THE LOOMIS CHAFFEE SCHOOL 2016 WINTER ATHLETIC AWARDS CEREMONY Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Alpine Skiing Boys Basketball Girls Basketball Equestrian Boys Ice Hockey Girls Ice Hockey Boys Squash Girls Squash Boys Swimming Girls Swimming Wrestling
2016 WINTER ATHLETIC AWARDS CEREMONY SCHEDULE OF SPEAKERS
Opening Remarks Bob Howe ’80, Athletic Director
Alpine Skiing Frank Roberts
Equestrian Harrison Shure
Boys’ Swimming Fred Seebeck
Girls’ Swimming Bob DeConinck
Boys’ Squash Elliot Beck
Girls’ Squash Chris Weed
Girls’ Ice Hockey Liz Leyden
Boys’ Ice Hoceky John Zavisza
Wrestling Benjamin Haldeman
Boys’ Basketball Rock Battistoni
Girls’ Basketball Adrian Stewart ‘90
2016 Winter Varsity Athletic Awards
Equestrian: Most Improved: Liam Scott Coaches’ Award: India Carpenter Coaches’ Award: Emilie Szemraj Regional Semi-finalist India Carpenter
Girls Basketball: Founders League Champions New England Class A Quarter-finalists MVP: Samantha Roy Coaches’ Award: Makenzie Helms Coaches’ Award: Isabel Hanson Captains’ Award: Emma Trenchard Class A NEPSAC All-Star: Samantha Roy Class A NEPSAC All-Star: Makenzie Helms
Boys Basketball: New England Class A Quarter-finalists MVP: Andre Ferguson Coaches’ Award: Mark Byrne Coaches’ Award: Cobey Adekanbi MIP: Nelson Boachie-Yiadom NEPSAC Class A Honorable Mention: Andre Ferguson
Alpine Skiing: Coaches’ Award : Sara Corsetti Coaches’ Award: Yuwi Yamashita MVP: Maddie Corsetti New England Championship Winner: Maddie Corsetti
Boys Squash: Team: New England Prep School Sportsmanship Award MVP: Tarquin Hanson MIP: Sam Kent Coach’s Award: Will Pepi
Girls squash: Coaches’ Award: Sherly Francois Coaches’ Award: Claudia Lamprecht Most Improved: Eleanor Struthers
Girls Hockey: New England Prep Division I Finalists MVP: Bailey Coyne MVP: Sharon Frankel Coaches’ Award: Abby Marmer Coaches’ Award: Catriona Hong Second Team All-Star: Paige Capistran Chuck Vernon Award: Paige Capistran
WRESTLING Most Outstanding Wrestler: Traken Sutton Most Improved Wrestler: Ryan Durkin Coaches' Award: Ethan Twombly Service Award : RJ Rochlin New England Class A Champion: Ryan Durkin New England Class A Champion: Traken Sutton (145lbs) 122 Wins: Traken Sutton (145lbs)
GIRLS SWIMMING: Founders League Champions MVP: Suzy Ryckman MVP: Madison Perry Coaches’ Award: Mairin Moylan 11 Dive School Record: Madison Perry 7 Hedges Pool Records: Madison Perry New England Championship Diver: Madison Perry Founders League Diving Champion: Madison Perry Founders League Winners: Madison Perry, Suzy Ryckman, Kimberly Ma, Ruby Schiller School Record: 50 yard-freestyle: Suzy Ryckman Founders League Champion: 50 yard-freestyle: Suzy Ryckman Founders League Champion: 100 Breaststroke: Suzy Ryckman School Record: 200-yard Freestyle Relay: Emily Gardiner, Ruby Schiller, Kimberly Ma and Suzy Ryckman Founders League Champion: 200 Free Relay: 200-yard Freestyle Relay: Emily Gardiner, Ruby Schiller, Kimberly Ma and Suzy Ryckman NISCA Academic All-American: Ruthie Kornblatt-Stier
Boys Swimming: Robert W. Hartman Trophy: William Meng Anthony Ricco Award: David Chen Coaches' Award: Tristan Rhodes Founders Meet Record Holders: Jordan Chen & David Chen School Record: Breast Stroke: David Chen School Record: 400 Freestyle: Jordan Chen School Record: Medley Relay: Chris Li, David Chen, Will Meng and Tony Zhang Boys Varsity Hockey: Elite 8 Tournament Quarter-finalists MVP: Tim Birarelli Coaches’ Award: Andy DeLalla Coaches’ Award: Griffin Welch 2015-16 Golden Buoy: Tim Birarelli 2016 All New England Team: Tim Birarelli Joe Birarelli “Living the Dream” Scholarship Award: T.K. Murphy
OPENING REMARKS Bob Howe
1. Boys squash winning the League’s Sportsmanship Award. I value this award more than any other and it’s a good reminder to us all of what is really important in sports.
2. The news of Madison Perry and winning every event she entered this winter as well as setting numerous pool records.
3. Spring-like temperatures throughout the month of February. This was as rare a winter as we will ever see.
4. Senior leaders like Sara Corsetti, TK Murphy, Sherly Francois, Mark Byrne, Paige Capistran, Sam Roy, Griffin Welsh, Andy DeLala, Izzy Hanson, Hannah Falvey, Will Pepi, Traken Sutton, Ethan Twombley, Tristen Rhodes, Michaela Guitarri, David Chen, Abby Marmer, Winda Wanikpun and a bunch more that you’ll hear about later led their teams and represented our school so well this season.
5. Every interscholastic team participated in a New England Tournament this season with both boys and girls basketball and hockey teams earning at large bids.
6. I want to thank Fred Seebeck for staying on to coach the swim team even when he’s on a sabbatical!
7. Live streaming! We were able to live stream several games throughout the winter. Great effort and advancement on this from Bobbi Moran and our communications office. Sam Goldfarb and Max Wice are commentating stars for the future!
8. Girls basketball won their 4th consecutive Founders’ league title, while girls swimming surprised the league and swam their best returning to the top of the Founders’ league once again.
9. Fundraisers happened with several of our teams…all for a good cause. These events are great reminders to us all about how fortunate we are along with instilling a sense of responsibility to give back when we have the opportunity to do so.
10. Great school spirit happened throughout the winter. Swim meets, wrestling, basketball, squash matches and hockey games were well attended by those of you in the room supporting one another and by the rest of the Loomis community. As we move quickly through the spring term I hope we continue to go out of our way to support one another. Great work and congratulations on a fantastic winter term!
Alpine Skiing Frank Roberts
Despite unusually warm weather this winter our Loomis JV & Varsity ski teams had an amazing season. We had many solid finishes and some outstanding improvements. To think that a few years ago we had some of these fine athletes show up with no prior ski race experience is almost unbelievable. Many of our athletes learned new skills while others refined their skill set to take this year’s Loomis ski team to noticeable places thru championships.
It takes hard work and perseverance to be capable of racing at the high school prep level. Each member of our ski team should be very proud of their ability to give it their all each and every week. This year, with the help of coach Monti Montana, we were able to see the greatness in this ski team. It was such an honor working each week with this select group of focused athletes.
Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge a special senior athlete on this team that deserves recognition for outstanding service. Katie Warner, would you please stand at your seat for a moment? I would like to take a moment to thank Katie, who deserves special mention for her investment in the program and her willingness to reach out to her teammates, thank you Katie.
This year the team bestows two coaches' awards upon two of our student athletes that have played a key roll in mentoring and helping the program. Yuwi Yamashita and Sara Corsetti have raised the bar for future athletes to come. Yuwi & Sara represented this school with honor and have made their coaches proud. Day in and day out these two individuals did the little things that go into helping a team to become successful and we would like to thank them both for their dedication to the program and their commitment to their team and teammates by honoring them with this year’s Coaches Awards.
Now, the MVP of our Loomis ski team. She is the first freshman on record to win the New England Championship, with two 1st place runs she helped our team to take third place this season. She consistently finished her races in top placements and I feel the best is yet to come and we have only scratched the surface of her talent. Congratulations to Maddie Corsetti.
(Next year the championship should be ours for the taking)
Monti and I want to thank the entire team for a fantastic season. And thanks to all the parents that came out each week to cheer our team on.
EQUESTRIAN HARRISON SHURE
After a successful first year as a varsity team, the excitement surrounding the Equestrian program continued into the 2015-2016 season. This manifested itself in a number of ways; most notable, however, was the growth in the team from nine to fifteen riders. While the group as a whole struggled at the beginning of the year to work cohesively as a team – whether helping out around the barn or riding in larger groups in the ring – it was great to see them come together over the course of the fall and winter. As my riders have heard numerous times this year, I place a much greater value on individuals on the team becoming better horsemen and horsewomen, as opposed to their results in the show ring. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get to the horse show ring, including but not limited to taking care of the horses, picking manure from stalls and the ring, caring for tack and equipment, and more. I’m pleased to say that every member of this team is walking away from the season as better horsemen and women.
In the horse show ring, however, the team was also quite successful and competitive. In the interscholastic shows that we competed in, we finished 5th, 4th, 6th, 2nd, and 5th amongst some competitive team. Although we just missed out on qualifying for postseason shows as a team, these results still represented considerable progress from last year. Individually, there were also a number of standout performances by our riders throughout the year. Due to a rule change that increased the number of points required to qualify, we had several riders barely miss out on postseason opportunities. Even so, senior India Carpenter should be commended for being the only Loomis representative at regional semi-finals.
I would like to thank our three seniors: Emilie Szemraj, Abby Wade and India Carpenter for all their contributions to the equestrian program during their time at Loomis. All three of you showed tremendous leadership, especially this year, with what was a very young team. You will certainly be missed next year!
Most Improved Award: Liam Scott ’19. Although his results at horse shows did not always show it, Liam made an incredible amount of progress with his riding over the course of the year. Regardless of what horse he was riding, Liam approached each practice with a steadfast determination to work incredibly hard on improving his skillset. And improve he did. By the end of the season, I felt comfortable having Liam ride any horse in the barn; I ultimately knew that he had the patience, focus and ability to quickly make a connection with any given horse. Keep up the good work, Liam – we are excited to see the impact you will make next year!
Coaches Award: Emilie Szemraj ’16. Emilie had quite a strong senior season on the equestrian team – both in terms of her results at horse shows, and her general contributions to the program around the barn. During horse shows last year, Emilie struggled to adjust to different types of horses as she entered the ring. This year, thanks to her hard work during practices – especially without her stirrups! – Emilie became a much more versatile rider, which helped her tremendously at horse shows. She placed in every class, and had a couple top three finishes. Around the barn, Emilie was always willing to help her teammates out before or after their rides, and served as a great mentor to many of the younger members of the team. Congratulations, Emilie.
