Photo Courtesy of Choate Communications
Competition season for spring sports energizes the Choate campus, especially when certain teams remain undefeated for more than half the term. As soon as classes end, Choate athletes can be seen running on the track, playing lacrosse on the turf, or hitting home runs. Teams all across campus practice to secure as many wins as possible, but two of these teams impressively stand out with undefeated records: Girls’ Varsity Softball and Boys’ Varsity Tennis.
The Girls’ Varsity Softball team, coached by Dr. Edrik Lopez and Ms. Brianna Sawicki, is composed of 13 talented players, all of whom contribute greatly to the team. Their current and impressive record is 8-0. The team’s captains, Lauren Ben-Ezra ’22, Hadley Rogers ’22, Rachel Pittman ’22, and Alex Hassett ’23 are leading the team in their success this season. Their dedication to their sport stands out and continues to contribute to their accomplishments. Captain Ben-Ezra attributes the team’s success to “the bond shared between teammates, in addition to a lot of talented players.” In addition to the incredible energy on and off the field, the girls have great athletic talent. On top of the perfect record, Jordan Wallace ’22 and Hassett have been named NEPSAC All-Stars. Wallace said her favorite memory this season was during a game against Loomis saying, “We were losing by one run, and then it was our last at-bat, and I hit a walk-off home run to win the game.” Ben-Ezra also made the Northeast FastPitch League All-Star team for the class of 2022. Although the team’s success is undeniable, softball is often overlooked at Choate, as the field is far from many spots on campus; nevertheless, their undefeated record shows they deserve more recognition and respect.
The other undefeated team at Choate this term is Boys’ Varsity Tennis, coached by Mr. Ned Gallagher. Team member Paul Montrone ’22 explained that the path to the 7-0 streak hasn’t been easy. “We’ve had a lot of injuries this year and sick players as well,” Montrone said. The 2020 spring season was also canceled entirely, and last year’s season was irregular, leaving many feeling as if they aren’t completely back to normal this year. The injuries on top of Covid-19 forced team members to step up as leaders, guided by Mr. Gallagher and their captain Hugo Chung ’22. One player on the team, Arin Tongdee ’23, shared, “I think our strength at the top of the ladder combined with our depth has helped keep us afloat against other teams.” This sentiment was echoed by another player, Praj Chirathivat ’22, who stated that the team’s “support for each other and working hard every practice” was what allowed them to start the season off so successfully. According to Tongdee, his favorite memory so far is the massive comeback made by player William Ji ’23. Tongdee said, “He was down 2-7 in the super tiebreaker, which is first to 10, in a game that would decide the match. Everyone crowded around the courts and Will proceeded to win the next eight points in a row to close out the game.”
Both teams bring pride to the Choate community with their outstanding achievements thus far. Ben-Ezra said it perfectly: “Being undefeated has brought a certain sense of pride knowing that you’re on the softball team, knowing we’re a good team and that we deserve respect.”
