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11/08/2020 11:00 PMGirls’ Cross Country
Senior Anna Steffen finished as the top runner in the Southern Connecticut Conference while helping the Hand girls’ cross country team put forth an excellent showing at a postseason competition held by the SCC last week. Steffen claimed first place at both the SCC Division A Championship and the SCC Championship for the Tigers at East Shore Park on Nov. 4.
The SCC held four divisional meets for its girls’ cross country teams. In addition to crowning divisional winners, the SCC merged the performances from those meets to tabulate the standings for the SCC Championship. In the end, the Tigers claimed second place in the SCC Division A Championship and placed sixth in the standings for the SCC Championship.
Steffen clocked in with a time of 18 minutes and 46 seconds to take first place overall for the 5K race, placing ahead of runner-up Julia Antony of Guilford for the top spot at the divisional meet by 1:08. When the numbers were crunched for the SCC Championship, Steffen and Antony were the top two placers among the field of 137 runners, giving Steffen the conference title, as well was All-SCC First Team honors.
Hand saw several other runners compete at the SCC meet. Senior Morgan Combs ran a time of 21:34 to finish seventh in the division and 15th for the conference, earning her a spot on the All-SCC Second Team.
Senior Keelin Virgulto finished with a time of 23:17 to take 11th place in Division A and 37th in the SCC overall. Junior Maya Sestan took 17th place in the division and was 64th for the conference with her mark of 24:44. Freshman Tessa Burch crossed the finish line in 25:01 to finish 18th in the divisional standings and 68th in the conference rankings.
Senior Anna Son finished 21st for the divisional meet and 93rd among conference competitors by timing in at 26:19 for the Tigers. Sophomore June Arsen ran a time of 30:24 to finish 28th in the division and 130th for the conference. Freshman Alexandra Price finished 33rd in the division and 137th in the conference with a time of 42:08.
Boys’ Cross Country
The Hand boys’ cross country squad saw 10 runners hit the trails to compete at the SCC’s recent postseason meet at East Shore Park. On Nov. 4, the conference held four divisional meets that additionally generated the team standings for the SCC Championship. The Tigers took second place at the SCC Division A Championship and finished third in the SCC Championship.
Sophomore Harrison Grenier led the Tigers pack by hitting the finish line with a time of 17 minutes and 35 seconds for the 5K event. By virtue of this performance, Grenier came in third place for the divisional meet and placed 12th overall in the conference standings, securing a spot on the All-SCC First Team.
Senior Connor Parthasarthy, junior Danny Hilmer, and senior Dante Zucconi all earned All-SCC Second Team honors for Hand. Parthasarthy ran a time of 17:45 to finish sixth in the division and 16th for the conference, Hilmer clocked in at 17:53 for seventh place at the Division A meet and 21st place in the SCC Championship, and Zucconi posted a mark of 17:57 to finish eighth in the division and 23rd in the SCC outright.
Junior Jack O’Keefe placed ninth in the division and 29th in the conference with his time of 18:05. Fellow junior Sam Stiewing was 10th for the divisional meet and 30th in the conference standings after turning a time of 18:07.
Junior Robert Constable ran a time of 18:08 for 11th place in the division and 31st in the SCC, while sophomore Nick Montana finished 12th for the division and 38th in the conference with a mark of 18:15. Junior Paul Odyniec finished 13th for the Division A meet and placed 39th in the SCC Championship with a time of 18:17. Senior Max Genter timed in with an 18:28 to take 14th place in the division and 41st place for the conference.
Boys’ Soccer
The Hand boys’ soccer team was victorious in its final two games of the regular season to finish with an unblemished record of 10-0. The Tigers earned road wins versus Wilbur Cross and North Haven during the last week of the regular season.
Hand claimed a 4-1 victory over Wilbur Cross at Bowen Field on Nov. 3. Four days later, the Tigers play a game at North Haven for their regular-season finale. Hand won the game by the final score of 10-2 to put the final stamp on its undefeated regular season.
Hand has earned the No. 1 seed in the SCC Division B Tournament. The Tigers are scheduled to face the winner of the semifinal game between East Haven and Guilford in the championship on Thursday, Nov. 12.
Girls’ Soccer
The Tigers’ girls’ soccer squad came away with a split of two road games to finish out the 2020 regular season. Hand posted an overall record of 5-3-2 on the campaign.
On Nov. 2, Hand recorded a 9-0 victory against Wilbur Cross at Bowen Field. Then on Nov. 5, the Tigers dropped a 1-0 decision to East Haven in another road game.
Hand is the No. 2 seed in the SCC Division B Tournament and was slated to play No. 3 Branford in the semifinals on Nov. 11 (after press time). With a win, the Tigers would play for the title on Friday, Nov. 13.
Field Hockey
The Hand field hockey team completed its regular season by splitting a pair of games, after which the Tigers claimed victory in the first game of their conference tourney. Head Coach Sue Leckey’s club has an overall record of 8-3 on the year.
Hand posted a 1-0 home victory over Sacred Heart Academy on Nov. 2. Three days later, the Tigers took a 3-1 loss at Guilford in their regular-season finale.
On Nov. 7, Hand opened up the SCC Division A Tournament by hosting Sheehan for a first-round game. The 3rd-seeded Tigers blanked No. 6 Sheehan to the tune of a 2-0 victory to advance into the semifinal round. Hand was slated to face No. 2 Guilford in the semis on Nov. 9 (after press time) and would face the winner of Branford and Cheshire in the final on Nov. 11 (after press time) with a victory.
Girls’ Volleyball
The Hand girls’ volleyball squad notched a win and took a loss during the final week of regular-season play. The Tigers finished with a record of 5-7 for the regular season this year.
On Nov. 2, Hand hosted West Haven and swept the Blue Devils by a 3-0 score. The following day, the Tigers dropped a 3-2 decision against Branford in another home match.
Hand is the No. 3 seed in the SCC Division C Tournament and was scheduled to take on No. 2 East Haven in the semifinals on Nov. 11 (after press time). If the Tigers win that match, they would move on to the championship contest on Friday, Nov. 13.