Coaches Award: India Carpenter ’16. During her junior year, India’s toughest opponent in the show ring was undoubtedly her nerves. The same thing cannot be said about her senior year. Out of India’s four horse shows, she placed first in two classes, and was second in another. Due to her hard work in practices throughout the year, India was able to walk right in the ring at horse shows with a focused mindset, ready to execute her plan. Even though India did not place at regionals, she should be thrilled to have qualified in what was a pretty competitive Intermediate division; she certainly represented the school well in Mystic. Congratulations, India.
BOYS’ SWIMMING FRED SEEBECK
Podium Speech:
The boys’ varsity swimmers and divers have enjoyed a very exciting five- year run, and this winter the momentum propelled us to our most successful dual meet season in over two decades! Every one of the 25 athletes in the program contributed to that milestone, so please let me introduce the boys to you now:
Freshmen: Brian Chen Viet-Ahn Dao Brady Jalili CJ Owen Jasper Shi
Sophs: Jordan Chen Michael Gorgan John-Michael LaDage Robert Lotreck Kevin Rhee Robert Wang Max Wickersham
Juniors: Patrick Craig Hayden Elms Timothy Eng Connor Farrell Alex Gordienko Christopher Li Jack Miller Tony Zhang
Seniors: Michael Cerny (4 year letter winner) Dave Chen (Capt. & 4-year letterman) Pat Cody (Capt. & 4-year letterman) William Meng (Capt. & 4-year letterman) Tristan Rhodes (Capt. & 2-tear letterman)
Managers: Dave Miccoli '17 Zach Zhang '17
Certainly the dramatic high point of our very exciting dual meet run came just after Head's Holiday Weekend, up at Suffield Academy, where we defeated the Tigers for the first time in more than a decade. Then, Although the Pelicans also triumphed over the Choate Wild Boars in our dual meet the following week, we couldn't quite match their sprinting depth at the Founders Championships, where they thwarted our effort to extend our three-year run as champions. Nevertheless, 87% best times on the day testified to the passion and intensity of the Loomis boys that day, which culminated in a breath-taking finish by all three of our 400 Freestyle Relays and Founders meet records from Jordan Chen and Dave Chen.
At the New Englands, too, the scope and depth of our traditional nemeses proved a little too much to overcome, as we finished in 6th place, despite the fact that we are a stronger team on paper this year than last, when we finished in fifth place. Among the 60+% best times were second place finishes from Jordan Chen and Dave Chen, who also posted a school record in the breaststroke at that meet. Kudos to Jordan for his school record in the 400 Free earlier this winter, and to Chris Li, Dave, Will Meng and Tony Zhang for establishing a new school mark in our Medley Relay!
At this point, I thank our managers Zach and Dave for their energy and dedication this winter, and on behalf of us all, special thanks to coaches DeConinck and Bucceri for their huge contributions to our success. Congrats to Coach Memo and his divers for our program's growth and success this year, and my heartfelt thanks to Coach Cali, our superb assistant coach whose contributions are priceless!
Our Seniors deserve special mention tonight: Mike Cerny has been a quiet inspiration for four years, and his progress over the past two seasons, especially, has been amazing. Thanks and kudos to another four year veteran, captain Pat Cody, for his tenacity in spite of formidable obstacles, and for his deep commitment to mentoring his younger teammates.
We honor our three other seniors with special awards tonight.
Coaches' Award: Tristan Rhodes has given more to our program in just two seasons than most athletes give to their teams in four. A tireless worker, an intense competitor, an extremely versatile athlete, and a humble leader, Tristan has been a terrific captain, a model of the teammate who invariably places the team ahead of his own interests. Congrats, Tristan!
Robert W. Hartman Trophy: In honor of the founder of the Loomis aquatics program, we salute William Meng for his four-year run as the icon of Loomis swimming. No one person has inspired so many others to push harder, stretch farther, and compete with more passion than William. Needless to say, he appears frequently on our all-time top 20 lists, very close to the top in every case, and he has a hand in two school records. We eagerly anticipate a very successful college career from Will, and we thank him for his intensity every day down at the Hedges Pool.
In the mid-1990s, teammates of Tony Riccio, who died tragically while living in Moscow, dedicated a trophy to his memory. To the member of our swimming AND water polo teams who has brought competitiveness, conviction, humor, and good will to his teammates and opponents, we award this to one of our most talented athletes in the program's history. From goal tender to high scorer on the polo team, and from dark horse individual medley phenom to breaststroke record holder, few of our team members in recent years have embodied the generous and uplifting nature of Tony as well as David Chen, our Riccio Award winner for 2016.
In closing, in spite of the joyful memories of our terrific 2016 season, I leave you with a heavy heart this evening. Our Director of Athletics, Bob Howe, plans to move to greener pastures and different challenges at the close of the school year. The Howe family, and Bob in particular, are deeply entwined in the Loomis Chaffee DNA, and for all of us athletes and coaches who have been WELL aware of Bob's support, his investment, concern, and enthusiasm for our hard work over the years, I offer my deepest gratitude and best wishes!
Coach’s Notes:
2016 Boys' Swimming & Diving
9-2-0 Founders League Runners-Up 6th place, New England Prep D-1 Championships
Freshmen: Brian Chen, Viet-Ahn Dao, Brady Jalili, CJ Owen, Jasper Shi
Sophomores: Jordan Chen, Michael Gorgan, John-Michael LaDage, Robert Lotreck, Kevin Rhee, Max Wickersham, Robert Wang Juniors: Patrick Craig, Hayden Elms, Timothy Eng, Connor Farrell, Alex Gordienko, Christopher Li, David Miccoli (mgr.), Jack Miller, Tony Zhang, Zachary Zhang (mgr.) Seniors: Mike Cerny, David Chen (capt.), Pat Cody (capt.), Tristan Rhodes (capt.), William Meng (capt.)
In this grueling, very honest sport of swimming and in its less grueling but exacting and nerve-wracking compadre, diving, we often discuss the difference between hopes and expectations. Essentially, we expect that every swimmer and diver will work as hard as he can every day, attending assiduously to important technical details, while we hope that, if each athlete makes a full commitment and a considerable investment, he will reap the rewards of improved times or scores ... and the team will win meets. For many decades, this time-tested relationship has inspired innumerable athletes in many different sports to subject themselves to exhausting workouts over weeks at a time in anticipation of happy conclusions to their seasons. Throughout the 2015-16 winter season at Loomis Chaffee, the Pelican swimmers and divers committed themselves to that regime, toiled hard day-in and day-out, and reaped the reward of an exciting and very successful season, including their best dual meet record in decades. While most of these young men fulfilled their hopes and a few just missed, some exceeded even their wildest imaginings.
Highlights of the first half of the long winter season included some unanticipated new arrivals at the diving board and the hot tub: Connor Farrell '17, Max Wickershem '18 and Ahn Dao '19. Though Connor had garnered some diving experience during his summer league seasons in the past, both Max and Ahn were rote beginners, but under the tutelage of Coach Memo and inspired by veterans Patrick Craig '17 and Madison Perry, they quickly took off and contributed generously to the team's scoring efforts, improving steadily over the course of the winter. In the mean time, the fearless distance crew of Will Meng '16, Timothy Eng '17, Chris Li '17, Jack Miller '17, Jordan Chen '18, and John-Michael La-Dage '18 churned away some long afternoons of heavy meterage and tight intervals en route to some dramatic racing later in the season. David Chen '16, meanwhile, led breaststrokers Tristan Rhodes '16, Meng, Eng, Farrell, Michael Gorgan '18 and Jasper Shi '19 through many stroke- specific workers that inspired some exciting improvements down the road, while Mike Cerny '16 motivated butterflyers Alex Gordienko '17, Robert Lotreck'18 and Brian Chen '19 to cover considerable distance in their primary stroke this season, resulting in strong finishes from them all. And under the wing of Pat Cody '16, newcomers Robert Wang '18, Shi and Brady Jalili '19, along with an occasional Gorgan and Brian Chen, grew more refined, more efficient, and more confident over the winter months. Dual meet opponents fell by the wayside, one after another, with two particularly close meets punctuating our first eight: Brunswick and Andover. Though the anticipated Brunswick barrage ended up being a bit of a false alarm, the competition did inspire a clean sweep of personal bests in the 100 Free (Meng, Miller, Hayden Elms '17, Kevin Rhee '18, Gordienko and Jalili) as well as a head-to-head battle between Jordan Chen and Brunswick's Will Powers that culminated in a win and school record for Jordan! On the other hand, our high hopes of defeating Andover's blue fish concluded abruptly in the face of Andover's dominance, as they won nine of the twelve events. Nevertheless, their fierce attack inspired 55% best times from the Pelicans, including a dramatic school record from our Medley Relay team of Chris Li, Dave Chen, Will Meng and Tony Zhang. Worthy of note during those first six weeks of the season, too, were Patrick Craig's absolute dominance of the diving event and his first appearance in a swimming race at Williston, where a skeletal Pelican crew eked out a solid victory, including event wins from freshmen CJ Owen (Individual Medley), Brian Chen (Butterfly) and Jasper Shi (Breaststroke) as well as a dramatic out-of-the-manager's- uniform-into-a-speedo performance from Zach Zhang in the IM.
Following Head's Holiday weekend, the boys returned in generally good health to tackle our four toughest meets of the season: Suffield, Exeter, Choate and Deerfield. This formidable group of opponents lurks like a pack of raptors in ambush every year, waiting to spring on us with their inevitably deep and talented teams. The first of these, the Suffield Tigers, proved to be the most dramatic dual meet of the 2016 season. For the first time in years, the Loomis boys managed to conquer the Tigers on the road, achieved through an amazing team effort! Though the Tigers captured seven first places on the day (and six second places), the Pelicans nickeled and dimed them through the bitter end, highlighted by Jordan Chen's double defeat of Suffield's ace, by Jack Miller's courageous final leg of the sprint relay (securing the win for Loomis by 0.06 second), and by a breaststroke blitz of Dave Chen (1), Timothy Eng (3), and Michael Gorgan (4). Then came Exeter, down in Windsor for Valentine's Day, yet another august opponent. However, despite an aggressive finish by the Exonians in the backstroke and the breaststroke, they could not counter the Pelicans' depth, which featured a 1-2 finish in the 200 Free (Meng and Miller), the 400 Free (Jordan and Jack) and the Individual Medley (Jordan and Dave Chen). Next in the meet sequence came Choate, eager to retaliate after losing a closely-contested polo match late in the fall. However, even with their nucleus Tristan So, the Wild Boars would have faced a battle royal with their rivals; without him, however (he was sick), despite many close races and a beautiful display in diving, Choate ultimately yielded to the Loomis attack. Mentally spent after those three excruciatingly tight meets, the Pelicans hosted Deerfield's Big Green for our dual meet finale on senior day. Deerfield's 1-2 punch in the opening medley relay sent a clear message, and despite some 40% best times, the Pelicans succumbed to the depth and strength of the Big Green, closing out their best dual meet season in memory.
