Spring Varsity Sports Preview

Photo courtesy of Matt Brown

Boys’ Varsity Baseball on its preseason trip to Vero Beach, Florida.

Boys’ Baseball

Despite the loss of 12 seniors from last year’s team, Boys’ Varsity Baseball still seems to have a competitive season ahead of them due to both returning and incoming talent. Co-captain William Eichhorn ’19 said of the team, “The group is continuing the reputation of hard-working players that dominate every facet of the game that Choate baseball is known for.” An outfield comprised of Sean Dennehy ’19, Matt Brown ’19, and Chris Guyette ’19 looks to be one of this team’s greatest strengths.

Girls’ Crew 

Heading into the spring season, the girls’ crew team looks to be abundant with talent and experience. The team will be led by upperclassmen Stewart Egan ’18, Arsh Sekhon ’19, and Claudia Pagnozzi-Schwam ’18, but the team also has its share of hardworking underclassmen. Co-captain Lila Kirchhoff ’18 commented, “We’ve all been pushing ourselves really hard in land practices so far, so I think it will really all pay off once we get on the water.”

Boys’ Crew

A deep team with a lot of talent, Boys’ Varsity Crew will challenge other schools this spring.  Captain Tristan Jamidar ’18 explained some of the team’s goals: “We’ll be working hard day in and day out to make sure we bring back some medals for Dr. Curtis.” At the end of the season, the boys will certainly be competitive in Founders and the New England Championships.

Girls’ Golf

This year, the girls’ golf team will have an unusually large team with 12 players, and their blend of experienced and new players should prove to be an asset. When asked about the state of the team, co-captain Anne Miles Demott ’18 stated, “This is the strongest team our coach has ever seen, so hopefully this will be our best season yet!” With a lot of returning players, the girls will try place high in the Founders League.

Boys’ Golf

After an impressive third place finish in the Founders League last year, Boys’ Varsity Golf will look to continue their success this season. When questioned about the players on the team this year, captain Carter Prince ’18 said, “Last year we lost some key seniors; however, I think we still have some hope with some new players, including John Russo ’20.”  This season, the boys’ golf team will work to maximize its potential.

Girls’ Lacrosse

After achieving a 13-4 record last year, Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse looks ready to have another great season. Though the team did lose many seniors last year, it’s got an influx of new talented underclassmen.  On the topic of the team’s season, co-captain Julia Mackenzie ’19 stated, “We have a lot of new, skilled underclassman that will be playing crucial roles on the field.” It will be interesting to see how this group of young players fares this spring, but it has the potential to carry this team to another winning record.

Boys’ Lacrosse

The team was successful last season with ten wins, but Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse can improve after returning an incredible 23 players from last year’s squad.  Co-captain Patrick Gallagher ’18 commented on some key players for this year: “We will really rely on returning offensive starters Kevin Edmonds [’18], Matt Leone [’18], Robinson Armour [’18], Konrad Knaus [’19], and William Ryan [’19].” New goalie Patrick Yowan ’21 should play a huge part in the team’s success. The boys want to capitalize off last season and make a run at the Founders League title.

Sailing

Despite losing half its team to graduation, the sailing team still looks to have a strong group of returning and new sailors. On the topic of the team, co-captain Ariel Zhang ’18 expressed, “The sailing team is looking forward to a promising season together, both on and off the water.” The sailing team should place high in the CT Fleet Race Championships after a second place finish last year.

Boys’ Track and Field

A wide and diverse team, Boys’ Varsity Track and Field will have skilled athletes in all events such as long-distance runner Mustafe Dahir ’19 and co-captain Lloyd Williams ’18.  Co-captain Jackson Elkins ’18 said of the team’s talent, “The track and field team is looking very solid this year, as we have a really strong group of returners that bring experience as well as talent to the team.” Last year, Boys’ Track and Field had a successful regular season but a disappointing championship season, so they will look to bounce back this year.

Girls’ Track and Field

Led by captain Shamari Harrington ’18, Girls’ Varsity Track and Field has high aspirations this season coming off a successful season last year.  When asked about the state of the team, Harrington commented, “We are happy to have a very fresh team with a lot of raw talent that will help us gain ground on some of our toughest competitors this year and for a few years to come.”  As the season progresses, watch for this team to develop into a top contender.

Ultimate

This year, interest is higher than ever for the Ultimate team, and the team has a strong group of seniors, such as co-captains Katie Lee ’18, Caleb Hastings ’18, and Adedamola Adeyemi ’18.  Lee said, “We’re so excited to have built up a team of seasoned veterans in addition to some newcomers.”  With a large group of experienced players, the frisbee team will compete right away.

Softball

Varsity Softball graduated the majority of its players last year, but the team quickly filled those holes with adept underclassmen.  Co-captain Mint Sethbhakdi ’18 was enthusiastic about the season: “This year, we have such a great team! Not only are the players talented, but they also all have such positive outlooks on the sport.” This group of young players hopes to fulfill their potential this season.

Boys’ Tennis

The Boys’ Varsity Tennis team will dominate this spring as it brings back its top four players and have talented newcomers to fill the rest of the spots.  Co-captain Andres Ballesteros ’18 said of the team, “Each year since I joined the team as a freshman, we’ve continuously improved our performance in the season, and we’re looking to continue that trend again now.”  After losing a close match in the New England semi-finals last year, the team will try to improve on that result.

Girls’ Tennis

Girls’ Varsity Tennis returns all but one of its players, adding superb freshmen Greer Goergen ’21 and Isabella Mandell ’21. In order to reach their goals, Co-captain Angelina Heyler ’18 stated, “With good practice, we’re hoping to finish the season better off than last year, while having fun as a team.” The girls look to dominate the Founders League on the courts this season.

Boys’ Volleyball

Last year, Boys’ Volleyball had numerous seniors who graduated, but the team will remain competitive because of a core of returning players such as Kevin Chyun ’18 and Pavin Sethbhakdi ’18.  Co-captain Nils Lovegren ’18 said of the teams’ goals, “I think we can certainly improve to the point where we can challenge any team in the New England Championships.”

Girls’ Water Polo

Led by co-captain goalie Sydney Klakeg ’19, the Girls’ Varsity Water Polo will be a formidable force this spring.  The other co-captain Nina Hastings ’18 commented, “We’ve all been working our hardest since the first practice of the season, and the team is showing a lot of promise with several strong players.”  The water polo team is off to a strong start and hopes to qualify for the New England Championships.

 

 

 

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