SPS Today: Winter Athletics

Winter Glory for Big Red Athletics

The Big Red earn three New England Championships and three Lakes Region titles.

Girls Hockey
The Lakes Region champion SPS girls hockey team (21-6) went 9-0 to end the season, outscoring opponents 50-6. That included a 6-0 shutout of Choate to earn the SPS girls their second New England title in the last five years. Tournament MVP Gaby Roy ’20 (33g, 19a, All-NE) notched a hat trick, while goalie Abigail Matusovich ’22 earned the shutout to secure the Patsy Odden Large School Tournament title. In her nine years as coach, Heather Farrell has compiled a record of 179-45-16, including six 20-win seasons and eight consecutive appearances in the NE Tournament. Other offensive standouts included Natalie Tulchinsky ’20 (26g, 19a) and Tiffany Hill ’20 (17g, 19a, HM All-NE). Both Roy and Tulchinsky will play hockey at Boston College, while Hill will play at Dartmouth and Maddie Beck ’20 at Holy Cross. Roy, Hill, Tulchinsky, and Jade Arnone ’22 were named All-Lakes Region.

Boys Hockey
Led by captain Jack Hepp ’21 and assistants Charlie Murphy ’20, Owen Stadheim ’21, and Harrison Sweet ’20, the Big Red (12-15) earned six wins in January, defeated rivals Belmont Hill and Exeter, and won the consolation bracket of the Lakes Region playoffs. Five forwards finished with 20 points or more – Joe Schubert ’21 (13g, 24a) JT Halliday ’22 (12g, 21a), Owen Sweet ’21 (9g, 19a), Cooper Flinton ’22 (11g, 14a), and Stadheim (12g, 11a). Defensemen Bryson Russell ’21 (2g, 14a), Hepp (4g, 11a), and Caid Cox ’22 (5g, 7a) recorded double digits from the blueline. Halliday and Schubert were named All-Lakes Region.

Wrestling
Will Thayer ’21 (220 lbs.) placed sixth at the National Prep Wrestling Championships to become the first SPS wrestler to earn All-America honors since 2012. As a team, the Big Red (13-2) placed third at the Class A Championship and finished sixth (out of 47 schools) at the New England Independent School Wrestling Association (NEISWA) Championship. Thayer (also All-NE) finished second in his weight class at NEISWA, while Declan Casey ’22 (132, 3rd), Will Shiber ’21 (195, 4th), and Will Albright ’20 (126 5th) also qualified for Nationals. Isaac Anderson ’20 was named team MVP. Casey and Shiber were honorable mention All-NE.

Boys Basketball
There were many bright spots in the 8-14 season, the team’s first full campaign in the Lakes Region. Despite competition that featured a number of post-graduate students, the Big Red managed to keep most games close. With its victory over Proctor, SPS defeated a Class AA team for the first time in school history. SPS also beat 2019 Class A champions Exeter, 56-54, on a buzzer beater from Austin Hiscoe ’21, and 2019 Class A runner-up Williston while raising nearly $2,200 for the American Cancer Society. Captain Jordan Geronimo ’20 (All-Lakes Region, All-NE, and N.H. Gatorade Player of the Year) led the team with 18 points and nine rebounds per game. Geronimo will head to Indiana University in the fall on a full basketball scholarship. Jack Anderson ’21 and James Morakis ’22 earned honorable mention All-NE.

Girls Basketball
Tenacity and grit shined through in a tough season for the girls basketball team, which finished its campaign at 3-20 overall. A highlight was the play of Ella Stewart ’20 (25 ppg), who recorded her 1,000th high school point early in the season. Stewart was named a NEPSAC Class A All-Star and a Lakes Region All-Star. The team record, adds coach Jen Fithian, does not reflect the energy and effort dedicated by the athletes, as nine of the team’s loses were by single digits. 

Alpine Skiing
The girls alpine team capped a flawless season with a NEPSAC Class A title. Reed Cole ’20 placed first in the slalom and giant slalom at New Englands. The boys alpine skiers also made the podium, finishing second at NEPSACs. Both the boys and girls clinched the Lakes Region title at Blackwater. Cole, Mason Cheney ’21, Morgan Cheney ’20, Romeo Giudici ’22, and Ellie Neel ’20 earned both All-Lakes Region and All-NE honors, while Haley Andreasen ’20, Jin Chey ’21, Daniel Cho ’21, Reid Hamilton ’23, Dan Hillery ’20, Jay Lee ’22, and Maddie Rosato ’23 were All-Lakes Region selections.

Nordic Skiing
Both the SPS boys and girls Nordic ski teams finished fourth in New England. The boys (28-7) finished third in the Lakes Region. The girls (7-16) placed fifth in the league. Isabelle Coleman ’20 received the Coaches Award for the girls, while Garrison Famiglio ’21 earned the same honor for the boys. Finn Sias ’20 earned All-Lakes Region and All-New England honors.

Boys Squash
Behind All-American and three-time All-New England first team selection Myles McIntyre ’20, the Big Red (11-8) earned the Class B NEPSAC team championship. McIntyre (16-0) was ranked fifth in the nation by US Squash, which awarded him the DeRoy Sportsmanship Award for exemplary behavior on and off the court. As a team, SPS finished 13th nationally in Division I. The Big Red received the New England Team Sportsmanship Award for the third time in the last six years. Edward Morneau ’20 (HM ALL-NE) also had a strong individual season.

Girls Squash
SPS placed second in the Division II national title match, falling 4-3 to Nobles. The Big Red (11-5) qualified for the Class A New England Tournament, where the team placed eighth. Ella Cohen ’20 was a second-team All-New England selection, while Margaret Fleischner ’20 earned honorable mention.