Every season, everyone's spirits and energy levels rise during the championship phase of the season, team solidarity intensifies, hair colors and cuts take interesting turns, and all of the hard work comes to its climax. The 2016 version of the taper proved no exception, though the increasingly competitive nature of our league became apparent to us, particularly during the New Englands. At the Founders Championships, however, the Pelicans set out to defend a three-year run as champions from the confident and deep Choate challengers. Armed with an exceptionally talented group of sprinters, the Wild Boars whittled away at the Loomis line-up, ultimately earning the championship laurels despite the Pelicans' 87% personal or season's bests on the day. An 87% showing, including a couple of meet records (Dave Chen and Jordan Chen) and a school record (Jordan Chen) reflected the outstanding effort submitted by the Pelicans. Perhaps that effort was best symbolized by the fact that all three of the Loomis 400 Free Relays logged in dramatically improved times for the season that day, all 12 swimmers contributing generously to that cause. The following weekend at Deerfield, site of the D-1 New Englands, our Loomis boys again aspired to surpass most of the teams that we had encountered during the dual meet season. As things turned out, both Choate and Exeter possessed a little more firepower than the Pelicans that day, though some 60% best times from our Loomis boys reflected the fact that their efforts throughout the winter had been sincere, focused and consistent. Interestingly, though the 2016 squad would have defeated our 2015 squad (on paper) at that meet, our 2016 overall team score was lower than the 2015 mark, reflecting the expanding depth, strength and speed of our league overall.
Our thanks extend to many folks, from our faithful fans (especially our devoted parents), to Mr. Howe and Mrs. Scanlon, patient providers of our various needs; to juniors David Miccoli and Zach Zhang, our superb managers whose commitment to their buddies' success was obvious every afternoon; to Coach Memo, for his inspiring work with our divers; to Coaches Bucceri and DeConinck, for their immense patience and expert guidance; and to Coach Pond, for his professional oversight of our home meets (and his continued devotion as our #1 fan). Finally, a special thank you to Coach Cali (Coach Shimamoto) for her masterful work with every layer of the coaching job, from motivating the boys to fine-tuning their mechanics, and from championing healthy living to keeping computer- like command of their times and splits - we would be stranded high and dry without her. With thanks to you all for making the program's 47th season a huge success!
Come Memorial Day weekend, 2016, we will say a fond farewell to five of the most devoted, talented and invested seniors we have ever worked with: Tristan Rhodes, two-year veteran, Herculean in effort, abundant in wit and kindness, devoted beyond the call; Mike Cerny, four-year man, quietly passionate and intense, ever receptive to advice, a terrific example of dedication and diligence; Dave Chen, another four-year teammate, explosive and strong, playful yet committed, a natural ambassador for Loomis aquatics; Pat Cody, still another four-year vet, unfailingly positive and astonishingly resilient, a generous, compassionate and patient shepherd of our younger swimmers; and William Meng, four years as well, the epitome of hard work, extremely versatile and dependable, the face of Loomis swimming. How will we proceed without you all? Please keep in touch with news of your exploits, visit often, and sustain the spirit of LC aquatics within you!
With twenty boys returning next year, seven of whom already appearing on our all-time top twenty lists (and several others just centimeters away), the Pelicans look forward to another rewarding campaign in 2016-17. On behalf of Coaches Cali and Memo, my thanks again to every one of you for the energy, dedication and joy you inject into our programs every day!
GIRLS’ SWIMMING BOB DeCONINCK
The Girls Varsity Swimming and Diving team enjoyed a successful season. As a team, the Pelicans finished the season with a record of 6 wins and 5 losses, and winning the Founder’s League Championship Meet, our first championship since 2012. In a highly competitive Division I New England Championships, the Pelicans dove and swam their way to an eighth place finish. Most importantly, the athletes had fun, worked hard and saw significant personal improvement throughout the season.
From the beginning of the season to the very end, the girls showed up each day to give their best efforts. With the addition of young, hard- working new swimmers on the team this year, combined with our returning veterans, the bar was raised in workouts from the very first day and the athletes accepted this challenge. Whether it be 3000 meter sets or Bucceri Boot camp, the girls knew that all the hard work was necessary and would be what was needed to swim fast at the end of the year. During dual meets, the girls learned to race and to compete, learning to focus and pay attention to the details of their race strategies, starts, strokes and turns. The improvement that all the girls showed in the pool and on the boards throughout the year was awesome. Highlights of the dual meet season was watching junior Madison Perry continue to set the bar high in diving, breaking a 37-year old school record for 11 dives, as well as setting pool records in every pool that she competed in, including our own Hedges Pool. At our two championship meets, the girls really shined, with Madison, along with sophomores Suzy Ryckman, Kimberly Ma, and Ruby Schiller winning Founders League Championships in their individual events. Along with Maddie, Suzy, Kim and Ruby, sophomores Mairin Moylan and Juliet Rhodes, juniors Emily Gardiner and Emily Favreau and senior co-captain Winda Wanikpun, these girls scored valuable individual points at New England’s and made a significant contribution to our strong relays. Along the way, Suzy Ryckman broke the school record in the 50-yard freestyle and the team of Emily Gardiner, Ruby Schiller, Kim Ma and Suzy Ryckman broke the school record in the 200 yard Freestyle Relay.
The team will miss the fine leadership of our seniors. Winda Wanikpun has been a stalwart of our program for the past four years and served as a great co-captain this year. Winda was a front-line swimmer for us from her very first meet and has been a consistent member of the lineup in the 50 and 100 freestyle events for four years. She had a strong finish to the year and along with co-captain Emily Gardiner was able to provide great leadership throughout the season. They set a great tone this year, leading to a positive, hard-working atmosphere. She will be tough to replace. Ruthie Kornblatt-Stier developed over four years into a strong freestyler and each and every day gave her very best in the pool. This year, her leadership and support for her teammates, as well as her enthusiasm for the team was evident and certainly appreciated by all. I wanted to mention that Ruthie has been recognized as a NISCA Academic All- American, a great academic honor. Both of our seniors have shown what it means to be an athlete at Loomis Chaffee. They have been great Pelicans. They will be sorely missed and have set an example of excellence for others to follow. Thank you seniors and good luck! Thank you to all the swimmers and divers for all your effort and hard work! You were a great group to coach!
MOST VALUABLE ATHLETES:
Madison Perry: Maddie is the type of athlete that when she performs, people stop and watch, waiting for something great to happen. From the beginning of the season to the end, Maddie set the standard in New England diving, going undefeated throughout the season, setting pool records in every pool that she competed, including a pool record in Hedges pool as well as an 11-dive school record, breaking the record set in 1978. Although Maddie has only been diving for a relatively short time, she has dedicated herself to the sport by training year-round and has worked hard to get where she is. Winning Founders for the third straight year, she set her sights on New England’s and in a thrilling competition, showed her mettle by coming from behind the last three dives to beat a diver who beat her last year at New England’s. Her degree of difficulty in her dives is tops in the league and she has the confidence and focus to put blinders on and dive within herself. Although Maddie was our only diver this year, it was nice to count on those six points each and every meet! Maddie has one year left and I look forward to seeing what she has in store next season. I am happy to award Maddie Co-MVP of our swimming and diving team.
Suzy Ryckman: As a follow-up to last season’s stellar freshman year, Suzy has continued to excel in the pool. From the outset of the season, Suzy has trained hard, both in the pool and in BBC, our dryland program. Her versatility, strength, and athleticism was evident as Suzy swam in almost every event over the course of the season, including competing as a diver against NMH, where she amazed everyone with her athletic ability. Only a sophomore, Suzy is a leader in the pool during meets as well as in practice. She is a presence. At the Founders Championship, Suzy was the Founders League Champion in the 50 Freestyle and in the 100 Breaststroke. In the 50, Suzy broke the school record in what I felt was a near-perfect swim and in the 100 breast (which happens to be her third best stroke) came within three tenths of a second from breaking a decade old school record. Suzy was part of two Founder’s Championship relays, including anchoring the 200 Free Relay, which set a new school record. At New England’s, Suzy changed up her schedule of events and made finals in both the 100 back and 100 Free, in which she finished third, as well as making a huge impact on two relays. Suzy is our Most Valuable Swimmer due to her ability, work ethic and leadership as she helped to carry the team through dual meets, and in particular, the confidence and determination that she showed in our two championship meets. Awesome season, Suzy!
Coaches’ Award: Mairin Moylan
Mairin Moylan: In two years, Mairin has established herself as an integral part of our lineup. For Mairin, her swimming really began to click for her towards the end of last season and then, with a year under her belt, she exploded this season with more confidence, determination and drive. As Mairin began to challenge herself more and to have greater success in workouts, this confidence carried over to meets. Mairin’s efforts in practices and her drop in swimming times during meets really made her teammates sit up and take notice of her success. Mairin is a very good athlete and one of her best assets is that she loves to compete and does not get easily rattled. She has shown that she is dependable and can perform well under pressure and actually seems to thrive on it, regardless of whether she is competing in an individual event during a dual meet or as part of an A relay in the New England finals. I know that we have not seen the last of Mairin’s improvement and with continued solid effort, I have no doubt that she will make an even greater impact in our league. Great job, Mairin. You should be proud of your accomplishments. We certainly are!
Coach’s Notes: 2015-2016 Girls Varsity Swimming and Diving
The Girls Varsity Swimming and Diving team enjoyed a very successful season. As a team, the Pelicans finished the season with a record of 6 wins and 5 losses, winning the Founders League Championship Meet, their first since 2012! In a highly competitive Division I New England Championships, the Pelicans dove and swam their way to an eighth place finish. Most importantly, the athletes had fun, worked hard and saw significant personal improvement throughout the season.
