended off six consecutive match balls before finally succumbing to an excellent unreturnable shot by his opponent. Another Martlet who had a good day was Khalil Walker '19 at #4. After losing his first two games at (3) and (4), Walker put it into gear to win games three and four at 9 and 8. Unfortunately, he ran out of steam in the fifth game, falling 5-11. Jack Sargent '17 fought hard at #2, losing (4), (8), (8), and Chris Hark '17 played perhaps the best squash of his career, fighting until the final point in a (7), (10), (9) loss at #3. The rest of the young squad battled hard for every point and learned many valuable lessons about the game of squash. Coach Michael Cervas would like to thank all of the loyal parents (and grandparents) who came to support the team during the season at home and at away contests. If the six returning players commit themselves to working hard during the off-season and during the summer months, coach Michael Cervas believes that next year's team will be very formidable indeed. 
 
Squash-Third Girls'
Feb. 22: Squash-Third Girls’ 1 vs Taft School 6
Feb. 23: Squash-Third Girls’ 6 vs Miss Porter’s School 1
 
Squash-Third Boys'
Feb. 22: Squash-Third Boys’ 1 vs Taft School 10
Westminster squared off against a deep and talented Taft squad who came into the match undefeated. Although the Martlets played hard, they could only come away with one victory. That belonged to Travis Paulsen ‘20, who played about as tight a four-game match as possible, winning the first game 13-11, losing the second 12-10, and then taking the next two by scores of 12-10 and 11-8. Paulsen’s backhand retrievals were a sight to behold, and solicited praise from his opponent’s coach. In another close match, Quoc Truong ’20 came off the court after losing the first game determined to get himself back into the match. That he did, winning the next two games for a 2-1 lead. His opponent edged him out in the fourth game, and then pulled away in the fifth and decisive frame, despite some spirited play from Truong. Also battling it out in some close games were Spencer Organ ’18, Boyan Alipiev ’19, Jack Hajdukiewicz ’18 and Will Carlisle ’19. Both Hajdukiewicz and Carlisle lost two games by a mere two points. Special mention should be made to Alipiev, whose overall improvement this season has been nothing short of spectacular. He won every single challenge match to move from number 11 to number two on the ladder. That’s quite a feat. 
 
Feb. 23: Squash-Third Boys’ 7 vs Renbrook School 4
The Martlets ended their season with a satisfying victory over a young, tenacious, and skilled Renbrook squad. The top four from Renbrook were excellent players, defeating their Westminster opponents by a combined score of 12 games to two.  Spencer Organ ’18 and Jack Hajdukiewicz ’18 had their hands full at #1 and #4, respectively, as their counterparts chased down every ball and never let up. Boyan Alipiev ‘19, playing at #2 for the first time all year, and Ryan Lee ’18 managed to win a game apiece, but couldn’t maintain a sustained attack against their worthy opponents. Meanwhile, Travis Paulsen ’20 survived a marathon first game, winning 15-13, and then won the next two a little more easily. His opponent, it should be pointed out, made numerous diving gets that were simply amazing, leaving him with an equal number of scrapes and bruises. The remaining Westminster players — Vincent Wang ’19, Scott Lee ’20, Quoc Truong ’20, Will Carlisle ’19, Carter Henshaw ’20 and Dinh Truong ’19 — swept their matches in three straight games to secure the overall victory for the hosts. That made it three wins in the last four matches, a great way to end the season. The coach would like to thank all the parents for their support, including those who were able to come out to watch the matches. Finally, he would like to thank the players themselves for an enjoyable and rewarding season.
 
