Austin Prep Joins NEPSAC

from Journey Magazine- Spring 2022

Boys Track

Austin Prep Joins The New England Preparatory School Athletic Council

More Than A Whole New Ballgame

A New League of New Opportunities

Assistant Head for Enrollment and Athletics Jonathan Pollard ’97 recently observed that sometimes people miss something in the name Austin Prep. “It’s the ‘prep.’ Our school exists to prepare students for college and for life. It’s all about preparation.”

To further strengthen that mission, Head of School James Hickey, Ph.D. recently announced Austin Prep will join the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) starting in the 2022-23 academic year.

Dr. Hickey shared, “When we proposed this idea to our Board for their approval, their first question as stewards of the school was how would this better support our mission? How would this literally help inspire hearts to unite, minds to inquire and hands to serve?”

The move may appear to be organized around athletics but it’s about more than sports. “This is a new pathway to excellence in all aspects of our school.” Sharing innovations and best practices on curriculum and academic pedagogies will be a primary goal of Austin Prep’s new membership.

Assistant Head and Head of Upper School Dr. William Driscoll ’89 suggests that this move is in the best tradition of St. Augustine who was continually on a journey to find enduring truths, Veritas, to lean into and support new communities, Unitas, and to find better ways to care for others, Caritas.

It is in this area where membership in NEPSAC may be most apparent. Debate competitions, shared music and theatric performance opportunities, and multi-school service programs will be available. Dr. Driscoll points out there will also be new networking opportunities for faculty and alumni.

Dr. Hickey added that while academics are of paramount importance, it can be outside of class activities – what he calls ‘the unwritten curriculum,’ that can often teach life’s most important lessons. “They create lifetime memories and remain long after when everything else is forgotten.”

Robotics students Michael Young ’24, Victor Villarroel ’24, and Emily Clay ’24 work with Michael Baccari ’03 during the First Tech Challenge Qualifier at Andover High School on February 12th. Lee Poulin ’23 celebrates play with teammate Tom Skeffington ’22

Nicole Tracy ’23 And, of course, there will be new athletic opponents. As Mr. Pollard said, “This will be a game changer.”

At the start, teams will compete with other schools that best match their competitive levels, without formal league memberships.

Director of Athletics Patrick Driscoll ’97 said that the goal will be for teams to play schools of equal ability. The first year will be an attempt to discover the most level playing fields.

“We’re confident we will find teams at schools with similar values. We can schedule games knowing that there will be junior varsity and lower school teams as well, which hasn’t always been the case.”

Austin Prep will not be the only Catholic school in NEPSAC, and Athletic Director Driscoll thinks playing against new teams will be exciting. “We’ll be like Notre Dame or Boston College competing in the ACC or Holy Cross in the Patriot League.”

Mr. Pollard, who is also the varsity baseball coach, said he hopes the move will allow him and other coaches to better serve their student athletes. “There have been rules and limits the last few years on how coaches could interact with and even communicate with our players. NEPSAC members are entrusted in determining the best programs for their own students. “Now I feel I will be better able to address the needs of students who hope to compete at the college level and set up programs that will best prepare them to succeed.”

Dr. Hickey also pointed out that an overwhelming percentage of Austin Prep student athletes hope to play in college. NEPSAC membership will make it easier for them to be noticed by and contact school recruiters for those who want to continue playing at higher levels.

Jillian Whitney ’23

The historical relationship between NEPSAC and area colleges is a long one. After the War, New England prep schools were leaders introducing new sports like lacrosse, soccer, and ice hockey. The Ivy League was founded in1954 with similar goals as NEPSAC, and many of their coaches and others went to their prep school counterparts to share techniques and even facilities as those sports became popular and were added to the colleges.

While NEPSAC does not function as a regulatory or oversight body like the NCAA or state public high school associations, it does sanction New England championship events in many sports, usually organized by school size.

When asked about new opponents and travel considerations AD Driscoll said it will be a learning curve. “People may be surprised. Parents and athletes are used to playing teams on the South Shore and having to drive through Boston. It may be a longer distance, but it may take less time to travel north or west for games.”

Since the new membership affiliation was announced, current NEPSAC members have reached out with welcoming arms. St. Sebastian and Buckingham Browne and Nichols have already added Austin Prep to their spring baseball schedules.

“We are more than grateful to all the schools and leagues we have competed against in the last half century,” Dr. Hickey said. “We are excited by what the future will hold for all members of the Austin Prep community.”

And we can all be confident that every Austin Prep student will be well prepared.

Serena Gilbride ’19

2021 Varsity Boys Lacrosse team captures the CCL Championship against Bishop Fenwick 2021 Varsity Boys Baseball team celebrates CCL victory over St. Mary’s

“We’ll be like Notre Dame or Boston College competing in the ACC or Holy Cross in the Patriot League.”

Patrick Driscoll ’97, Athletic Director

About NEPSAC

Founded in 1942 as an organization for athletic directors of New England’s long-established, accredited independent schools, it has grown to over 170 independent and faith-based schools and its values align with Austin Prep’s academically, socially and athletically.

It is a council offering guidance, not just a conference imposing rules and running sports tournaments. Each member school is free to create programs that best meet the needs of its students.

The council’s first president, Martin Souders, Head of Phillips Exeter, said NEPSAC is primarily for the purpose of the interchange of ideas on the problems common to all private preparatory schools, whether day or boarding; mixed; large or small. It is not exclusive. “It is not to create leagues, or to regulate competitions, but to be a clearing house for the exchange of knowledge.”