The season is divided into three segments: a preseason, which runs through the New Year, the dual meet season, and the championship season. The season began with preseason training and tryouts where the team of twenty swimmers and three divers were chosen, with eight new team members. During this preseason conditioning period the team began to establish a conditioning base for the season and began to form a culture of working together as a team. This team concept would be very important in making it through a demanding swim season as the team would certainly be forming their own identity due to so many young swimmers on the team. As a team we talked about our focus being on swimming our very best each and every time we came into the pool, whether it is practice or a meet, as well as improving our individual swims each time as well. We also set our focus on winning the meets that were within our reach throughout the season. We began the season with a solid win against Miss Porter’s, a young team but still a team that we had struggled with in recent years. Next up was the Convent of the Sacred Heart. The Pelicans were still searching for the lineup that would best use the versatile talents of the girls to our advantage. In this meet, there were some very good early season swims that led to a decisive victory, and the team broke for winter break with a 2-0 record, and with their sights set on some rest but also on what was ahead after the break.
Upon returning back to campus and the beginning of classes, our schedule allowed an extra week of workouts before we hosted Kent on a Wednesday afternoon. After almost a month without racing, it was nice to see the girls swim and dive with such passion and enthusiasm. This was a sign of good things to come. The meet showed the positive effect of the hard training the team has done, and also gave some members of the team the opportunity to swim in meaningful events, allowing the coaching staff to get a better idea as to the versatility of this year’s squad. Our next meet was against a deep Andover team. We swam very well but didn’t quite have enough depth to beat the Blues. Against Williston, the girls swam and dove well against a young and improving Wildcat squad. We were ready to race on that day and it showed with some good swims. The Hopkins Mariners were next up on the docket. Hopkins is always tough and well-coached, and we looked forward to the challenge of some good, competitive races. Unfortunately, Mother Nature intervened and the meet was cancelled. It seems that this happens quite often for this meet! Next up was a dual meet against Hotchkiss and the chance to swim in their facility which would be the site for the 2016 Founders Championship. The Pelicans swam and dove well and came away with a fairly easy victory over the Bearcats. The ten-lane pool allowed many of our girls to swim some individual events in a competitive situation. Prior to leaving for the long weekend, the girls geared up for the last meet of January, against the Hoggers of NMH. With the long weekend on their mind, the team was fairly subdued during the meet but still came away with a solid victory over the NMH girls. It was an awesome way to go into Head’s weekend! Following the Head's Holiday, the Pelicans returned rested and rejuvenated and swam very well against a strong Suffield team. The Tigers were missing a key swimmer and the Pelicans responded well by taking Suffield to the final swimmer in the 400 Free Relay, winner take all! Unfortunately, Loomis was just touched out in the end, but the girls, while disappointed, felt really good about their ability to compete in a close meet! Next up was Exeter, where we maintained our momentum and competed well and had many great races during the day. Again, the depth of Exeter was too much for the Pelicans. Following the Exeter weekend, the team prepared for our meet against Choate. Unfortunately, the team was a bit flat on that day and although there were some good races that day, the Pelicans didn’t quite have enough steam to compete to the end and found themselves on the losing end of the meet. The team then prepared for our final home meet in Hedges Pool on Senior Day against Deerfield. The pool was decorated nicely with posters and ribbons and it was a great way to honor our seniors who have meant so much to our team for the past four years. The team finished the dual meet season with some inspired swims and good races against a very tough Deerfield team, the eventual NEPSSA Division I champion. Deerfield honored their seniors as well. During the dual meets, the girls swam and dove great and laid the groundwork for what would prove to be a very exciting championship phase.
As the season progressed, improvement through hard work was continually emphasized. The team’s work ethic was outstanding, not only in the pool, but also on the deck during dry land. Thanks to Coach Bucceri, we continued to build on “BBC” this year. Bucceri Boot Camp! A great way to work on abdominals and core strength. This improvement was evident all season long and going into championships we were confident that we would swim well.
As we began the final phase of the season, the Championship Phase, we began our “taper” or resting period. The Founder’s League Championship, held at the beautiful Hotchkiss pool, ended up being one of the higlights of the season, with the Pelican’s first Founders Championship since 2012! Overall, the team had roughly 90% season and personal bests! Highlights of the meet were school records set by Suzy Ryckman ’18 (50 Free), Madison Perry ’17 (Diving) and the 200 Free Relay (Emily Gardiner ’17, Ruby Schiller ’18, Kim Ma ’18, Suzy Ryckman ’18). Other Founders League Champions were the 200 Medley Relay (Suzy Ryckman ’18, Juliet Rhodes ’18, Ruby Schiller ’18, Winda Wanikpun ’16), Kim Ma ’18 (200 Free, 500 Free), Ruby Schiller ’18 (100 Fly), and Suzy Ryckman ’18 (100 Breast). Our performances at this meet gave the swimmers and diver the confidence that they needed heading into the New England Division I Prep School Championships. At the Division I NEPSSA Championships, of which thirteen schools participated, the girls swam well, with over 97% swimming personal best times over the past two wekends. As always, this year’s meet was again very exciting with fast swimming all around. On day 1 during trials, swimmer after swimmer swam best times, both personal and season bests. It was an exciting day and gave us the confidence for finals the following day, as not only were the finalists swimming but all of our relays would have a chance to compete. Younger swimmers were called upon to make an impact in relays and the veterans swam with confidence. We dove and swam extremely well. It was a great testament to the team’s determination and efforts all season in how they finished the season and finished the meet, with outstanding 400 Free Relay swims! In the end, the Pelicans finished in 8th place. Well done, right to the very end!
From the very beginning of this season, the swimmers and divers came to practice every day focused and ready to work hard. The coaches are so proud of every member of this team for their attitude, effort, and commitment to excellence. Their improvement was phenomenal. Their work ethic was admirable, as was their enthusiasm. Every meet personal best times were broken, time and again. It was especially nice to see the team really enjoy each other’s company this season and support each other day in and day out when things were tough. Psyche boxes, team dinners, and spirit days were welcomed by all. This team has been a lot of fun and a pleasure to coach! Thank you to a great group of parents who supported us all season and kept us well-fed!
The team will miss the fine leadership of senior co-captain Winda Wanikpun and classmate Ruthie Kornblatt-Stier. This is a small, but great group of seniors and they will be sorely missed, both for their talents in the water and for their strong leadership. They have set an example of excellence for the past four years for others to follow. Thank you seniors and good luck!
As this season comes to a conclusion the coaches are already looking forward to next season. The girls have shown that hard work and commitment will produce positive results. Each and every day the girls brought a hard-working and determined attitude to the pool. We hope that the returning members of this team will work hard over the off season and return stronger, faster, and ready to pick up where we left off this year. Awesome season, girls. Thank you for all your efforts!
BOYS SQUASH ELLIOT BECK
Good evening. This season for Boys Varsity Squash saw some strong markers of success mixed with disappointing results against very strong teams. The season began with an exciting 4-3 over Kent, a team we had lost two in the 2014-2015 by a score of 4-3. Unfortunately, this was also the last 4-3 match of the season, which mean that no team matches were as exciting for the rest of the season. However, I would still consider this season a success, as there were a lot of standout performances and exciting individual matches which more than made up for the one-sided team matches that were indicative of the rest of the season.
I want to take a moment to recognize the seniors on this team, but before I do I want to make a note about how the rules of squash tie into sportsmanship. Squash is somewhat of a quaint sport, and good behavior on court is written into the rules themselves. If a professional player even just swears on court he or she can suffer penalties ranging from a lost point to a lost match, and the same rules apply to all levels of the game. As such I am incredibly proud of the fact that, out of the 40 teams competing in New England’s Loomis Chaffee was one of two that received the New England’s Sportsmanship Award at the end of the season!
Now I would like to take a moment to thank the five seniors on the team this year; manager Anita Richmond, Sam Kent, Alex Cohen, Samir Agadi and two-year captain Will Pepi. The leadership and camaraderie that these five provided will be sorely missed next year, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have worked with each of them. Depending on the time and the activity each stepped to lead when they were needed to, and without their incredible example the team would not have had the same level of competition mixed with great sportsmanship. Thank you very much to all of you!
Most Improved Player The first award for Most Improved Player goes to Sam Kent, class of 2016. At the beginning of the season, Sam’s squash game could be best described as an “indiscriminate power game.” Sam would hit the ball as hard as he could, often towards the front wall, and with only a passing care about where it might end up. Although this tactic worked at the JV level, making the jump to Varsity meant that Sam was struggling to beat opponents who were markedly less skilled than he was. By the end of the season, Sam was playing 7 on the varsity team and had secured himself the #1 seed at New England’s for his flight. Despite some nerves Sam played incredibly well, and while at the beginning of the season he may have been a good athlete applying his skills to squash, by the end of the season he was truly a squash player with a bright future in the sport!
Most Valuable Player The Most Valuable Player award this year goes to Tarquin Hanson, class of 2019. This award is given yearly to the player with the most wins during the course of the season, and Tarquin definitely lived up to that expectation. Tarquin started the season with the clinching fourth win over Kent at #5, and ever since he seemed always able to pull out incredible victories at the last minute. Tarquin had a match in New England’s that undoubtedly shortened my life expectancy, as he managed to give up roughly 40 strokes, which are essentially free points for his opponent, on the road to once again beating a Kent opponent. In the end the team was very happy to have Tarquin and his consistency on the team this year and he has set himself up for a very strong 4 years on the team.
Coach’s Award The Coach’s award this year goes to Will Pepi, class of 2016. I like to think of Will as this school’s franchise player in squash. Will is in many ways the face of the squash team, and as he has developed over his four years it has become clear that Will has taken this responsibility very seriously. Will works hard in practice, plays incredibly well in matches, and even took it upon himself to go on multi-mile runs with a top cross country runner in an effort to improve his fitness by even more. Will has been a vital piece of this program over the last four years and he will be sorely missed as he heads off to college next year. Thank you so much Will for 4 great years!
GIRLS SQUASH CHRIS WEED
PODIUM SPEECH:
This was a season of feast and famine for the Girls Squash Program. Our team match scores were decisive in that we either won fairly handily or we didn’t. In the early part of the season we saw decisive wins over Williston, Suffield and Westminster. Toward the middle of the season we faced many Division A teams where we saw a few individual player wins but struggled in terms of team success. Later in the season at Pomfret we steadied ourselves and went on to win 5 of our last 7 matches. That strong finish helped us achieve the rank of 16th place in New England and gave us a bid into the Division A--NEISA tournament. It has been a few years since Loomis has been in the Division A tournament. As a team and as individual players, we learned a lot about ourselves facing some of the best players in the country throughout this season and I know the returning players will build upon this experience for years to come.
