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12/26/2017 11:00 PMWestbrook saw its boys’ tennis team turn in an outstanding campaign that featured a plethora of team and individual success in the spring of 2017. Casey Burns put a bow on her exceptional career on the Westbrook tennis court, and both Knights’ outdoor track squads posted top-five finishes at the Shoreline Conference Championship.
Boys’ Tennis
The Westbrook boys’ tennis team finished with an unblemished record of 20-0 in 2017 and then came in tied for third place at the Class S State Championship. At the state meet, Westbrook’s top two singles players, senior captain Gus Marx and senior David Amendola, joined forces to win the doubles tournament. Westbrook’s No. 1 doubles team of seniors Phil Hartzell and Austin Herzy made it to the third round before taking their first loss of the season.
Prior to the Class S meet, Westbrook competed at the Shoreline Conference Tournament, where Nate Comment won the 3-5 singles bracket, while Hartzell and Herzy won the doubles tournament. Marx, Comment, Hartzell, and Herzy were all named to the All-Shoreline Conference First Team. Amendola, Dylan Martinson, and Jason Raunikar earned Second Team honors.
Girls’ Tennis
The Knights posted an overall record of 18-3 that included a 16-match win streak. Head Coach Paula Fitzgerald’s team also qualified for the Class S State Tournament.
Senior No. 1 singles player Casey Burns won her fourth straight Shoreline Conference title in the 1-2 singles bracket and was named the Knights’ Most Valuable Player. She made All-Shoreline Conference First Team, the New Haven Register’s All-Area Team, and the All-Hartford Courant Team for the fourth year in a row. Burns finished 26-1 on the season after making the State Open quarterfinals. For her high school career, she totaled a record of 102-5.
Also for Westbrook, Sara Farnoli finished 23-4 at No. 2 singles, defeating a No. 1 singles player to get to the Shoreline quarterfinals and make the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team.
Boys’ Outdoor Track
Westbrook took fifth place at the Shoreline Conference Championship. The Knights received a first-place finish from the 4x100 relay of Andrew Naccarato, Jake Marciniec, Sean Scully, and Maxwell Morris with a time of 44.75 seconds. Naccaratto also won gold in the 200 at 24.02. Morris won the high jump with a height of 6 feet-3 inches. Jay Donlan captured first in the discus (136-8), while Vincent Dyer placed second.
The 4x100 relay took second at the Class S State Championship, where Donlan placed second in the discus.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
The Knights placed fifth at the Shoreline Conference Championship, led by the performances of Kelly Donlan and Danyelle Engels. Donlan took first in shot put with a throw of 33 feet-4.5 inches, while Engels took second. Engels also claimed first place in the discus at 112 feet-9 inches, with Donlan finishing second. Engels went on to take third in the discus, fourth in the javelin, and fifth in the shot put at the Class S State Championship.
Softball
Westbrook finished the 2017 season with an overall record of 10-14 and made it to the first round of the Class S State Tournament. After Head Coach Caitlin Eichler’s squad posted a 14-10 victory over Old Saybrook in the qualifying round of states, the Knights lost East Granby in the first round. Westbrook also recorded a 4-3 win over Cromwell in a Shoreline Conference Tournament play-in game before losing to Hale-Ray in the next round.
Baseball
Westbrook finished the 2017 season with a record of 4-16. Head Coach Derek Hansen and the Knights notched wins against Creed-Hillhouse, Valley Regional, Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy, and O’Brien Tech.