Boys Cross Country



With Captain Chris Krokus ’08 and seniors Christophe Lirola, Sam Cabot, and Mike Selberg leading the way, the team has very solid leadership and a very good team structure. Underformers Sam Craft ’10, Robert Cholnoky ’09, and Tyler Bisson ’11 round off the lineup for the Choate harriers.

Coming off last year’s record of 5-3, the team is hoping to keep up the momentum and focus on the improvements that need to be made. The squad opened its season with the annual Choate Invitational. “We ran really well, and we all saw things that we need to improve on. The fact that we all placed so well makes me excited to see how well we do,” said Krokus.

Coaches Ned Gallagher, Scott Kelly, and Scott Mattoon are positive that the seniors will be a crucial part of the team. They are also looking forward to seeing how the underclassmen will contribute. “I don’t think we’ve had this many young guys on the team in a while, and they are all good runners, so I’m really anxious to see how they affect the team this year,” said Coach Gallagher. “We plan on being very competitive in all the meets, and taking it all just day by day.”

This season, the new cross country course will provide potential setbacks. However, with the experience of the squad, along with help from the coaches, the team should adjust in time for its important meets. After a good start with the Choate invitational, this looks to be a very promising year for boys cross country team. Choate’s first home meet is set for the 29th against Taft and Trinity-Pawling.





Girls Cross Country



Despite the loss of key seniors last year, the Girls Cross Country team is ready for another strong season. Last year, the team took second place in the Founders League Championship and 4th place in the New England Championship. Led by captains Kelly McDonough ’08 and Grace Peard ’08, the team will consist of many experienced runners. In addition to Julianne Fowler ’08, the new members Elizabeth Stern ’08 and Brett Lewis ’09 have already stepped up to lead the team in the first two meets of the season. On September 15th, Choate hosted the fifth annual Choate Invitational where the girls took two of the top five spots, including a win by Brett Lewis in a field of 129 girls. On the 22nd, the girls attended the Canterbury Invitational and once again captured the title they earned last year.

The squad was led by Elizabeth Stern, who won the Girls Division I race. The girls hope to equal or exceed their strong dual meet record from last year, with only one loss to Andover.

Upcoming competitors, such as Taft, Deerfield, and Loomis, will also provide a challenge. “Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we hope to win the Founders League title along with top three spots in New England’s,” said Coach Jim Davidson. New England’s will be hosted by Choate on the brand new course this year. “Our first reaction [to the new course] as a team was ‘oh god, this is horrible,’” said Peard. “But after having several workouts on it I think everyone is beginning to like it more. We added a new field loop which is a little over a mile, and because of this addition we no longer loop around the major water tower hill twice.”

Peard also noted that having fun is an important goal for the season. “It is important to bond the team as much as possible so everyone supports each other. So far we have been very successful.” The team’s next away meet is on September 26th against Kent.





Field Hockey



Girls Field Hockey is looking promising this season after a victory against Milton Academy, and a close 1-0 loss to Greenwich Academy, who is known to be a field hockey powerhouse. This year, the team hopes to follow up last year’s success when they ranked 8th in New England and finished with a 9-5-2 record. However, with the graduation of thirteen seniors, the team will depend on many new members. Caroline Potolicchio ’10 and Kelly Walsh ’09 will be key players in the squad’s offense. Led by coaches Fran O’Donoghue and Meghan Hazard, along with captains Caroline Shumway ’08 and Emily Vitale ’08, the new players will have big shoes to fill. “Caroline Potolicchio, who dominates the midfield, and Kelley Walsh will have the greatest effect on the field during this season,” added Coach O’Donoghue. Entering Wednesday, the team was 2-1with a recent 2-0 victory over Hopkins. The team will travel to Simsbury on Saturday to face a talented Westminster squad.





Football



Last Saturday, Choate had its first under-the-lights game in the school’s history, and the team lived up to the importance of the moment. After a 20-17 victory over Kent, the team will look to carry its momentum during the rest of the season. The squad has a lot ahead this season, and is looking forward to it. After last years disappointing 0-7 season, they look to turn their luck around with the addition of the 8 postgraduates, whom football coordinator Doug James calls “the most academically sound, athletically talented, and nice guys we have ever had.” These postgraduates are both big and skilled athletes, and will be great additions to the team.

The postgraduates include Nick Goodspeed, of whom Captain Dan Thomas ’08 says, “The name says it all: a quarterback who handles the pressure, and knows how to win.” According to Thomas, Bobby Erskine is “a hard hitting stud who will do anything to get to the ball.” Erskine will also be one of three captains this fall for the team. Playing as target down the field, Mike Ryce will be a huge threat as a wide receiver. Kyle Seddon, Brandon Basso, Jay Harbaugh, Mike Gabriel, and Will Elmore will also play huge roles in the team.