Thank You: In particular, I would like to thank Coach Mullin for her graciousness, good nature and guidance throughout the season. Her history with the school, the program, and the players was invaluable to me and to the success of both the JV and Varsity teams this year. I’d also like to thank Bob Howe, Vicky Scanlon, Coaches Beck and McCandless, Joe and Keith in the equipment room and the training staff…..I really appreciate you all welcoming me and helping me and the team throughout the season.
Starting out, I want to recognize one of our seniors, Isa Foti. Isa has been a solid fixture in the program during her time at Loomis. This season her individual match record at 9-6 was tied for 2nd best on the team. Additionally, she had the second highest individual game win percentage at 57% and the best individual point win percentage at 54%. Lastly she was tied for first place on the team in terms of 3-0 shutout wins with 8 on the season. The way Isa could cover court space so quickly…stretch and contort to return opponents’ shots….all while keeping a fairly calm demeanor and “good sport” attitude toward her opponent….it was awesome to witness. Good job on a great season, Isa!
Most Improved Player—Eleanor Struthers This was Eleanor’s first year on the varsity team. She finished the season with an overall record of 9-7 and was 5-5 in matches scored for varsity team wins. She had a win percentage of 51% for both points played and games played which was 4th best on the team. Eleanor rarely missed practice and did not miss a single match all season. She was demonstrated a willingness to work and give her best every step of the way and with a positive attitude. As the season progressed, she was excellent at analyzing her game and working hard to add a variety of shots to her repertoire. She is the most improved player for this season because she worked hard on her skills and her fitness and was consistently engaged in seeing improvement overall.
Coaches Award--co-captains Sherly Francois and Claudia Lamprecht. Before the start of the season, Sherly told me two key things: that she wanted to achieve the #1 position on the team and that she wanted to sustain her energy level as the season progressed. Sherly reached and held the #1 position during the critical second half of the season where we faced some of our strongest competition. Sherly’s vast experience on this team and in the world of squash along with her tenacity on court was a pleasure to witness. She brought good humor, a feisty attitude and some serious dance moves to the table. Sherly has made her mark on the Squash program and I am excited she will continue to dart around and crush deep rails in college. She is a true competitor and ambassador of the sport. Thanks for being such a good captain, Sherly……and best of luck in the future.
Claudia brought an indispensable, Zen-like approach to the team and the season. Despite a chronic elbow issue and a bit of reluctance to over stress herself, one could catch Claudia being fiercely competitive and pushing beyond her zone of Zen to give her opponents some stress and grief. On the other hand, when it came to her teammates’ handling of competitive stress, some would say Claudia was the team mom. There were often times when she could tell one of her teammates needed some specific instruction or strategy, soothing support or a maybe just a quick stress-reduction exercise….and she was more than happy to oblige. Whether she herself continues to compete in squash in the future, there is no doubt Claudia could be wonderful a coach or even a sports psychologist. Congratulations on a great squash career here at Loomis, Claudia! Thanks for being a great captain, a good sport and a caring teammate.
Coach’s Notes: Loomis Chaffee Girls Squash 2015-2016 Coach: Christopher Weed Regular Season Record: 8-8
Team Roster: Year Letter: Sherly Francois © 2016 3rd Claudia Lamprecht © 2016 3rd Isa Foti 2016 2nd Anika Bhargava 2017 2nd Izzy Lent 2017 2nd Katrina Lugli 2017 1st Amara Haider 2019 1st Eleanor Struthers 2018 1st
2015-2016 Match Info:
12/5 Westminster 3-4 L 12/9 Williston 7-0 W 12/16 Suffield 5-2 W 1/9 Westminster 6-1 W 1/13 Choate 0-7 L 1/16 Andover 0-7 L 1/16 Exeter 0-7 L 1/20 Taft 2-5 L 1/25 Deerfield 0-7 L 1/27 Pomfret 6-1 W 1/30 Hotchkiss 0-7 L 2/3 Miss Porter’s 5-2 W 2/10 Greenwich 0-7 L 2/12 Kingswood 5-2 W 2/17 Millbrook 6-1 W 2/20 Kent 7-0 W
16th Seed in New England—Division A NEISA Championship Participant
Individual Stats Leaders: Best Individual Match Record: Katrina Lugli (10-6) Best Individual Point Win Percentage: Isa Foti (54%) Best Individual Game Win Percentage: Amara Haider (57%) Most Individual Shut Out (3-0) Wins: Isa Foti (8) and Amara Haider (8)
GIRLS ICE HOCKEY LIZ LEYDEN
I would like to start by saying thank you to several people: Bob Howe is the best AD around and his ongoing support of our team has been unbelievable. Don and Jean provided invaluable help with all the bumps and bruises this winter. Our managers Maia, Rachel, and Alice helped, were accountable and terrific. And Coaches Chuck Vernon and Chelsea Ouellette make my job as head coach so much easier; I feel so fortunate to work with such able and passionate people. Thank you all!
This was a memorable season for the girls’ varsity hockey team. I have never had so much fun coaching as I did this past winter. This is a special group, and they collectively and individually have a lot to be proud of. I believe that this group learned the true meaning of team play this season. Individual successes were team successes, and we did very well, compiling an overall record of 22-4-1. Notably of our 22 wins 13 were shutouts, and at one time we had a 341 minute (that’s 7+ games) shutout streak. However, I am most proud of how the team came together. In our semifinal win against Williston more than one player on the bench broke into tears after we scored our fifth goal to seal the game because they were so happy. That was pretty special to see.
I credit this season to the commitment each girl made to be ONE – one team making the most each and every day to become better in all aspects – better players, better teammates, better people. I also credit our success to our seniors. Abby Marmer, Bailey Coyne, Catriona Hong, Hannah Falvey, Michaela Giuttari, Paige Capistran and Sarah Stevens together made an incredible leadership core. Each girl played a different role on the team, and they ably led in their own unique way. These seven made the most of this season, they gave the team their all and they should be proud of the result. Thank you seniors – our team is stronger now because of each of you, and we will miss you greatly next year.
MVPs: This season the team has two MVPs. These two girls, Bailey Coyne and Sharon Frankel, have raised the bar in practice for the past three years. Each and every day they compete, push themselves, each other and the rest of the team to be ever better and they do not take any days off. Both are committed athletes who are determined to improve and make the most of every opportunity. Their play on the ice on their respective lines led the forwards. Opposing teams routinely tried, and failed, to slow Bailey and Sharon down. Teams could not focus on just one of them, because when they did that the other player made them pay. They each had at least a point per game average offensively. Furthermore, Bailey and Sharon were two of our top penalty killers this year (it was typically the only time they were on the ice together) and only two teams scored power play goals against us all year. Bailey and Sharon were invaluable to this team and they are each well deserving of the MVP award.
Coaches Award: There are also two Coaches Awards this season. Four years ago there were only two freshmen on the varsity team – Abby Marmer and Catriona Hong – and the program was in a very different place. These two girls in their own unique ways have made their mark and have been instrumental in getting our program to where it is today. Abby as a tri-captain and knowing that she would need to be a vocal leader this year looked to serve and in the process developed her voice and her confidence. By focusing on others Abby ended up having the best season of her career both on and off the ice (a good lesson for us all). Catriona Hong had a very different four year path than Abby. Since I have been the coach here there is no kid who has improved more in four years than Trina. For four years Trina has been a team-first player with a flawless attitude. She has always understood her role and regardless of what it was, she aimed to fulfil her role to the best of her ability. Trina’s growth mindset, her determination to improve and to best help the team, and her genuinely nice personality have helped make this program better. We have been fortunate to have both Abby and Trina in this program for four years; they have left this program in a better place!
Lastly there is a new award this year. The Chuck Vernon Award. This award is the highest award given out by our program at the Awards Banquet and is in honor of Bruno. Chuck’s contributions to the girls hockey program go back to the program’s inception. He helped move girls hockey along in its infancy, and as more than one coaching colleague has said: “Bruno is truly a living legend.” The winner of this award in addition to receiving an award tonight will also have her name engraved on a plaque that will be hanging in the rink.
The plaque will read:
The Chuck Vernon Award: Presented annually to a member of the girls varsity hockey team who best demonstrates high character, commitment to team values, and leadership. She, much like Chuck Vernon, has undoubtedly created a positive mark and lasting legacy on the Loomis Chaffee girls hockey team.
This year the award goes to Paige Capistran. In two years as a Pelican Paige made an impact that few girls are able to make. She is hard working, humble, and has an insatiable desire to improve and become the best she possibly can be. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Paige!
Coach’s Notes: Roster: # Name Pos. Year 2 Erin Levine D 2018 3 Catriona Hong *** F 2016 4 Abby Marmer *** D 2016 Captain 5 Hannah Falvey** F 2016 6 Cali Stevens* F 2018 9 Sarah Stevens* F 2016 10 Michaela Giuttari** D 2016 Captain 11 Bailey Coyne** F 2016 12 Grace Usilton** D 2017 13 Linda Essery** F 2017 14 Avery Flynn D 2019 16 Emma Flynn* F 2017 18 Sharon Frankel** F 2017 19 Jess Schryver F 2019 20 Georgia Kraus F 2019 21 Paige Capistran* D 2016 Captain 22 Maddie Giordano** F 2017 23 Maddie Hong F 2019 30 Julia Benjamin** G 2017 35 Taylor Stadeli G 2018
Coaches: Liz Leyden, Chuck Vernon, Chelsea Ouellette * Repeat Letter Winners – one star for each year Team Record: 22-4-1 Team Accolades: New England Tournament Finalist No. 3 Seed in Playoffs: 1-0 Quarterfinal Win vs. New Hampton 5-2 Semifinal Win vs. Williston Northampton 0-4 Final Loss vs. Nobles Final Ranking: No. 2 in Division I NEPSGIHA Individual Accolades: Paige Capistran – Second Team All-Star
Senior Shout Outs: Abby Marmer and Trina Hong started the class of 2016 as the lone freshmen. They were then joined the next year by Bailey Coyne, Hannah Falvey and Michaela Giuttari and transfers Paige Capistran and Sarah Stevens then rounded out the class when they entered as juniors. This is an incredibly strong class on the ice. But what is most remarkable about them is how they led the charge the year each and every day. Abby, Michaela and Paige served as captains, but Bailey, Hannah, Sarah and Trina’s contributions were equally important. They worked together as a collective group, knew their individual strengths and used them appropriately. The word that overwhelmingly comes out of almost every player’s mouth about the season is “positive” – a positive team culture. That is what every coach dreams of! This class has left a legacy that won’t soon be forgotten. Thank you 2016!
