Winter Teams Heat Up For New Season A Preview of Choate’s Varsity Squads - Part I
By Ben Millard '10, Rohit Shankar ‘09, and Luke Min ’10
News Reporters
Boys Basketball
Boys Basketball has some pretty big shoes to fill after the loss of key players from last season. This year, the team has added five new players, and brought up two from JV. Coach Adam Finkelstein expects these five new players to “make significant impacts on the team.” Of the five new students, four are post graduates, including Mike Ryce, Kyle Kesses, Nick Justiz, and Divyesh Rathod. Sophomore Luke Matarazzo will play a key role in the team, as he will control the backcourt for most of the games. “His role is to step in and try to take the role Connor Meehan had last year,” added Coach Finkelstein. The team also includes five returning players, featuring Captain Mike Bozzi ’08, who Coach Finkelstein said brings a lot of intangibles to the team with good leadership abilities. The other returning players include Matt McCullough ’08 and Johnny Ball ’08, who Finkelstein said are, “helping groom the new guys, and let them know what the Choate basketball program is all about.”
The team has had one scrimmage against the two-time state champion James Hillhouse High School of New Haven. “It was a very good test for us. It was a good opportunity to see where we stand collectively as a team,” said Coach Kinkelstein. The team played well, and after a shaky start, took two out of the five quarters played.
This year’s season opened against two time defending Class B champions St. Andrew’s of Rhode Island. The Saint outplayed the Boars and recorded a 80-46, giving Choate its first loss. The season will also include games against Exeter and NMH. Coach Finkelstein is excited about the Eight Schools Holiday Tournament which will be held for the first time at Choate on December 15th. This tourney will bring great competition to Choate, and it is the first step towards creating the Eight School Association.
As a very experienced team, the players will have set high goals for the season: First, the boys want to contend for the Founders league championship. Second, they hope to make the NEPSAC tournament. Both goals are very realistic according to Coach Finkelstein. He also added that the team’s success will be determined by how cohesive the team can get. Teamwork and collaboration are key components of having a good basketball team. With the talent the new students bring to the court, the boys will most likely improve from last season’s 5-15 record.
Boys Squash
Boys Squash has for a long time been a top competitor in its league, and this year should be no different. Along with two new students added to the squad, five returning players will round off the line-up. Co-captains Michael Koh ’08 and Tucker Bryan ’08 will lead the team, playing at the 2 and 3 spots. The new additions to the team, Julian Drobetsky ’09 and Rodrigo Quan ’10, will fill key positions in the squad at first and sixth respectively. The three other players are Ian Knisely ’08, Chris Rewinski ’08, and Andrew McComas ’09, all of whom moved up from JV last year.
The boys face a tough schedule ahead of them. The Boars will face, as head coach William Morris said, “All the best teams in New England.” Some of these teams include Phillips Exeter, which Choate will play twice this season. Andover, Brunswick, and Taft will also be top contestants in the league. The team will play other teams around the country when Choate hosts the New England and National Championship tournaments.
As for the season’s expectations, Coach Morris has a few goals for the team. “I want every player to improve over the course of the season, to improve their strength and fitness, and teamwork,” said Morris. “I want every player to feel like they are part of the team, and to work for the good of the team.” As for the team’s record, he is letting the team decide that. “I like to let the players set the expectation in terms of wins and losses, and I think they put appropriate amount of emphasis on that,” added Morris.
The season started on Saturday, with the boys hosting a very strong team from Exeter. Choate managed to win 2 of the 7 matches. However, Saturday was a very optimistic day for boys squash. Playing at the one spot, Drobetsky defeated a very talented and quick player, while Quan won in the bottom of the ladder. With the amount of teamwork seen before and during practice, the team looks like a solid squad. The key to the season will be winning matches in the 4, 5, 6 spots. The team will no doubt be a serious contender in their league, as the boys are full of determination.
Girls Squash
Girls Squash, led by Head Coach Tom Foster and Captain Ellie Foster ’08, has opened its season with great expectations. By returning five students from last year’s top eight, and three from JV, the team will no doubt be a very experienced squad. The team includes five senior girls, who will show strong leadership throughout the season. Other members include Maggie Remsen ’09, Mary Foster ’10, and Liz Rubin ’10.
