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12/26/2017 11:00 PMThe 2017 fall season for the Guilford Indians saw phenomenal postseason performances from multiple clubs. The girls’ cross country team won the SCC title, while three other squads advanced to the semifinals of their respective state tournaments.
Girls’ Cross Country
The Guilford girls’ cross country team added to its storied history this year. The Indians went undefeated for the regular season, took first place at the SCC Championship, and then raced to a second-place finish at states.
Jim Ford and the Indians swept a tri-meet against Hand and Foran at the Surf Club in Madison on Oct. 12 to finish 13-0 for the dual-meet season with a record of 4-0 in the SCC Hammonasset Division. As a result, Guilford claimed its 11th Hammonasset Division title since 2004 this year.
Guilford then took first place at the SCC Championship on Oct. 19 in New Haven. The Indians tallied a low total of 40 points to easily outdistance runner-up Cheshire (76 points) and capture the program’s 14th conference title and first since 2012. Meredith Bloss won the race in a time of 19 minutes and 17 seconds over second-place finisher Elisabeth Brown of Sheehan (20:13). Senior captain Jacqui Guerra finished third (20:22) for Guilford, Gianna Siciliano came in fourth place by clocking in at 20:24, and Clara Wiesler placed ninth (20:48).
After that, Guilford netted a second-place finish in the Class L State Championship at Wickham Park in Manchester on Oct. 28. Bloss made All-State by finishing in third place with a time of 19 minutes and 13 seconds for the Indians.
Guilford came in fourth place as a group at the State Open Championship at Wickham Park on Nov. 3. Bloss finished in third place by running a time of 19 minutes and 28 seconds for the Indians. Also racing for Guilford were Guerra (20th, 20:49), Siciliano (27th, 21:02), Wiesler (33rd, 21:10), Emma Bonz (70th, 22:08), Alexis Sattler (99th, 22:55), and Claire Keanna (101st, 22:55).
At the New England Championship, Bloss led the way by placing 13th with a time of 18:33 for the Indians, whose other runners were Guerra (115th, 19:59), Wiesler (187th, 21:09), Bonz (198th, 21:19), Keanna (205th, 21:21), and Sattler (229th, 21:48).
Bloss, Guerra, Siciliano, and Wiesler were named All-SCC First Team, plus Bonz was a Second Team honoree.
Boys’ Cross Country
Guilford defeated Hand and Foran in a tri-meet to win its third straight SCC Hammonasset Division title and its ninth since 2008 this fall. The Indians finished 8-1 overall on the dual-meet season and were 4-0 in the division.
Head Coach Jon Rivera’s team finished in seventh place with 194 points at the SCC Championship on Oct. 19 at East Shore Park in New Haven. Guilford then finished in third place at the Class L State Championship meet. Elijah Dillon came in 10th place behind a mark of 17:39 for Guilford. The Indians had one representative at the State Open Championship meet. Dillon finished in 136th place by running a time of 18 minutes and 25 seconds for the Indians.
Volleyball
The Indians’ volleyball squad had a year to remember by winning 22 matches and a division title, in addition to reaching the SCC Tournament final and advancing to the semifinals in the Class L State Tournament.
Head Coach Laura Meyer’s team recorded its best regular-season record in program history by going 8-2. As the No. 2 seed in the SCC Tournament, Guilford, which had won the Oronoque Division crown with an 8-0 record, defeated No. 7 seed Branford (3-0) and 3rd-seeded Amity (3-1) to reach its first league final since 2011, where the Indians took a 3-1 loss to top-seeded Cheshire.
Guilford was the No. 4 seed in the Class L State Tournament, beating out No. 13 Pomperaug (3-1) and No. 5 Farmington (3-0) to reach the semifinals, where the Indians lost to top seed and eventual champion RHAM 3-0 and finish at 22-4 overall.
Amanda King (179 kills, 145 digs, 42 aces) and Trinity Flynn were both named All-State Second Team and All-SCC First Team. The tandem was also selected to the New Haven Register’s All-Area squad. Julia Hyman was a SCC Scholar Athlete for Guilford.