BOYS ICE HOCKEY JOHN ZAVISZA
This was one of those seasons that you wish wouldn’t end. This year’s Boys’ Varsity Hockey Team was an incredibly special group that exceeded everyone’s expectations on account of its chemistry, great goaltending, and a youthful never say die attitude. The team finished the season with a 20-7-3 record which doesn’t begin to highlight this team’s success or this team’s story. From the St. Paul’s Jamboree the first weekend of the season, to the Avon Tournament, to Switzerland, to the Elite Eight Tournament, it was a long, fulfilling, and unforgettable journey. The tightness of this group was forged by the leadership of our captains Tim Birarelli and Andy DeLalla and with help from their senior classmates TK Murphy, Griffin Welch, Shamus Fenton, and Wilson McCloy. Going into the season leadership was the biggest X-factor with thirteen new players, eleven sophomores, and only five seniors and a PG. But they all stepped up and guided this young and inexperienced group to achieving its potential. From the first game on, the team played beyond its years and quickly developed a strong sense of confidence and trust in one another. A winning attitude and culture was born and from there the team fearlessly attacked every challenge. Thank you to each member of this team, our seniors especially, to one of the best coaching staffs in prep hockey, AD Bob Howe, all the parents, our fans, and everyone else who made this such a season to remember.
Coaches’ Award—Griffin Welch: Griffin has done whatever we’ve asked him to do for the last two seasons. As a junior he played on a line whose sole responsibility was to make sure that our oppositions’ top line didn’t score. He welcomed the challenge, despite the ingloriousness of the role, and succeeded admirably. This season, we got that and much more. Griffin played a significant role on our penalty kill, logged powerplay minutes and tallied sixteen points on the season, while maintaining a strong defensive presence. Still when we faced exceptional players this year, Griffin shadowed them and did the job without hesitation, did it well, and thus sacrificed for his team. His most important contribution this year was his daily demonstration of what team-first means and leaving his mark on the culture of this team and this hockey program.
Coaches’ Award—Andy DeLalla: Andy was our only three year senior this year and with that has experienced much as a Pelican. He’s been here through the peak of Loomis hockey and has seen two banners go up in his time, and has played in more playoff games than any LC Hockey player before him. For the duration of his time at Loomis, Andy has embodied the spirit of Loomis hockey not only through his leadership at the rink, but also through his leadership on campus and his achievements in the classroom. As a captain he was an ideal model for this very young group of players as he always maintained a high standard of excellence.
MVP—Tim Birarelli: This year’s theme has been “Pound the Rock.” Despite the 500 lbs. of granite in our locker room Timmy was our rock this season. He logged over 1400 minutes for us in the net, stopped over 700 shots, and maintained a .928 save percentage. He also earned a shutout in seven of his twenty-nine appearances. All told, his role on the team was enormous and he handled it with great poise and was recognized by the league in being named to the 2016 All New England Team. He led his Grey team to the team cup championship this season as well. Additional Career highlights include MVP of the AOF Tournament in 2014, .929 save percentage, 11 shutouts, a Founders Championship, and an Avon Tournament title. Beyond his on-ice play, as a captain, his leadership was key in helping to bring along this group of young players and his always colorful presence around the guys contributed greatly to the cohesiveness of this team. He certainly is a piece of work but we love him and are grateful for his contribution to this team’s success.
Golden Buoy—Tim Birarelli: The lobster buoy in its intended use offers a sense of place and a sense of direction. While doing such it takes a beating from the ebbs and flows of the tide and the crashing of waves. Lobstering in and of itself is hard work as lobstermen brave cold weather, fog, and haul heavy traps hopefully filled with strong pinching crustaceans. With that in mind, after every win, we have a tradition of handing out a buoy to the game’s hardest worker or MVP. The player who won it previously hands it out after a victory. The Golden Buoy is an award voted on by the team and acknowledges the hardest working and most spirited player who best represents the ideals of Loomis Hockey. It is only fitting that this year's golden buoy goes to the lobster fisherman himself, Timmy. Throughout the season Timmy weathered the storm of countless shots and scoring chances and gave us an opportunity to win every game. Not only was Timmy consistent with his efforts on the ice, but also with his attitude in the locker room. He kept everyone's spirits high through the ups and downs of the season and made every day enjoyable. Congratulations on all of your achievements this season and thanks for being a great co-captain.
Joe Birarelli “Living the Dream” Scholarship Award—TK Murphy: TK has been the ultimate utility man for us as he’s played in just about every situation and in several different roles over the last two seasons. His competitiveness, coachability, and team-first attitude made him a great teammate, leader, and key contributor. Like Jay Bilas talks about in his book Toughness, in regards to role, TK has been the epitome of taking his role, whatever it is, and making it a BIG ROLE. TK is tough, gritty, and wears his heart on his sleeve. He takes this mentality and attitude to all that he does as is exampled by his success in the classroom, in the community, and on the soccer and lacrosse fields. The Joe Birarelli “Living the Dream” Scholarship Fund was started in 2014 in honor of Joe and his love of watching Tim play hockey and becoming a huge part of the Beverly, MA hockey family & community. Joe's motto was "Living the Dream". He felt everyday was a gift and lived and raised his family to live with no regrets. His passion for life, work & family was undeniable. The ability to be a commercial fisherman and to be out on the ocean and do what he loved was his way of "Living his Dream". It is the honor of the Birarelli family and the Loomis hockey family to give this year’s scholarship to TK Murphy and hope that it helps him to "Live his Dream."
Coach’s Notes: Schedule and Results Date Opponent/Score Result 11/29/2015 @ Groton 2-0 W 11/30/2015 @ Tabor 3-0 W 12/5/2015 vs. Trinity-Pawling 5-4 W 12/9/2015 @ Pomfret 4-1 W 12/12/2015 @ Canterbury 1-1 T 12/14/2015 vs. Choate 2-4 L 12/17/2015 vs. Kent 3-2 (OT) W 12/18/2015 vs. Berkshire 0-2 L 12/18/2015 vs. Gunnery 2-2 T 12/19/2015 @ St. Paul's 3-0 W @ Langenthal, Switzerland Junior 12/28/2015 B 6-4 W 12/29/2015 @ Biel, Switzerland Junior A 4-2 W @ Freiburg, Switzerland Junior A 12/30/2015 5-3 W @ Zurich, Switzerland Junior B 14- 1/3/2016 1 W 1/9/2016 @ Kent 3-1 W 1/13/2016 vs. Deerfield 2-2 T 1/16/2016 vs. Hotchkiss 3-2 (OT) W 1/20/2016 vs. Taft 3-1 W 1/23/2016 @ Westminster 1-5 L 1/27/2016 vs. Avon Old Farms 3-4 L 1/29/2016 vs. Brunswick 2-0 W 1/30/2016 vs. Andover 4-1 W 2/3/2016 vs. Williston-Northampton 4-0 W 2/10/2016 @ Deerfield 5-2 W 2/13/2016 vs. Salisbury 3-2 W 2/17/2016 vs. Westminster 3-6 L 2/20/2016 @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon 1-0 W 2/24/2016 @ Choate 4-3 W 2/27/2016 @ Avon Old Farms 1-3 L 3/2/2016 NEPSIHA E8 @ Kimball Union 4-6 L
# Player Pos Y BYR Game Goals Assist Points PPG +/- . R s s 14 Joey Cipollone F So '99 29 17 22 39 1.34 26 17 Connor Leighton F So '98 29 15 16 31 1.07 19.5 15 Justin Grillo F Jr '98 25 11 17 28 1.12 14 24 Mark Amatetti F So '99 28 12 15 27 0.96 11 10 Trent DeNuccio F So '99 29 14 10 24 0.83 12.5 12 Griffin Welch F Sr '97 29 6 10 16 0.55 1 7 Andrew Lucas D So '99 29 5 9 14 0.48 12.5 5 Johnny Barbieri F So '99 26 5 4 9 0.35 4 11 Shayne Simpson F So '98 29 3 6 9 0.31 0 3 Shamus Fenton F Sr '97 29 4 2 6 0.21 -6 13 T.K. Murphy F Sr '98 29 3 3 6 0.21 -10.5 18 Jack Costello F So '99 23 1 5 6 0.26 -5 4 Andy DeLalla D Sr '97 29 0 5 5 0.17 2.5 8 Matthew Giuttari D So 99 29 1 3 4 0.14 2 23 David Kompson D Jr '98 29 0 4 4 0.14 -1.5 16 John Fiallo D So '99 29 1 2 3 0.1 4.5 20 Sam DiMaio F So '99 29 1 2 3 0.1 -1 21 Brian Groom D Jr '98 29 0 3 3 0.1 9 22 Michael D Jr '98 26 0 3 3 0.12 5 Greenberg 1 Tim Birarelli G Sr '97 29 0 1 1 0.03 NA 29 Adin Farhat G Jr '98 29 0 1 1 0.03 NA 19 Wilson McCloy D Sr '97 29 0 0 0 0 5
Minutes GA SVS SV%
1 Tim Birarelli G Sr '97 29 1403 57 736 0.92 8
29 Adin Farhat G Jr '98 5 188 7 82 0.92 1
WRESTLING BEN HALDEMAN
Good evening!
I think I speak for all of the wrestling coaches when I say that we had a really great time working with this group of wrestlers.
This was not, it has to be said, because it was a group of wrestlers brimming with years of experience on the mat. Nope – we were a young team this year, with six sophomores and only two seniors in the starting line-up. In fact, fully half of the line-up had just one or two years of wrestling experience – or none – when they started the season. Lucas Quinn, for instance (and much to his credit), walked out into a varsity match just two days after he’d started wrestling.
In spite of our youthfulness as a team – and partially because of it – we were all excited about this season. We were excited by the growth that we’d been seeing in the off-season, and just by the fact that we had a lot of kids who were eager to put serious time into the sport during the spring and summer and fall. And we were excited by our potential for growth during the season.
So we planned to make our schedule tough. In addition to our regular fare of New England dual meets, culminating in the Prep National tournament at Lehigh, we took our wrestlers to tournaments at the Hill School in Pennsylvania and at Danbury and at Southington – places where we knew our guys would face gritty, mean, high-level wrestling. In that way, we hoped to lay the groundwork not just for this post-season, but for several seasons down the road.
