Weekly Athletics Update—May 18, 2021

Weekly Athletics Update—May 18, 2021
 
 
This is the final update of the spring season and fittingly a time to pay tribute to our Class of 2021 and to our coaches and support staff for getting us to the finish line. All things being said, it has been a challenging but rewarding season and we will fondly remember this group of talented student-athletes for their resolve and commitment to one another over these past 8 weeks. It is a remarkable story in many respects and as we bid adieu to the 45 senior athletes who participated this spring, we thank them and wish them the very best in the years ahead.
In addition to reporting on the contests from this past week we will recognize our team captains and where appropriate identify our team MVP’s, based on the voting from individual team members. The final games here at home – Senior Day – were bittersweet for our athletes and families and it was nice to see our “underclassmen” rising to the occasion in ensuring a memorable finale for our soon to be graduates. 
 
Track & Field 
The boys’ fell by an ever-so close count of  69-71, but the many outstanding performances made it a spectacular day, especially given the contributions from our Class of 2021.
  • Jack Adiletta continued to shine, gaining over a 2-foot personal best in the triple jump, winning it at 40'9 1/2" inches on his final jump. He also won the 200 meters and finished second in the long jump and 100 meters.
  • Cooper Dutton continued his impressive grueling triple, running the 800, 1500, and 3000 finishing second in the latter two races. 
  • Derrell Porter-Smith again swept his events, winning the shot put and discus, and setting personal records in both. 

  • Jack Zapata came up big with a huge PR, increasing his distance by over 20 feet to hit 116 feet 11 inches winning the javelin throw, while also finishing second in his first ever attempt at the shot put and grabbing a third in the discus.
  • Rohin Warner earned another PR, winning the long jump, also winning the pole vault, while finishing second in the high jump.

  • Luke Parsons ’24 finished second in the pole vault and finished third in his first attempt at the javelin. Luke was barely nosed out to finish second in the 400 meters, while dropping two seconds off his best time. 
  • Miles Gao ’24 successfully navigated the 300 hurdles to finish second, while Vafa Soheyli ’23 had his best 200-meter time of the year, finishing in third place. 
  • Aiden Warner ’22 rounded out the scoring, finishing third in the 1500 meters and pole vault
 
The girls were just a bit shorthanded and fell 66-69 in the final meet, but that did not overshadow a slew of personal records on the day.
 
  • Bella Nascimento ’21 continued her total dominance, winning the 100 meters, long jump, (16' 1 1/2" which was a 9-inch PR), her first ever 400, and tying the school record by winning the high jump with a jump of five feet.

  • Kiely Floyd ’22 excelled as well, winning the javelin, shot put, and discus, setting PRs in all three, and finishing second in the 200 meters.
     
  • Ella Budzinski ’25 continued what will surely be an outstanding career, earning personal records while winning the 1500 and 3000, while finishing second in the high jump.

  • Katie Adiletta ’23 battled through injury to win the triple jump and earn a third in the long jump.
     
  • Camilla Manz ’22 contributed a second place in the shot put and a third place in the discus.
     
  • Allana Popham ’24 rounded out the scoring with a second place in the 300 hurdles with a PR and a third place in the 100 hurdles with another PR.

 
Team Captain(s)                                                 Team MVP
Jack Adiletta & Cooper Dutton                            Jack Adiletta
Isabella Nascimento                                             Isabella Nascimento
 
Baseball
Baseball closed out the season in style sweeping the three-game series against the Pingree School. Steady pitching performances turned in by senior hurlers Pete Bersani (game 1), Kyle Rizy (game 2) and Zach Girardi (game 3) and accompanied by some timely hitting got the Hilltoppers back in the win column to end the season on a high note.  The bats came alive in a late inning outburst on Saturday afternoon providing plenty of separation from Pingree and providing all with an opportunity to celebrate in good fashion as the Hilltoppers finished the 2021season at 8-8. 
 
Team Captain(s)                                                           Team MVP
Ryan Bonja, Kyle Rizy, & Michael Tonelli                    Kyle Rizy
 
 
Golf
Golf had a very successful season (3-2) and with a strong returning nucleus seems poised to have a breakout year in 2022. We thank coach Al Vaudreuil for his years of service to our program and wish him the best in retirement.
 
Team Captain(s)                                                   Team MVP
Jeffrey Robinson                                                    Jack Byrne
 
 
Girls’ Tennis
Despite a final season loss to a talented Pingree School our girls’ team concluded a very successful season with an overall record of 5-2. Coach Kevin Snyder is optimistic about the future of this program with so many young, promising underclassmen scheduled to return to the hill next year. 
 
Team Captain(s)                                                             Team MVP
Amelia Benware                                                               Lily Hillis
Jade Burnett
Lily Hillis
Eleanora Winston

 
Softball
Despite a difficult season in terms of wins/losses – the Covid geographical pod scheduling was particularly challenging for this young squad – Coach Wayne Bolden showcased a number of talented, young prospects who should develop into a formidable group in the near future. 
 
Team Captain(s)                                                             Team MVP
Ciara Dauer, Mary Honan, & Alana Saucier                   Elise Siciliano
 
 
Boys’ Lacrosse
There was a marked improvement in the play of our lacrosse team this spring and this appeared the result of outstanding senior leadership as well as an infusion of young talent that will only get better in time. Comparative scores from a season ago give a clear indication that our program is on the move and pointing towards another uptick in 2022. Saturday’s culminating game against the Pingree School was a tough loss (12-8) but yet another example of the narrowing gap in our talent pool. 
 
Team Captain(s)                                                             Team MVP
Patrick Harvey, Cole Keeler, & Owen Lockwood           Owen Lockwood
 
 
Girls’ Lacrosse
After some tough, close early season losses the team hit the “iron” portion of a recalibrated schedule and struggled to maintain pace with some of the regions’ top programs. Despite this the team maintained a positive attitude throughout, were committed to training hard and will bring these positives to the forefront when they take the next step forward in ’22.
 
Team Captain(s)                                                    Team MVP
Shannon Burke & Annalise Monopoli                         Emmy Lacourse
 
 
Boys’ Tennis
The team was extremely competitive over the course of the abbreviated spring season and seemed to grow individually and collectively throughout the season. Saturday’s finale against the Pingree School saw Ricky Waterfall ’21 display an amazing array of shots in his last match as a Hilltopper. Coach Carlson will be hard pressed to replace a host of talented players who will graduate in June. 
 
Team Captain(s)                                                  Team MVP
Ian Battles & Adam Zivny                                    Richard Waterfall
 
 
In closing, we salute all of our seniors and extend a sincere thanks to our WA parent group for all of your help in keeping our young athletes healthy, hydrated and of course fed throughout the Spring season. The willingness of so many to pitch in and make a tough situation manageable will be a lasting memory of this past year and we will carry fond memories of this shared experience.
 
Enjoy the summer months and we’ll see you in the Fall. 
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