Andie Caroll, Reporter
@acarollcourant
Samantha Axon, Sports Editor
@saxoncourant
Girls tennis
The girls tennis team had a rough start to the year in their first match against the Wilton Warriors. The girls fell to Wilton 0-7. But the girls would quickly improve,
finishing the regular season with a 12-4 record. This included an important win against the Ridgefield Tigers, where the Rams were able to pull away with the win 6 matches to
one.
Even though the girls played against the Warriors the first game of the season, it would not be the last time that the Rams would face them. The girls played them once again in the FCIAC quarterfinals. Despite their earlier loss, the girls were able to pull away from the Warriors 4-3, propelling them into the FCIAC semifinals. In the final FCIAC match, the girls fell to Staples 1 set to six.
After FCIACS, the girls moved on to States. The girls played a high-seeded Simsbury first, but pulled away with the win 5-2. The girls then moved onto the quarterfinals. They were defeated by Glastonbury 0-7.
Despite not being able to win FCIACs or States, junior player Cassidy Little has been proud of the team for coming together and playing well. “We got stronger and more confident as the season and progressed, and found out what we needed to do to win,” Cassidy said. “Even though it is sad to lose great seniors, we are looking forward to be playing even better next season.”
Girls golf
Throughout the season, the girls golf team has had many difficult matches. The girls’ most important matches came against the 12-1-1 Greenwich Cardinals and the 11-2-1 Fairfield Warde team. The girls were able to conclude the season 7-1 in the division and 12-2 in the FCIAC.
The girls then moved onto FCIACs and faced off against Greenwich, Fairfield Warde, Darien, and Staples. The team was led by Meghan Mitchell who shot an 80, Morgan Hibbert with an 85, and Lauren Capone with an 86, despite an injured wrist. The girls came out on top with a score of 338 to gain the FCIAC title.
After FCIACs, the girls then made their way to States. The rain held off for most of the tournament until the last few holes when it started to pour. Despite this, four of the five girls were able to score in the 80s. The team effort was strong enough to win the state championship, edging out rival Fairfield Warde by 6 strokes.
Junior player Lauren Capone has been happy with how the team has improved since she started playing her freshman year. “The team has drastically improved over the three years,” Lauren said. “My freshman year we went 4-11, then we went 11-4 my sophomore year. This year the team went 13-2 and we are able to pull away with an FCIAC win.”
Lauren has also seen the leadership of the seniors as imperative to the team’s success. “Captains Tessa Piontkowski, Alex Esposito, and Abigail Ker have encouraged the team throughout the season and have helped us produce the success that we have.”
Girls track and field
The girls track team had a strong start this season. In their first meet against Staples, the girls pulled away with the win by a couple of points. However, the girls struggle to secure win for the rest of the season.
The girls outdoor track first took on FCIACs. The Rams participated over 33 times in events. Sophomore Elaina Tiller finished ninth in the 3200 meters, and also finished sixth in the 4×800 relay along with teammates Chloe McAuliffe, Katie Miller, and Lauren Carlson. Senior Paige Skryn also had a fifth place finish in the discus, and got third in the shot put.
After wrapping up FCIACs, the girls headed to States in Manchester. Once again the 4×800 relay of Elaina Tiller, Chloe McAuliffe, Katie Miller, and Lauren Carlson finished strong with a fifth place finish. Lauren was also able to finish seventh in the 800 meters. Senior Drew Davis also had a strong day with a sixth place finish in the 1600 meter and an eighth place finish in the 3200 meter. Paige Skyrm once again finished strong in the discus, finishing in seventh. Senior Francesca Guynn also finished fifth in the javelin.
Despite not going to FCIACs or states, Junior Erin Corbett is hoping to see the team continue to get better in the years to come. “I am so proud of how the team has performed this season,” she said. “I am hoping that we can continue to improve into my senior year.”
Girls Lacrosse
Photo contributed by Annie Neugeboren
The girls’ lacrosse team this year has had an extremely successful season with an overall record of 14-4. In the regular season, the team had big wins over Yorktown, in overtime, and a win over a competitive Long Island team, North Shore, by one goal.
However, despite their exciting season, the girls had a short end in the FCIAC tournament with their loss to Ridgefield in the quarterfinals of FCIACs, yet looked to do better in states. In the first round of the tournament, Number 8 New Canaan easily passed top-seeded Newtown, with an 18-5 win, which was a huge accomplishment for the girls. The team was led by Braeden Dial who brought home 11 points with six goals and five assists, along with Senior Captain Campbell Armstrong who had six goals. After this win the girls headed to Brien McMahon to take on Darien, who had beat them earlier in the season in a close game. However, the girls could not redeem themselves as Darien took home the win again and was able to move onto the State finals.
Junior Karlie Bucci has enjoyed how the season turned out. “We learned that the sport is about having fun and enjoying the time that you get to play” she said. “By the end of the season, we gained a lot of confidence as a team which helped us beat some of the more competitive teams we played.”
Softball
Photo contributed by Annie Neugeboren
This season the girls softball team was able to go out with a solid year and a winning record of 10-9. Although the New Canaan girls team was not able to secure a spot in the FCIAC tournament, due to the loss of their last game of the season to Darien, they carried some big wins this season over Norwalk and Fairfield Warde.
The team’s season was not over as they still had the chance to compete in the Class LL state tournament, but in the first round they had a disappointing 14-2 loss to Southington. Although it may not show in their record, the girls’ team has much improved since last year and were right up with the teams they were competing with, creating closer games. Senior captain Rachel Keshin has been proud of the team, despite not doing as well as she had hoped. “Even though this season didn’t end the way we wanted to and a lot of things didn’t go the way we expected, it was still the best one out of my four years here because we had a winning mentality and we fought hard every inning.”