All things considered, we are pretty pleased with the results. Individually, wrestlers like Ryan Durkin and August Donovan jumped from being JV- level wrestlers to ranked varsity wrestlers competing for the top spots in the league. Over the course of the season, many others gradually became competitive varsity wrestlers with strong technical foundations to build on. Our league tournament at Hyde-CT is a great example of what we were able to accomplish. There, although we finished in 6th place, we were just ten points out of 2nd – which, in wrestling, is a difference of two or three wins. As part of that finish, we placed nine of the twelve wrestlers we brought to the tournament – even more than last year. Perhaps most importantly, we finished the tournament with one of the strongest rounds in recent LC history, winning seven of nine matches and fighting hard through our two losses. Although our relative inexperience hurt us a little bit at the New England tournament the following weekend, Class A’s gave us a sense of where we can be in the coming seasons and what we can achieve with a little hard work and a little teamwork.
As usual, none of that would have been possible without the fine example set by our seniors, who worked hard to set the right tone on the mat, in practice, and around campus. This was a group of guys who not only wrestle with intensity but who care deeply about their teammates and about the sport, and we’re going to miss all of them. So, let’s have a round of applause for this year’s graduating wrestlers and captains: RJ Rochlin, Ethan Twombly, Traken Sutton, and Josh Singh.
Most Improved Wrestler: Ryan Durkin ‘18 This year's Most Improved Wrestler is sophomore Ryan Durkin. Last year, Ryan finished the season with just two varsity wins to offset his five losses. Then, this year – we don’t know what happened – Ryan decided it’d be cool to flip that record and then quintuple it. So, somehow, he finished the season with a 26-10 record. Likewise, as a freshman he took first at the JV New England tournament; and this year, he took first at the varsity Class A tournament, a feat that included an upset in the semi-finals and completely dominant 17-0 whooping in the finals. Over the off-season, Ryan developed an effective low-single and crafty fireman’s carry that caught more than one seasoned wrestler off-guard this year. With the same dedication this off-season, we can’t wait to see what he does next year and beyond. Great season, Ryan.
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Traken Sutton '16 Co-captain Traken Sutton is this year's Most Outstanding Wrestler. A quiet but steady presence in the wrestling room for the past four years, Traken went 39-9 this year to finish his high-school career with 122 wins, one of maybe three Loomis wrestlers to surpass the 100-win mark in the past five years. He is a four-time New England placewinner and a Class A champion at 145 lbs.; and he finished his career with a top-12 finish in the toughest weight-class at Prep Nationals. Impressively, he did not give up a single set of backpoints this year – in other words, not one of the wrestlers he faced this season, including some of the best wrestlers in the country, was able to turn him to his back. This should give you some indication of Traken’s determination and of the fine example he set for his teammates. Although his record speaks for itself, we will also miss Traken’s unfailingly positive attitude and his uncomplaining hard work in season and out. We’re very proud of your work at Loomis, Traken, and we wish you good luck next year as you begin your college wrestling career at Gettysburg.
Coaches’ Award: Ethan Twombly ‘16 Co-Captain Ethan Twombly is the 2016 wrestler who best embodies the pillars of Loomis Wrestling: discipline, intensity, and teamwork. After a fairly mediocre junior season, Ethan came alive this year – scoring the first takedown in nearly every match he wrestled and turning a lot of kids that, even a year ago, he could never have imagined putting on their backs. Although his eagerness to score occasionally led to unlucky mistakes, Ethan wrestled the way we’d like to see all of our guys wrestling – with a single-minded focus on scoring points and pressuring his opponents. His success on the mat this season, coupled with his vocal leadership in the practice room and his commitment to off-season work, leave a very fine example for our younger wrestlers to follow. Ethan, we wish you all the best next year. Service Award: RJ Rochlin ‘16 Co-captain RJ Rochlin hasn’t been allowed to wrestle much in the past two seasons. But he has contributed as much to the team as anyone standing up here tonight. Not only has he dominated conditioning for four years, but he’s performed yeoman service as a fourth coach in practice and at tournaments. It is no stretch to say that, with such a young team, we wouldn’t be where we are today without the everpresent technical oversight and vocal encouragement that he offered our younger wrestlers. For that, and much more, we’re presenting RJ with this year’s Wrestling Service Award. Thanks for your much needed presence, RJ, and good luck next year.
Coach’s Notes:
Results (11-8 Dual Meet Record) Opponent Score Canterbury Invitational 5th/19 teams Marvelwood W—54-24 Trinity-Pawling L—15-58 Lawrenceville (NJ) L—48-36 Brunswick L—9-65 Greens Farms W—66-9 Trinity Pawling L—21-54 Worcester Academy W—48-1 Deerfield Academy L—24-60 Sabbaugh Invitational @ Danbury only four wrestlers Bissel Tournament @ Hill (PA) 9th/19 teams Taft School L—30-48 Trinity Pawling School L—28-46 Avon Old Farms L—21-51 Hopkins School W—42-36 Pomfret School W—63-18 Wilbraham & Monson W—54-30 Hotchkiss School W—54-30 Suffield Academy W—63-18 Southington Invitational 11th/15 teams Buckingham, Browne & Nichols W—60-21 Lawrence Academy W—57-18 Choate Rosemary Hall L—37-39 Class A Tournament 6th/13 teams New England Championship 25th/44 teams Prep Nationals (PA) 79th/135 teams
2016 Varsity Roster Wt. Name Year Class A New England 106 Lucas Quinn 2018 6th 113 August Donovan 2018 3rd qualifier 120 Ian Mann 2018 4th qualifier 126 Jacob DeRothschild 2017 132 Bill Pieroni 2018 5th qualifier 132 Josh Singh 2016+ CAPTAIN 138 Ryan Durkin 2018 1st qualifier 145 Traken Sutton 2016+ CAPTAIN 1st 5th NE, Top 12 Nat’ls 152 Ethan Twombly 2016 CAPTAIN 5th qualifier 160 Jordan Passarella 2017 5th 170 Sincere Tuitt 2018 182 Will Mandelbaum 2017 182 David Dawson 2017 195 Jake Barbieri 2017 5th
Student Coach: RJ Rochlin 2017+ CAPTAIN Mgrs. Taylor Douglas 2019 Emma Kane 2019
Coaches: Ben Haldeman, Andrew Hutchinson, Nick Barker + Four-year wrestlers
BOYS BASKETBALL ROCK BATTISTONI
First off I would like to thank Bob Howe, Jake Leyden and Vicky Scanlon for all of your support and guidance. To Joe and Keith for all of your long hours and hard work in the cage. To our training staff for keeping the kids healthy and injury free and making sure that Devin Clyburn was always to practice on time.
To my assistant coach, Elliot Dial. A big thank you for showing me the ropes here at Loomis. Unfortunately for coach Reid, I know that you now enjoy hoops season more than football.
To our managers, Sasha, Olivia and Amani; you did a great job all season long. From score keeping, to filming each game, and getting water, you all were an integral part of the program. Our next managers will have big shoes to fill, especially when it comes to Sasha's baked goods.
Recap:
With a final record of 12-13, there will always be some significant peaks and valleys and for the sake of time and the sanity of coach Dial and I, it would be best to highlight the peaks. Some of our memorable moments include; Cobey Adekanbi going behind the back and finishing with a dunk against Belmont. Charlie Holley hit two game winning shots against Deerfield and Westminster, A great team effort in defeating Choate for the first time in seven years. Frank Oftrings 18 pt/12rb performance vs. Taft, Mark Brynes making six three’s vs Exeter in New England’s and Andre Ferguson putting the team on his back for the last three regular season games to propel the pelicans to its first New England tournament since 2009. I would like to thank all of our seniors and post graduates: Andre Ferguson, Buzz Watson, Frank Oftring, Charlie Holley, Mark Byrnes, Cobey Adekanbi, Jorge Botas and Jacob Carroll for all of your hard work. I wish you the best of luck in your future academic and athletic endeavors. To our four returners: Devin Clyburn, Thomas Anderson, Jake Glezen and Nelson Boachie-Yiadom, the foundation has been laid, and next season the targets will be on our backs, first practice is November 14th and it can’t come soon enough.
Awards: I would like to call Nelson Boachie-Yiadom, Cobey Adekanbi, Mark Byrne, and Andre Ferguson to the podium.
Most Improved: This individual was voted NEPSAC Class A honorable mention. Being his first year playing in the US, it took him some time to get adjusted to the pace of play at the prep school level. What was always there was his effort and attitude toward the game. For the season he averaged 7.2 PPG, 6.5 rbs, 2 blks, and 1.5 stls. By definition he is a stat sheet stuffer. The 2015-16 Most improved player goes to Nelson Boachie- Yiadom.
Coaches Award (2): This individual has been a member of the varsity program for two years. He has made giant leaps when it comes to becoming a recruitable college player as he started at Loomis on the JV team. His versatility on the defensive end made him a valuable asset against every opponent. His best basketball is truly in front of him. The 2015-16 coaches award goes to Cobey Adekanbi.
Having played for three different coaches in three years would be a challenge for any player. This individual makes it rather easy for any coach as he would always do what is asked of him. Whether he was starting and playing 32 minutes, or coming off the bench, he was always someone we could depend on. Over the final 10 games, he averaged 9ppg, 4rb and shot 63% from three and on the season he led the team in three point shooting at 49%. I know he will have a great career on the grid iron at Williams. The 2015-16 coaches award goes to Mark Byrne.
MVP: The MVP award goes to a player that was at the top of all of our opponents scouting reports. He was also voted NEPSAC class A honorable mention. He led the team in scoring and assists with 17ppg and 3 assists. He also chipped in with 3.3 rb. His final three regular season games really stand out as he averaged 27ppg, 4rbs and 4 asst. This young man has a great deal of potential and I know his best basketball is in front of him. The 2015-16 coaches award goes to Andre Ferguson.
