SPS Today: Spring Athletics
Accolades Abound for SPS Girls Crew
Crew
Accolades abounded for the girls crew program in the spring of 2019. It began with all three girls boats advancing to the grand finals at the NEIRA Regatta, where the first boat won gold – and the Kenneth Burns Cup – for the third consecutive year. The second boat (which finished 1.6 seconds behind Exeter) and the third boat both earned silver. Overall, SPS edged out Exeter by a point to earn the E. Arthur Gilcreast Team Trophy. Next, members of the first girls crew traveled to Sarasota, Fla., for the Youth National Championships in June. Racing in the C final, the crew finished second, pulling its fastest 2,000-meter time. St. Paul’s finished as the fourth-fastest scholastic high school program in the country. Finally, the team traveled to England to compete in the Reading Amateur Regatta and the Henley Women’s Regatta. At Henley, the eight beat Enniskillen Royal Girls School in the final by more than two lengths. With the victory, SPS claimed the Peabody Cup for junior women’s eights for the first time since 2001.
Meanwhile, at the NEIRA Regatta in Worcester, Mass., the SPS boys crews fared well. After a strong showing in the preliminary heat, the first boat finished second behind Kent School to earn the silver medal. The second eight battled Kent and Exeter to finish third and earn the bronze medal. Facing a strong field in its grand final, the boys third boat finished fourth, behind Exeter, Andover, and Kent.
Baseball
An 11-6 victory over Kimball Union on May 21 closed out a 9-8 season for the SPS baseball team. The St. Paul’s lineup featured a mix of youth and experience, including seven Third Formers. Sixth Formers Teddy McElaney, Vince Rizzolo, and Eric Sinson provided leadership to the young squad. In his final season, McElaney (.392) connected for 20 hits in 51 at-bats, including six doubles. He struck out only one time in the season. Rizzolo contributed 12 hits, including a towering home run on the road against Tilton. Rizzolo also recorded 11 RBIs and scored 11 runs. Sinson (.333), the team’s defensive player of the year, had 18 hits in 17 games for the Big Red, hitting safely in 12 of 14 Lakes Region League games. He struck out only three times all season. McElaney, Chet Johnston ’21, and Jake Sullivan ’22 were honored as Lakes Region All-Stars. William Klika ’20 received the Coaches Award, while Sullivan was named Rookie of the Year.
Softball
After going 2-12 in 2018, the Big Red softball team went 7-6 in 2019, including 5-0 in the Lakes Region, to earn the regular season title. Four players were named Lakes Region all-stars, including Kaitlyn Bergeron ’21 (.474 BA, .615 OBP), Brett Stoddard ’19 (.381 BA, .571 SLG, Boston Globe All-Scholastic), and Arianna Morataya ’21 (.359 BA). All-LR pitcher and team defensive MVP Abby Jankowski ’21 threw all 73 of the team’s innings, finishing with a 3.64 ERA and 80 strikeouts. A May 18 Big East Tournament loss to Andover (1-0 on a solo home run) was a prime example of the team’s defensive progress. In that game, Jankowski allowed just six hits, while striking out five. The entire group, said coach Sarah Boylan, “was energetic, hardworking, and positive – they were excellent teammates and their efforts were greatly appreciated by the coaching staff.”
Girls Lacrosse
A Lakes Region title capped another strong season for the SPS girls lacrosse team, which went 17-3 in the spring and placed second in the Seal Cup Tournament, an invitational that featured SPS and opponents Exeter, Andover, and Lawrenceville. Bridget Babcock ’19 (24g, 29a) and Phoebe Day ’19 (40g, 26a) earned All-American honors. They were joined on the All-Lakes Region squad by Jax Donohue ’19 (team-high 51 draw controls) and Sophie Ward ’19 (54g, 12a). Eliza Farriss ’20 (31g, 20a), Amanda Sudnik ’21 (31g, 6a), and Abby Cotraro ’21 (18g, 23a) were among the other offensive leaders.
Boys Lacrosse
A 6-10 campaign came with many highlights for the boys lacrosse team. Goalie David Roselle ’19 (61% save percentage) capped his SPS career with 17 saves against Exeter in the season finale. Roselle was named an Academic All-American for the NNELL. He finished his career with more than 500 saves between the pipes for SPS. Jon Saklad ’19 was among the team leaders all season, anchoring the Big Red defense throughout his career. Newcomer Bryson Russell ’21 led the team with 42 goals. SPS will miss Sixth Formers Roselle, Saklad, Rex Thors, Charlie Work, Sam Hobbs, James Orne, and Jack Vanderhorst.
Girls Tennis
With an overall record of 10-4, the SPS girls tennis team won the Lakes Region championship, finishing a perfect 6-0 in league play. For their performances, Lucia Kim ’21, Marian Enders ’22, and Jenna Malone ’22 were named to the All-Lakes Region team. Malone was the recipient of the team’s Impact Player Award, while Olivia Chuang ’19 received the Coaches Award. Season highlights included five consecutive shutouts in victories over New Hampton, Kimball Union, Proctor, Vermont Academy, and Holderness.
Boys Tennis
Erik Hoets ’20, Garrison Famiglio ’21, and Rohan Gudivaka ’20 were All-Lakes Region picks in an 11-3 season for the SPS boys tennis team. St. Paul’s won the Lakes Region team title with an undefeated record in league play. Hoets starred at the NEPSIT tournament on May 25 at Choate, a one-day showdown among top players in New England. He defeated three standouts to advance to the finals, where he lost in a great match to Groton’s Matt Kandel. Team awards went to Gudivaka (Sportsmanship Award), Famiglio (Excellence in Sport), and Rahul Kavuru ’22 (Coaches Award).
Track
Highlights filled the spring for members of the boys and girls track teams. The girls went 12-3 and finished third in New England. All-New England selections for the girls included, on the first team, Cecilia Marrinan ’20 (100m and 200m), Kristina Allard ’22 (long jump and 400m), and Lauren Henderson ’19 (1500m); and, on the second team, Marrinan (4 x 100m), Allard (4 x 100m), Henderson (800m), Izzy Geneve ’19 (4 x 100m), and Maya Maloney ’21 (4 x 100). Marrinan was named Athlete of the Meet. Several records were set during the season, including a new SPS record for the 4 x 100m relay team (49.41) and a new school mark by the 4 x 400m team (4:12.37). Marrinan established new SPS records in the 100m (12.37) and 200m (25.58), while Allard did the same in the 400m (58.18), triple jump (35’8.75”), and long jump (17’2.5”). Henderson ran a 2:18.18 to set a new SPS record in the 800m.
The boys track team completed a 9-6 campaign. Malcolm Bussey ’21 received the team award for Excellence in Track Events, while Andrew Mullins-Grant ’19 earned the honor for Excellence in Field Events. John McKean ’19 was the recipient of the Coaches Award. At New Englands, the 4 x 100m relay team of Bussey, Nate Sleiman ’20, Joey Corcoran ’20, and Taiyo Olorode ’20 placed fifth. Corcoran also finished sixth in the high jump. Mullins-Grant was sixth in the shot put. Sleiman garnered second-team All-New England honors for his second-place finish in the triple jump.