Football
First-year Head Coach Anthony M. Avallone and the Indians finished 4-6 overall with a mark of 4-1 in SCC Tier 3 play to place second behind Class M State Playoff qualifier Sheehan. Guilford defeated Branford (35-14), Creed-Career-Whitney Tech (23-21), East Haven (35-9), and Bassick (42-0) during the season.
Tanner Small and A.J. Moscato made the All-SCC Tier 3 Team on offense, while Jack Gabriel made the team as a defensive player for the Indians.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
Jen Amasino was the head coach for the Indians in their first year as a program. Guilford finished in 15th place at the SCC Championship at Southern Connecticut State University on Nov. 1. The Indians’ 200 medley relay of Sadie Booth, Chloe Shoff, Lea Chaudun, and Anna Angkattavanich finished 17th with a time of 2:35.06. Alex Mayo finished 13th in the 200 freestyle (2:03.87) and was 15th in the 100 free (56.40). The Indians’ 200 freestyle relay of Mayo, Haley Moriarity, Julia Earle, and Elizabeth Hicks finished 15th (1:53.87), while the 400 freestyle relay of Moriarity, Mayo, Earle, and Hicks placed 14th (4:12.95).
Mayo posted a time of 1:58.73 in the 200 freestyle to finish in 20th place at the State Open Girls’ Swimming Championship at Yale University on Nov. 18. Mayo had previously placed 11th in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:58.19 at the Class L State Championship, where Guilford finished in 14th place at Wesleyan University on Nov. 15. The Indians’ 400 freestyle relay finished 14th (4:08.30); the 200 freestyle relay of Mayo, Moriarity, Earle, and Hicks came in 15th (1:53.50); and the 200 medley relay finished 17th (2:32.15).
Field Hockey
Guilford entered the 2017 campaign fresh off an appearance in last year’s Class M State Tournament final. This year, the Indians compiled a strong mark of 13-2-1 during a regular season that saw them deal eventual SCC and Class M champion Hand its only loss on the year. In the SCC Tournament, Head Coach Kitty Palmer’s squad defeated Scared Heart Academy 4-0 in the quarterfinals before taking a 1-0 semifinal loss against Branford. Then for the state draw, Guilford blanked Lauralton Hall (2-0) and Avon (6-0) to reach the semis, where the Indians dropped a 2-1 contest to Hand to finish the year at 16-4-1 overall.
Olivia Clarke and Mallory Peters were named All-State First Team and All-SCC First Team with Clarke earning the honor of being selected as the SCC Player of the Year. Junior defender Emily Torre garnered All-SCC Second Team honors.
Boys’ Soccer
Head Coach Joe Maher’s squad faced rival Hand in the Class L State Tournament semifinals and took a 1-0 defeat at West Haven High School on Nov. 13. The 3rd-seeded Indians finished their campaign with an overall record of 17-3-1. The Indians also made the SCC Tournament and took a quarterfinal loss to Career-Hillhouse.
Ethan Skinner was named All-SCC First Team with Ian Slattery making the Second Team. The duo also made the All-State Team and New Haven Register All-Area squad.
Girls’ Soccer
Head Coach Scott McMahon and the Indians finished 8-3-5 on the regular season and claimed the SCC Hammonasset Division crown. In the SCC Tournament, 5th-seeded Guilford took a 2-0 quarterfinal loss to No. 4 Shelton. Then as the No. 17 seed in the Class L State Tournament, the Indians outlasted No. 16 Masuk 1-0 in a game that went to penalty kicks, where Guilford prevailed by a 4-3 margin. The Indians wound up finishing at 9-5-5 overall after taking a 2-1 double-overtime loss to top-seeded RHAM in the second round of states.
Taylor Shutak and Chloe Shaw were both named All-SCC First Team and also made the All-State squad. Junior midfielder Abbey Vilaseca and sophomore defender Madison Gambardella made the All-SCC Hammonasset Division Team for the Indians.