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12/26/2017 11:00 PMThe spring of 2017 saw several Cougars’ teams shine in the postseason, including the boys’ lacrosse squad, which had a landmark campaign. The H-K baseball team went on a run in states, while the Cougars also saw a freshman make a great debut on the tennis court.
Boys’ Lacrosse
In only its fifth varsity campaign, the Haddam-Killingworth boys’ lacrosse team posted its best regular season record in program history by finishing with a mark of 13-3. H-K then defeated Morgan 12-9 in the Shoreline Conference Tournament semis to reach its first conference final, where the Cougars took a 10-6 loss to Valley Regional. After that, H-K dropped a 10-7 contest against Rocky Hill in the first round of the Class S State Tournament to finish 14-5.
Eli Griswold was named the Shoreline Conference Player of the Year, in addition to making the All-Shoreline Conference First Team and the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Class M All-State First Team, becoming the first H-K boys’ lacrosse player to earn the latter distinction. Sam Purdy, who netted 69 goals, was selected to the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team and the All-State Second Team. Markus Trahan and Finn Miller were All-Shoreline First Team honorees, while Gibbons and Nick Burger were selected to the Second Team for Head Coach Mark Richard’s club.
Girls’ Lacrosse
H-K earned a berth to the Shoreline Conference Tournament, where the Cougars took a 13-8 defeat against Old Lyme. H-K then traveled to St. Joseph for a qualifying round contest in the Class S State Tournament contest and lost 17-8. Head Coach Meagan Dobson and the Cougars finished with a mark of 8-10.
Baseball
The Cougars finished the year with an overall record of 19-7 after reaching their second straight Class M semifinal and fourth in six years, as well as the Shoreline Conference Tournament semifinals. H-K’s season came to a close with a 5-4 loss against Lewis Mills in the semifinals of the Class M State Tournament.
Ben Alonzo, Tyler Popp, and Owen Marica made the All-Shoreline Conference First Team, while Ross Meglin and Kyle Crandall made the Second Team. Popp and Alonzo also made the All-State Team, and Popp earned Academic All-State Team recognition for Head Coach Mark Brookes’s club.
Softball
The Cougars lost to North Branford in the Shoreline Conference Tournament semifinals, after which Head Coach Jeff Talbott’s squad competed in states, where H-K won its first game and then lost against North Branford in the second round. H-K finished the year with a record of 16-8.
The H-K athletes who received All-Shoreline Conference recognition were Faith Mauri (First Team), Rachel Senechal (First Team), and Ana Hale (Honorable Mention).
Boys’ Tennis
Freshman Giacomo Volpicelli took first place in the 1-2 singles bracket at the Shoreline Conference Tournament, while improving his record to 20-0 on the season. Then at the Class S State Championship, Volpicelli won three matches in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinals, where he took a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 loss. The Cougars were coached by Rod Pakus.
Girls’ Tennis
Emily Beck finished second in the 1-2 singles bracket for at Shoreline Conference Tournament, earning her All-Conference First Team honors. She also made the State Open Tournament. Donna Clark was the head coach for the Cougars, who finished with a record of 7-13.
Golf
H-K closed the regular season with a record of 9-7 and then tallied a score of 362 to finish ninth at the Shoreline Conference Championship. Head Coach Josh Hagewood’s team later finished in 16th place at the Division III State Championship. Alex Segaline earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors on the season.
Boys’ Outdoor Track
Head Coach Matt Diglio and the Cougars finished tied for 10th place the Class S State Championship. Andrew Meredith was the runner-up in the 1,600 (4:25.76) and also finished third for the 3,200 (9:48.40).
At the State Open, Meredith came in 10th place for the 3,200 (9:37.33), and he was also 15th in the 1,600 (4:25.97). Additionally, H-K’s 4x800 relay finished 20th (8:26.95).
At the Shoreline Conference Championship, H-K took second place. Meredith won 1,600 (4:25.63) and the 3,200 (9:43.64), setting meet records in both events. All-Shoreline Conference First Team accolades went to Meredith in the 1,600 and 3,200, while the 4x400 relay of Colin Regan, Kyle Criscuolo, Ricky Carson, and Shahzaib Khalid earned Second Team distinction.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
H-K finished in 23rd place at the Class M State Championship, where the Cougars’ 4x800 relay of Lexie Bouthillier, Emma Anziano, Hailey Cassidy, and Julianne Kelly was the runner-up with a time of 9:52.50.
For the State Open, Kelly finished 11th for the 800-meter run (2:22.78), while Veronica Chrzanowski was 16th in the triple jump (33 feet-9.5 inches) for Head Coach Dick Dupuis’s team. Also, the Cougars’ 4x800 relay placed 19th with a time of 10:12.41.
The Cougars finished in fourth in Shorelines. First-place finishes went to Chrzanowski in the triple jump (34 feet-4.5 inches), as well as Sadie Storm in the 300 hurdles (48.49). Chrzanowski was All-Shoreline Conference First Team for the triple jump, as was Strom for the 300 hurdles. Kelly made the Second Team in the 800.