Though last year’s team finished with an outstanding season record of 14-1, this year’s team will likely match that feat. Coach Foster explains that they still have a very solid team. Last year’s team was “the strongest girls’ team in probably 15 years,” Foster added. “But we will still be strong enough to have a good shot of repeating as Founder’s League champions and we hope to do well in New Englands.”
“The top two players of the team, Remsen and Ellie Foster are both nationally ranked in the top 25 in their age group,” says Coach Foster. Leading by example, they will be bringing strong confidence and high spirits for the team. Andrea Mui ’08, Mary Foster ’10 and Caroline Shumway ’08 will bring an amazing combined record of 41-4 from last season. This firm group of players will support the team from ground up. “Our experience will translate into another successful season this year,” said Coach Foster.
Moreover, “the bottom of the ladder has always been one of Choate’s great strengths and this year looks to be no different,” added Coach Foster. Andrea Lee ’08, Aubrey Sanders ’08, and Liz Rubin ’10 will play key roles, as many of matches will depend on their performances in the bottom of the ladder.
Boys Swimming & Diving
As the winter term kicks off, Boys Swimming & Diving launched its season with great hopes. The experienced Sara Massa will direct the team as the head coach this winter. As a 1968 Olympic Trial qualifier, Coach Massa has also coached qualifiers for Olympic Trials, US Opens, Senior Nationals and Junior Nationals. Coach Massa, who joined the coaching staff in the fall of 2006, described the Choate swimming teams as “strong teams who will be very competitive this year.” The diving head coach is Mr. Small, who had been the head coach for more than 10 years since his arrival at Choate in 1995. He brings much experience to the team, as he was a member of the diving team at Middlebury College.
Leading the Boys Varsity team are two senior captains, Chris Mitchell ’08 and Ray Li ’08, whose leadership will influence the strength and organization of the team. There are about 35 returning players to the swimming program, along with ten new members who will add to the team’s depth. The varsity squad includes 14 seniors and a great group of six freshmen swimmers.
Head Coach Massa expects a great season for the team. Compared to the previous years, “we are stronger than last year and already swimming faster than last year,” said Coach Massa. Last year’s Boys Swimming and Diving team had a season record of 4-4. After taking the first place in Western New England Championships in February, they earned 3rd place in the New England Swimming & Diving Championships.
The Boys Varsity Swimming team has already traveled to Suffield Academy for a meet on the first day of December. Even though Choate lost 86.5-93.5 to Suffield, the team was optimistic about its accomplishments. Next, the team will face Deerfield Academy and Loomis Chaffee School on the 8th of December at Deerfield.
Girls Swimming & Diving
Girls Swimming & Diving Team is coming off one of the strongest seasons in recent memory, finishing 7-along with 2nd place honors in New Englands. This year’s team is looking even better. Last year, the squad lost only two key seniors; however, three impressive freshmen have filled the empty spots. The team is coached by Sara Massa who is in her second year with the program. This squad is captained by two seniors Emily Hunter ’08 and Kristy Zera ’08. There are several other seniors on the squad including Laurel Lau ’08, Julia Fram ’08, Amelia Johnson ’08 and Ariel Baugh ’08. Caroline Wilson ’09, Katie Kaspar ’10, Stephanie Choi ’09, Caroline Bazinet ’10 and Yuliya Oumarbaeva ’10. The three freshmen who are making immediate contributions are Kale Futterman ’11, Jamie Hillas, ’11, and Charlotte Lima ’11. “In addition to the returning girls, who are swimming extremely well for this point in the season, the three freshmen are swimming unbelievably fast, giving the team depth in almost every event,” said Hunter. Another key component of the team is the diving squad. Lead by, New England Record Holder, Carlin Dacey ’08, the diving squad will help to boost Choate past opponents.
The season for the girls got off to an amazing start, as they dominated Suffield Academy by a score of 133-52. “I think that our goal for the year is definitely to be number one at New Englands, after coming in second last year,” said Wilson. As Hunter said, “The team hopes to have an undefeated season and win the New England Championships this March.”
Girls Varsity Hockey has opened its season with victories over Lawrenceville (2-1) and Phillips Exeter (6-0), bringing its season record to 2-0. The News’ next issue will feature previews of Girls Hockey, Girls Basketball, and Wrestling. PHOTO/Ian Morris
