SPS Today: Winter Athletics Recap
Teams win three Lakes Region titles; earn top-10 finishes at U.S. High School Team Squash Championships
Boys Squash
The SPS boys varsity squad followed up its fifth-place finish at nationals in 2017-18, the program’s best finish since 2008, with a fourth-place finish at this year’s nationals. The Big Red scored victories over Crystal Springs Uplands School (4-3) and Episcopal Academy (4-3) to reach the semifinals, before falling to Haverford, 4-3. Myles McIntyre ’20, Jack Vanderhorst ’19, and Andrew Jung ’19 were recognized as All-New England performers, while Janson Chu ’19 and Brian Cowhey ’19 were honorable mention picks.
Girls Squash
After making the jump to Division I, following third-place finishes in Division II the last two seasons, the girls squash team earned a 10th-place finish at nationals, their best in more than a decade. The team ultimately fell, 5-2, in its match against Episcopal Academy at nationals, but finished the season at 12-2.
Alpine Skiing
The girls alpine team completed an undefeated Lakes Region campaign and followed that up by winning the league championship and placing second in New England, where SPS won the giant slalom. Individual NE champion Reed Cole ’20 paced the giant slalom field by more than 1.5 seconds. Cole, Morgan Cheney ’20, and Mari Nakamura ’19 earned All-Lakes Region and All-New England, while Jin Chey ’21 was named All-Lakes Region. The boys went undefeated in Lakes Region competition and won the league championship. SPS placed seven skiers in the top 10, all of whom earned All-League honors: Tobias Benetton ’21, Kyle Pellerin ’22, Dan Hillery ’20, Mason Cheney ’21, Charlie Kauffman ’19, Daniel Cho ’21, and Riki Nakamura ’22. The group moved on to the New England Championships, placing fourth. Nakamura won the giant slalom, beating the field by more than a second. He was joined by Cho as an All-New England performer.
Girls Hockey
In its inaugural campaign as part of the Lakes Region conference, SPS went undefeated in the regular season, finishing at 21-3-4 overall. The Big Red advanced to the league championship against New Hampton after 2-1 victories over Kimball Union and Holderness. Though they fell in the fifth round of a shootout, following a 2-2 tie in regulation and a scoreless overtime, SPS advanced to the NEPSAC Division I quarterfinals for the seventh straight season, where the team lost to Kent. Maddie Beck ’20 and Natalie Tulchin-sky ’20 earned First Team All-New England and All-Lakes Region honors. Paige Galle ’19 and Tiffany Hill ’20 joined them as All-Lakes Region performers. Led by Hill (33 points), the squad boasted five 20-plus point scorers, including Tulchinsky, Gaby Roy ’20, Grace Martin ’20, and Bridget Babcock ’19. Goalie Madison Beck ’20 earned seven shutouts and a .910 save percentage.
Boys Hockey
The SPS boys hockey team finished at 17-10-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NEPSAC tournament as the sixth seed, where they fell to Nobles, 3-2, in overtime. Highlights included winning the Joshua Weeks New Year’s Invitational and finishing second at the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic. Goalie Andy Beran ’19 (All-New England East) backstopped a formidable SPS defense and led all NEPSAC goaltenders with a .944 save percentage. Beran and Teddy McElaney ’19 were named All-Lakes Region. Eric Sinson ’19 (16g, 17a) and Julien Menes ’19 (18 g, 7a) led the offense.
Boys Basketball
A young group of players led a promising season for SPS (9-13), winning more NEPSAC Class A games than in any of the past eight seasons. Highlights included a triple-overtime victory over Deerfield. In front of a capacity crowd in the Form of ’52 Gymnasium, the boys not only scored a big win, but hit a season-high 16 three-pointers. The team secured pledges for each three-point shot made that night to benefit the American Cancer Society and Coaches vs. Cancer, raising $2,035 in the process. Jordan Geronimo ’20 was named All-Lakes Region and was joined as an All-New England honorable mention selection by Jack Anderson ’21 and Jehmehl Fair ’19.
Girls Basketball
The Big Red girls basketball team put together a 13-10 record, posting wins in four of its final six games. Adia Burrows ’19 joined an exclusive club by scoring the 1,000th point of her career on senior night – she is only the second SPS girls player to reach that milestone and the first since 2000. Burrows went on to earn an All-NEPSAC honorable mention and was named to the All-Lakes Region team, along with Ella Stewart ’20 and Sophie Ward ’19.
Wrestling
Head Coach Ray Burstein was proud of his young team, as the SPS wrestling squad finished at 13-6 and placed fifth at the Class A Tournament, where Gabriel Oderich ’22 (113 lbs.) won his weight class. Will Shiber ’21 and William Thayer ’21 earned All-New England honors.
Nordic Skiing
The girls Nordic team finished second at the Lakes Region Championships to cap a strong season. Lauren Henderson ’19 (10th) and Annie Lee ’19 (11th) led the charge for the Big Red. The duo earned All-New England honors. The SPS boys turned in a successful season highlighted by a fourth-place showing at the Lakes Region Championships. Cal Schrupp ’19 successfully defended his league championship and finished his season undefeated. Teammate Finn Sias ’20 earned All-New England recognition as well.