Sports - Pages 12

Sacred Heart Squash Team Places 3rd In Division I

By Dylan Drury

The Sacred Heart Greenwich varsity squash team traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this past weekend, where they competed in the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships.

The Tigers placed third overall in Division 1, the highest placement in Sacred Heart history.

On Friday, the team had a match against The Brynn Marr School, pulling away with a 7-0 win. On Saturday, they played the Winsor School from Boston, Mass., in the second round, winning 5-2. Sacred Heart then fell to Baldwin School from Pennsylvania, 6-1, Saturday evening. They played their matches at the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships, also known as Nationals, at the new Arlen Specter U.S. Squash Center, in Philadelphia.

On Sunday, the team completed an upset victory against the third seeded team, The Agnes Irwin School from Pennsylvania. Sacred Heart won, 5-2, to finish third place overall in the tournament.

“This past weekend we finished 3rd at the US Squash High School Nationals Division I,” Sacred Heart Head Squash coach Celia Pashley said. “This is the school’s best-ever finish. To be able to accomplish such a great result with the Varsity is definitely my proudest moment as a coach. The girls all had their ups-and-downs throughout the season, but when it mattered the most, they showed up and got the job done. We were not seeded to win the 3rd/4th playoff, but with wins at the #1, #2, #3, #5 and #6 spots we managed to pull a big upset.”

Sophomore Caroline Fouts, who went 4-0 on her matches over the weekend, spoke about her team’s experience at the tournament.

“I think this weekend was really successful for our team and a great way to end the season by making school history, as it was the first time our team has ever gotten third place,” Caroline said. “Through this tournament our team spirit grew and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve next year.”

Senior captain Annie O’Connor spoke about her team’s progress this season, and about competing in her last squash tournament ever.

“I am so proud of the way that we finished this year,” O’Connor said. “We worked really hard this season, and I am so grateful that we were able to finish the best we have in Sacred Heart history. Our team was really strong this year, and everyone really stepped up. I am so proud of all of our progress.”

“I have been working in the Athletic Department at SH for 7 years, but it is my 8th year coaching the squash team,” Pashley said. “Some of these girls have been with me since Lower School and it makes it even more special that I get to share that with them. We started in Division IV and we are now 3rd in the country. I am so proud of all the players for their hard work and dedication. It has made my journey as a squash coach worth every minute despite the rollercoaster of emotion they are capable of giving me. This team has such a great bond and it does make the difference! We end our season with a 10-1 record, only losing to GA, who is the current National Champion.”

Contributed photo: The Sacred Heart Greenwich squash team placed third in Division I at the national tournament.

Contributed photo: From left to right: Hutton Saunders and Avery Sammons of Greenwich Academy display the championship plaque after GA won the NEPSAC Division I team title.

Greenwich Academy Swimming/Diving Team Captures To Nepsac Division I Title

By David Fierro

Receiving two first-place finishes, numerous top-five performances and a wealth of impressive efforts, Greenwich Academy’s swimming team was once again, second to none at the NEPSAC Division I Swimming Championships Sunday at Phillips Exeter Academy.

Greenwich Academy used its overall depth to compile 421.5 points to earn the NEPSAC Division I team title at the championship meet, which began on Saturday and concluded Sunday. Phillips Andover Academy was second in the team standings (350), followed by Phillips Exeter Academy (341.5), Suffield Academy (214) and Deerfield Academy (194).

Sacred Heart Greenwich had its highest team finish at the 12-team championship meet in program history, placing seventh (139 points). The victory added to GA’s collection of NEPSAC titles. The Gators also won the NEPSAC Division I team championship in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The meet commenced with Greenwich Academy’s Alex Moore, Bryce Gold, Penny Lazar and Avery Sammons combining to finish a strong second in the 200-yard medley relay (1:45.98). Phillips Exeter Academy earned the gold medal, clocking in at 1:45.61.

In the 200-yard freestyle finals, Greenwich Academy senior co-captain Hutton Saunders posted a third-place finish with a time of 1:52.43. Sophie Phelps of Phillips Exeter Academy won the race in 1:51.55.

