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03/18/2015 12:00 AMBoys' Swimming and Diving
On March 11 at the Class M State Diving Championship at Bulkeley, Hand's Teddy Zeng repeated as champion with a score of 603.20, which was a new Class M record that shattered the previous mark of 476.35. Zeng defended his title by a wide margin as Branford's Dean Conte was runner-up with a tally of 464.85.
"I'm very happy to be the state champion once again. It's an honor to be recognized for the hard work I have put in to improve my skill level," said Zeng. "I have to say thank you for the support of my teammates and coaches."
The swimming portion of the State Championship meet took place on March 18 at Wesleyan University.
Gymnastics
Hand traveled to Derry, New Hampshire for the New England Championship and finished eighth out of 12 squads with a score of 136.175.
"This weekend was mostly about enjoying the team and enjoying watching some of the best gymnastics in New England," said Head Coach Kelly Smith. "Being the No. 3 seed, we competed in the morning session, which was smaller, quieter, and less of the championship pressure, but we still placed eighth, which means we even beat some of the teams in the other session. It wasn't our best day, but we did well overall and had fun."
Performances included Abby McGuirk (tied for 8th with 9.3 for bars, tied for 12th with a 9.25 for vault, 13th with 9.0 for the floor, tied for 31st with an 8.10 for beam, tied for 11th with a 35.65 for all-around); Erin Naclerio (11th with 9.175 on beam, tied for 21st place with 9.00 for vault, 41st place at 7.40 on bars, 47th with 7.725 on floor, 36th at 33.3 in all-around); Erin Maxwell (20th at 8.65 for the beam, tied for 24th at 8.825 on vault, 33rd with a 8.30 for the floor, tied for 37th at 7.55 on bars, 35th with 33.325 for all-around); Noelle Bergere (30th at 8.375 for floor, tied for 40th at 8.35 for vault); Genevieve Geller (tied for 40th at 8.35 in vault, tied for 33rd at 8.0 for beam); Lily Spencer (tied for 31st with an 8.10 for bars); Lauren LaChapelle (53rd at 6.35 for bars); Olivia Finke (tied for 25th at 8.45 on beam); and Becca Anderson (39th at 7.45 for beam, 42nd with 8.075 on the floor).
"Abby and Erin Naclerio were also competing as individuals and continued to excel on their best events, bars and beam, respectively, and turned in 9s in their performances," said Smith, whose Tigers also repeated as SCC and Class M state champions this campaign. "Erin Maxwell turned in some great performances today and I have to commend Noelle Bergere, who competed on floor at the last minute when we had an injury. She stepped up and competed with minimal warm up and even put in a new skill she's been working on. That was really great for the team. All in all, we're psyched for eighth place. It was a great end to a great season."
Girls' Basketball
No. 5 seeded Hand traveled to No. 4 seed and defending Class L state champion Capital Prep (20-1) in the quarterfinal round of the Class L State Tournament on March 10 and saw its season come to a close with a 92-36 loss. The Tigers finished the year 21-4 overall and made the program's first appearance in the SCC Tournament final after winning the SCC Hammonasset Division for the second straight year.
Gege Catalano posted 10 points and grabbed five boards. Gabby Martin scored seven points, dished out five assists, and made three steals. Michelle McCloskey added six points and four rebounds. Capital Prep shot 54 percent from the field and outrebounded the Tigers 60-28.
"This was a disappointing way to end such a special season, but Capital Prep is just at a different level. They have a McDonald's All-American, a senior who is already committed to a high Division I school [Kiah Gillespie], and a host of other potential scholarship players," said Head Coach Tim Tredwell. "It would have been nice to hit some shots early and gain some confidence, but before we could blink, they had already put together a double-digit lead. Our kids played hard as they've done all season, but there were no adjustments to make or sets to draw up. The hope is that the seniors don't dwell on this and instead choose to focus on all their accomplishments in this great season while the returning players use this as motivation when preparing for next year."
Boys' Ice Hockey
14th-seeded Hand took on No. 3 Branford in the first round of the Division II State Tournament on March 10 at the Northford Ice Pavilion. The Tigers hung in the contest early, trailing only 1-0 after the first period, but the Hornets tacked on another goal late in the second before adding on another pair for the third.
Hand, the defending DII state champion entering the postseason, finishes the campaign at 6-13-2 overall.
Fencing
The Tigers competed at the Team State Championships on March 14 at Bridgeport Central. The boys' foil team finished fifth while girls' foil was eighth.