Coach’s Notes:
vs. vs. Date Opponent Class Location Score vs. A vs.AAA AA B 12/5/15 Belmont Hill A Home 63-35 1, 0 12/9/15 Deerfield A Away 53-50 2, 0 12/12/1 Avon Old 5 Farms A Home 44-60 2, 1 Neutral - Scholar Round Ball Classic 12/13/1 Babson 5 NMH AAA College 48-97 0, 1 12/16/1 LC Holiday 5 Gunnery B Tourney 66-50 1, 0 12/17/1 LC Holiday 5 KUA AA Tourney 49-54 0, 1 12/18/1 LC Holiday 5 Westminster B Tourney 63-61 2, 0 1/9/16 Kent A Away 59-81 2, 2 1/13/16 Brunswick A Home 90-58 3, 2 1/15/16 Choate A Away 74-67 4, 2 1/16/16 Williston A Home 30-64 4, 3 1/20/16 Westminster B Home 61-36 3, 0 Neutral - 1/23/16 Choate A Basketbull, PPD WNEU 1/27/16 Deerfield A Home 55-52 5, 3 1/29/16 Cheshire AA Away 82-89 0, 2 1/30/16 Wilbraham AA Home 62-72 0, 3 2/3/16 Suffield A Home 66-84 5, 4 2/10/16 KO B Away 53-55 3, 1 2/12/16 Pomfret B Away 63-55 4, 1 Trinty 2/13/16 Pawling A Home 55-58 5, 5 2/17/16 Williston A Away 46-73 5, 6 2/19/16 Hoosac AA Home 60-66 0, 4 2/20/16 Taft A Away 66-54 6, 6 2/24/16 Salisbury A Away 63-46 7, 6 2/27/16 Hotchkiss A Home 79-56 8, 6 NEPSAC Quarters - 3/2/16 Exeter A Away 55-58 8, 7
Win Loss Win Loss Game decided by less PF: 48 PA: then 10 vs. AAA 1 97 points 5 7 PF: 63.3 Decembe vs. AA 4 PA: 70.3 r 4 3 PF: 57.1 vs. A 8 7 PA: 59.7 January 4 4 PF: 61.2 vs. B 4 1 PA: 51.4 February 4 5 Overall 12 13 March 1 PF: 61.4 Away 5 5 PA: 57.3 PF: 60.5 Points Home 5 6 PA: 58.3 Against 61.3 PF: 56.5 Neutral 2 2 PA: 65.5 Points For 60.2
GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL ADRIAN STEWART
The 2015-16 season began with our sights set on a return to the Class A New England tournament. As we prepared to take on one of the most challenging schedules in New England girls basketball, the team approached each day committed to our 5-nonnegotiables:
Communication, defense, rebounding, running the floor and taking care of the basketball.
We weren’t always great at hitting these benchmarks, but our attempts to achieve perfection in these areas resulted 16 wins and 6 losses, a fourth consecutive Founders League Championship, and a five seed in the Class A Tournament.
Our success this year wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of freshman Emma Glezen, her defensive presence and the signature floater that many times had me asking the kids on the bench “how does she make that?” Freshman Makenzie Helms’ smooth jump shot and ability to slither to the basket. And freshman Maddy Stevens’ rebounding and the ability to draw the “and one”. Our two sophomores: Sarah Bennett and her microwave-like shooting and Lia a.k.a.“LeBron” LaPrise’s hustle and energy. Our two juniors: Simone Sears’ quiet confident jump hook and Emma Trenchard’s ability to make the opposing point guard miserable with her defensive pressure.
And certainly this team would not have had the success we did this year without our seniors. PG Rachel Hardej contributed wisdom, consistency, and energy to our team every day. Rachel’s words and influence on this team were impactful as her experience as a high level athlete served as an example for all of her teammates. We will miss her mature insight,perspective, her laugh and, of course, the bankshot.
Three-year senior captain Nancy Coulverson brought poise and toughness to the floor along with a quick first step and a solid mid range jumper. She led this team with strength and compassion while steadily improving her game all season. We will miss her flying through the air to pull down a tough rebound, her calming presence in the locker room and the soft spoken truth she delivered all season when her team needed it.
Four-year senior captain Izzy Hanson has been a consistent thorn in the side of many opposing coaches with her toughness in the paint and ability to finish at the basket. During her four years in the program Izzy has been a dependable teammate and leader both on and off the court. We will miss her fantastic finishes, energy and upbeat approach she brought to the court every day.
Four-year senior captain Sam Roy has been a consistent example of high quality leadership, coachability, passion and discipline both on and off the court. For four years she has set a standard of excellence for herself and teammates. Her impact on this program has been felt by those who have been fortunate enough to play with her and will be felt by those who will play here for many years after she is gone. (cut add this to her accolade later)
Four-year senior captain Vanessa Young’s unselfish play and offensive versatility have been key components to our success over her 4-year career. Her ability to stretch the opposition’s defense with her perimeter shooting consistently opened up scoring opportunities for her teammates. We will miss her sprints down the “5 lane”, her work ethic and cool demeanor under pressure for many years to come.
The contributions of these seniors have shaped the culture of our program and are directly responsible for the success we have had during their time here. I can confidently say that our underclassmen know how much they will miss the security and stability these seniors provided for them in the gym every day.
This season we were fortunate enough to have two NEPSAC All-Stars. Congratulations to Samantha Roy and Makenzie Helms who represented Loomis and the West All-Stars well.
Coaches Award: Makenzie Helms: In my eight seasons coaching the girls team we’ve never had a freshman in the top three of all statistical categories and lead us in scoring, defensive rebounding, deflections, points in the paint and two-point FG% until now. Makenzie burst onto the NEPSAC girls basketball scene this season as an efficient scorer, opportunistic defender and tough rebounder. Makenzie averaged13.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 4 deflections and 3 steals per game. She was second on the team in overall shooting percentage at 49%, shooting 63% from 2-point range and 35% from beyond the arc. Makenzie scored in double digits 16 out of our 22 games and scored 18 or better in 9 of them. Highlights of Makenzie’s season include an 18 point 11 rebound performance versus Thayer, 25 of the team’s total 45 points and one very key deflection in a 4 point victory versus Taft and a 9 steal performance against Miss Porters. Her efforts earned her the respect coaches all over New England as she was selected as a NEPSAC Class A-All-Star. Congratulations Makenzie on a successful freshman season.
Coaches Award: Izzy Hanson There’s nothing more comforting to a guard than a sure handed teammate who can finish at the basket. I suppose that’s also pretty comforting to me as a coach. Izzy is just that. For four seasons Izzy has been a dominant rebounder, consistent finisher and dependable teammate. This season Izzy was our third leading rebounder, and led the team in shooting percentage at 60%. A few of her highlights from this season include a 14 point 5 rebound performance in our quarterfinal tournament game versus New Hampton, 10 points and 7 rebounds versus Berkshire, 13 and 7 vs Kent, 16 and 11 vs Kingswood. All of this after recovering from an ACL repair last March. Her ability to catch any pass thrown within three feet of her and convert it to points ensures that Izzy will be remembered as one of the best finishers in Loomis girls basketball history. Congratulations Izzy and thanks for a great season.
MVP: Sam Roy To accurately describe Sam’s contribution to this team would take me a lot longer than the few minutes I have here tonight. To state it simply, Sam is the hardest working athlete I have ever coached in any sport. From warm up to cool down, nobody does it with more focus or intensity than Sam. Her attention to detail and unwillingness to pursue any endeavor with less than 100 percent effort was evident in her MVP like performance this season. Sam led the team in total rebounds, offensive rebounds, assists and 3 point shooting percentage. She was our second leading scorer and tallied the second most deflections on the team. Sam's performance this season garnered the respect and admiration from opposing coaches who unanimously selected her as a NEPSAC Class A All-Star, her third consecutive All-Star selection. Those same coaches admit that they are relieved that she will be moving on to college. Sam, is far too humble to appreciate this, but her decision to attend Loomis changed the trajectory of this basketball program. We recruit differently, we approach practice differently and we play better basketball because of the standard she set for herself and her teammates throughout her tenure. Congratulations Sam on a tremendous season and thank you for all you have done for Loomis basketball.
Each week of our season the captains select a teammate who’s work in practice and games played a significant role to our success in the previous week. We call it the captain’s game ball. At the end of the season the captains select a game ball award winner for the season. This year the captain’s select junior Emma Trenchard as the “game ball” winner for the 2015-16 season for her consistent hard work, dedication and positive spirit.
Captains: "Emma Trenchard is this years recipient of our Captains Game ball. Emma has been an integral part of the team this year. From her impeccable work ethic to her unmatched leadership and positive attitude, Emma bettered the team every day she stepped on the court. As a team, we could consistently depend on her to do the dirty work for us. She was our go to girl for locking up on D and gave some of the best guards in the North East and true run for their money. Day in and day, Emma strived to be better, and consequently, she pushed each and every one of us to aim for excellence. Emma embodies the genuine definition of an unsung hero. We, the seniors, have complete and utter faith that Emma will lead this program in the best way possible and we cannot think of a better person to hand the baton to next year. Congratulations, Emma."
I'd like to thank our athletic department, Bob, Bobbi, Jake, Vicky, Keith, Joe, Craig, Don and Jean for making it easy for us to focus on coaching while the details that allow us to do what we love are taken care of. Thanks to our parents and student body for consistently supporting this team and our athletic mission. Thanks to our managers, Elaine, Deuce, and Zaire for being there when we needed you. Additional thanks to Coaches O’Donnell and Brown and the JV boys basketball team for helping us prepare for each game. Lastly, special thanks goes out to Coach Amanda Holland for the great work she has done with our girls all season.
Coach’s Notes:
GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL
Record: 16-6 (9-0 in the Founders League)
Founders League Champions
New England Class A Tournament Quarterfinalists
No. Name Position Class Hometown
1 Lia LaPrise G 2018 Windsor, CT
2 Samantha Roy (co-captain) G 2016 Stafford Springs, CT
3 Emma Trenchard G 2017 Windsor, CT
4 Sarah Bennett G 2018 Suffield, CT
5 Madison Stevens G 2019 Burlington, CT
10 Rachel Hardej F 2016 Palm Beach Gardens,FL
12 Emma Glezen G/F 2019 South Windsor, CT
14 Makenzie Helms G 2019 East Haven, CT
22 Nancy Coulverson (co-captain) F 2016 South Ozone Park,NY
23 Isabel Hanson (co-captain) F 2016 Winston Salem, NC
32 Vanessa Young (co-captain) G/F 2016 Wardsboro, VT
33 Simone Sears F 2017 Hebron, CT
Elaine Dealy Manager 2016 Millbrook, NY
Aaron Ford Manager 2018 Las Vegas, NV
Zaire Goodwin Manager 2017 Long Pond, PA
Head Coach: Adrian Stewart ‘90 Assistant Coach: Amanda Holland