The 200-yard individual medley saw Lazar, a freshman, give GA a second-place finish (2:07.93). Sydney Kang from Phillips Andover Academy was first (2:05.19). Moore, a GA freshman, was fourth (2:08.68), and Bryce Gold took fifth (2:10.69). Lauren McCauley of Sacred Heart, an eighth-grader, placed ninth in 2:15.07.

Sammons, a senior, was the runner-up for the Gators in the 50 freestyle, clocking in at 24.04. Andover’s Alissa Kim won the title with a time of 23.72. Greenwich Academy senior Maddie Holden took fourth (24.50) and Sacred Heart’s Jane Cary was 10th overall in 25.51.

In the 1-meter diving competition, Greenwich Academy sophomore Grace Wu earned the gold medal. Through 11 rounds of diving, Wu amassed a score of 488.20 points. Eighthgrader Grayson Ford from GA placed third on the 1-meter diving board (444.20) and Sacred Heart Greenwich eighth-grader Emma Beaty took seventh (328.40).

Lazar, a freshman, captured the third-place medal in the 100 butterfly for GA, posting a time of 56.36. Brielle Gold, a GA junior, was fourth (57.82), followed by Sacred Heart’s Victoria Mordaunt (freshman, sixth place, 59.57). McCauley was seventh for the Tigers in 1:00.11 and Elizabeth Xia from Greenwich Academy placed eighth (1:01.80).

Saunders (52.52) and Sammons (53.24) were third and fourth, respectively, for Greenwich Academy in the 100 freestyle, which was won by Andover’s Elissa Kim (51.48). Holden of GA took seventh in 54.45, while Sacred Heart’s Jane Cary was eighth (54.46).

Rory Keller had GA’s best finish in the 500 freestyle finals at the NEPSAC Division I Championships, placing fifth in 5:11.53. Bryce Gold, Holden, Brielle Gold and Saunders teamed up to earn top Division I honors in the 200 freestyle relay (1:36.29). Freshman Alex Moore finished third in the 100 backstroke (57.69) and Bryce Gold was fourth in the race (58.24).

In the 100 breaststroke at the NEPSAC Division I Championships, Brielle Gold gave GA a second-place finish (1:06.30) and teammate Charlotte Milligan was seventh (1:09.85). Sammons, Lazar, Brielle Gold and Saunders were second in the 400 freestyle to end the NEPSAC Championships, combining for a time of 3:31.20. The season also saw Greenwich Academy swim to the team title at the FAA Championships, after having an outstanding regular season/dual meet season.

Greenwich defeats Simsbury in first round of CIAC Division II boys basketball tourney

By David Fierro

Seizing a nine-point halftime lead, while limiting Simsbury to 10 first-half points, Greenwich’s boys basketball team began its opening-round game of the CIAC Division II Tournament in impressive fashion Monday night.

Things kept getting better in the third quarter for the 18thseeded Cardinals, who extended their lead on their way to recording a 43-34 win over 15thseeded Simsbury.

Greenwich advanced to the Round of 16 of the Division II Tournament, where it will visit second-seeded Northwest Catholic tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.

“It was a good win,” Greenwich coach Todd Trimmer said. “We knew all year long they play very good defense, they try to slow the game down. They are comfortable with games in the high 20s and 30s. They’re a veteran team, so we were conscious of that. We executed really well and played good defense.”

Junior guard Logan Galletta scored 10 points, senior backcourt mate James Pilc had nine points, sophomore guard Aidan Karson added nine points and junior guard Dean Brown totaled seven points for the Cardinals (13-9).

Visiting Greenwich held a 1910 halftime lead, before taking a 34-19 advantage into the fourth quarter. Strong defensive play helped the Cards play from in front throughout.

“We played man-to-man defense the whole night,” Trimmer said. “They slowed the pace of the game down, but when they had those possessions, we were getting stops.”

Simsbury (14-7) cut into Greenwich’s lead in the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals made key plays down the stretch for the win.

“They went into a 1-3-1 press and we turned the ball over, we didn’t make it easy on ourselves,” Trimmer said. “But we knocked down some shots and made some free throws.”

Barber, Galletta and Pilc made sure the Cardinals moved on to the next round of the tourney.

“Chason Barber, defensively, had probably had seven or eight blocked shots and he had protected the rim the entire time,” Trimmer said. “Logan played a great game at point guard. He was very under control the entire time and James Pilc was 7 for 8 in free throws.”