Swimming/Diving-First Girls'
Feb. 25: Swimming/Diving-First Girls' finishes Fifth in the Founders' League Tournament
Co-captain Leta Giordano '17 found a new gear Feb. 25, lowering her own school record as she led off the 200 Freestyle Relay with a 50 split of 25.86. That relay, consisting of Giordano, Dorka Nagy '19, Liza Lennox '18 and Alex Lin '19, was itself in the hunt for a school record but came up just shy at the final touch. The girls finished in fourth place in a time of 1:46.48, within one second of a best-ever time by a Martlet relay. Nagy added an impressive spark to the relay, splitting a 25.97 in her first attempt at racing a 50 Free this season after recovering from a shoulder injury. Giordano also dropped five seconds off her season best in the 200 Freestyle to finish third in a close and exciting race, and she finished fourth in the 100 Fly with a season-best time. Nagy added to the point total with a two second drop in her 100 Breaststroke to finish fifth with a time of 1:11.11 -- also within one second of a school record. Co-captain Elizabeth Brewer '17 also had a breakout day, swimming season-best times in all of her races, including a fast lead-off backstroke leg in the 200 Medley Relay, the 500 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke (15th) and her relay leg in the 400 Freestyle Relay. Lennox swam her best 200 IM ever by three seconds, and shaved nearly 20 seconds off her season-best in the 500 Free to place 13th. Angelesia Ma '20 put up best times in relay splits in the 50 Breast and 50 Free, and added a best time in the 200 IM. Martlet sprinters were quick off the blocks yesterday, led by Nagy (11th) and Alex Wolf '19 (16th), with Wolf lowering her best time, followed by Elisabeth Morin '18, Dallis Alvarez '18, Natalie Fay '19 and Susannah Van Leuven '20, all with season- or life-time best swims. Lin placed 12th in the 200 Freestyle and sixth in the 100 Free, and co-captain Nathali Madrid '17 put up season-bests in all of her races (200 IM and 500 Free), with fast relay splits as well. The diving event, held Feb. 22 at Westminster, featured a seventh place finish by Jane Ogden '19, and 12th- and 13th-place performances by Ally Marenco '18 and Cecilia Raymond '20, respectively. Overall, the girls performed very well at the Founders League Championships, finishing fifth in the overall point standings. With another week of rest and focus, the team will be poised for even more breakout swims next Saturday at the Division II New Englands at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. The diving event will be held March 1 at Williston Northampton School.
 
Swimming/Diving-First Boys'
Feb. 25: Swimming/Diving-First Boys' finishes Seventh in the Founders' League Tournament
First Boys’ Swimming and Diving took its game to the next level on Feb. 25 at the Founders League Championships at Miss Porter's School. The all-day event featured a host of season- and life-time best times, kicked off by the 200 Medley Relay Teams of Jack Detwiler '19, Teagan Stedman '18, co-captain Gary Simons '17, Justin Schuster '19, Albert Gao '18, Matt Norris '19, co-captain Jordan Gabbidon '17 and co-captain Joel Groves '17, both of which put up times that were significantly faster than their previous efforts this season. Gabbidon went on to place 14th in the 200 Freestyle and sixth in the 100 Fly and led off the 400 Freestyle Relay with his best 100 Freestyle this year. Despite being under the weather in the days leading up to the meet, Norris rallied for a 12th place finish in the 200 IM and best time in the 500 Freestyle, good for sixth place. Gao led off the 200 Medley Relay with his best 50 Backstroke this season, and followed that with a near-life-time best in the 100 Backstroke (11th) and his best ever 100 Freestyle split as he anchored the 400 Freestyle Relay (11th). Stedman continued to lower his best times in the breaststroke races, as did Daniel Pinckney '20 (by 11 seconds!). Detwiler put up best times in the 50 and 100 Backstrokes, and Groves, Hayden Cathcart '18, Schuster and Pinckney all swam lifetime bests in the 50 Free. Groves, the Martlets' only diver to compete in the Founders League Championships -- held Feb. 22 at Westminster -- finished 14th with a solid performance. In the end, the boys got a taste of championship swimming and are poised for success at next weekend's Division II New England Championships, to be held at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. (The diving event will be held at Williston Northampton School on March 1.) With another week of rest, focus and fine-tuning, the team looks forward to another weekend of fast swimming at the culmination of the 2016-17 season.  
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