In addition to the post-graduates, the team will have eight returning seniors and a handfull of sophomores and juniors. Some notables are Captains Dan Thomas ’08 and Ben Pascal ’08, who Coach James says “have done a nice job in terms of leadership and work.” Six formers Phil Artis, Christian Duffy, Uchenna Nwogu will add to the team’s talent. Underformers Roy Collins ’09, Ethan McDonnell ’09, and Evan Jackson ’09 will be important members as the season rolls into October.

As for the season’s schedule, Captain Pascal thinks, “every team we play will be a fight, but hopefully we will come out on top.” The team will host Phillips Exeter Academy on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.





Boys Soccer



After an upsetting season last year for the Choate soccer program, the Wild Boars are back and ready to challenge the opposition. Captains Jon Beek ’08, Dann Cannata ’08, and Max Alpert ’08 will lead the way along with coaches John Ford and Jack Marrinan. The team consists of nine seniors, who will all hold important leadership positions. Returning seniors Nico Dalton, Chris Mitchell, and James Galloran will definitely have a large presence on the pitch this fall. “There are many new players to the team that will contribute to the success this year, but we definitely have a strong core of returning players,” said head coach John Ford.

With the team opening their season with a tie against Bridgeton Academy, the players are very confident that they can play any team in New England. “We have the potential to beat any team in our league,” says midfielder Gus Christensen ’10. However, many players agree that although this year’s team is composed of many talented, hard, working and team oriented players, there are no standout stars amongst the group. It will take a lot of teamwork and focus for the team to succeed.

With the practices consisting of many running drills, the team will be ready to oppose any team. However, the team will need to improve on its offense. According to Coach Ford, “Improvement is needed in finding a way to score goals, and capitalizing on goal opportunities.”

Even though the offense might be struggling, the squad is full of great defensemen. With Dalton, Beek, Mitchell, and Toby Armour ’10 playing defense, it will take a lot of effort for opposing teams to find the net. Choate will play its third home match on Saturday against Phillips Exeter.





Girls Soccer



The Girls Varsity Soccer team anticipates another good season this year. Led by co-captains Jill Mastroianni ’08 (U-17 National Team Goalie) and Lauren Gambardella ’08, and Coaches Marquis Tisdale, Anne Armour and Amanda Belichick, the team started the season with the two exciting victories against Phillips Exeter Academy (1-0) and Greenwich Academy (3-2) on September 15th and 19th, respectively. Last fall, the team had 9 wins, 7 losses and 2 ties out of 18 games and advanced to the quarter-finals of the New England playoffs. This year, however, Coach Tisdale hopes his team will go “further in the playoffs, maybe into the semi-finals.” To achieve the goal this season, Tisdale said that the team needs “its forwards to score more goals, the midfielders to keep their shapes on the soccer field, the defenders to jell really quickly, and most importantly, all its players to focus on the game for the whole 80 minutes.” Coach Tisdale also added that he would strive to “have the girls improve through every game in the season.” The team has several new players who will have a huge impact on its performance.

The coaching staff believe Isabel Clements ’11 (forward), Morgan Monz ’10 (defender) and Danica Gould ’09 (defender) should all influence the team right away; the coaches also think that Lindsay Albino ’10 (defender), Kathleen Romania ’09 (midfielder) and Mackinzie Neal ’10 (midfielder) will help the team progress to the semi-finals or beyond. The seven returning seniors, who have already experienced the tough schedule and games, will add depth to the squad. They are sure to prove key to the team’s success this year as well. The Wild Boars will travel to Loomis Chaffee on September 26th for their third game of the season.





Boys Waterpolo



With a solid core of returning players and a new batch of great talent, the upcoming season is looking very bright for the boys Water Polo team this fall. Coached by Todd Currie and Mike Velez, and led by senior captains John Whitney and Ray Li, the team is poised for a bid at the New England Championships. The captains are supported by returning players Aasheesh Paliwal ’08, Connor Murphy ’09, Dan Fallahi ’09 and Max Mullen ’08. There is also some great new talent joining this experienced lineup. Matt Inglis ’09, Brandon Whitney ’10, and McClatchy Ruskin ’11 will play very important roles as the season progresses. Inglis and Ruskin have both made an immediate impact on the team as they are both starting in their first year with the team.

Expectations are high for captains Li and Whitney. “We’re looking to be good in terms of technique since we have a lot of talent. We will do well if we can get our act together,” said Li. The team has faced a difficult early schedule so far this year, with three tough match-ups already in the books. “We have the talent and capability to do well, but it will take good execution in defense, passing, shooting, and gathering to take this team to the next level,” said Mullen. The squad suffered two very tough defeats at the hands of Suffield and Hotchkiss. Their sole victory so far this year was a tough fought 8-7 game against Loomis Chafee. This leaves the team’s record at 1-2 with many games left in the season. Things are looking good for the team as they begin to gel and come together as a unit as the season goes on. As John Whitney said, “If we can play hard and play as a team we could most definitely be top four in New England.”