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06/05/2022 12:00 AMGirls’ Lacrosse
One week after claiming its third-straight conference title, the Guilford girls’ lacrosse team kicked off the Class M State Tournament by winning its first two games to advance into the semifinal round. The Grizzlies earned victories versus Bethel and East Lyme in the first two rounds of states and are sporting a record of 19-1 with a 19-game win streak in tact as they get ready to face Masuk in the semis.
Top-seeded defending champion Guilford opened the state draw by earning an 18-7 home win over No. 17 Bethel in a first-round contest on May 31. Sophomore Payton Root scored 8 goals and had 2 assists for the Grizzlies in the victory. Senior Lorelei King netted 3 goals, junior MJ Santa Barbara had 3 goals with 1 assist, and senior Maddie Epke scored 1 goal to go with 6 assists.
Junior Ella Clarke scored 1 goal and handed out 2 assists for Guilford. Senior Taylor Farace and sophomore Paige Balletto added 1 goal apiece. Senior goalie Sydney Widlitz made 7 saves in net for the Grizzlies.
Then on June 3, the Grizzlies hosted No. 8 seed East Lyme in the quarterfinals and defeated the Vikings by the final score of 19-8. Epke scored 4 goals and dished off 3 assists in the win. King recorded 4 goals, while Santa Barbara and Root each scored 3 goals.
Farace, Clarke, junior Kayla Nopshker, sophomore Addie Widlitz, and freshman Tea Gambardella all chimed in with a goal for Head Coach Wendy Epke’s squad. Sydney Widlitz stopped 7 shots in goal, and sophomore Maya Stoddard made 2 saves in the game for Guilford.
Coach Epke credited several other athletes for their contributions throughout the week. Epke praised the play of senior Olivia McDonald, juniors Kat Baseggio, Emerson Forselius, and Scout Climie; along with sophomore Bella Blanco.
Guilford is playing No. 5 seed Masuk in the Class M semifinals at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7. With a victory, the Grizzlies will face the winner of No. 11 Barlow and No. 15 St. Joseph in title game at Sacred Heart University on Saturday, June 11.
Boys’ Lacrosse
The Guilford boys’ lacrosse team saw its season come to a close when the Grizzlies took a defeat to East Catholic in the first round of the Class M State Tournament last week. No. 14 seed Guilford dropped a 10-5 decision against No. 3 East Catholic in a Class M first-round matchup on June 1. The Grizzlies finished their campaign with an overall record of 10-9.
Baseball
The Guilford baseball team notched a victory over Masuk in the first round of the Class L State Tournament and then took a defeat against Windsor in a second-round matchup last week. The Grizzlies finished with an overall record of 12-11 for the 2022 spring season.
No. 6 seed Guilford started off the state tourney by earning a 4-1 home victory over No. 17 seed Masuk in the first round on May 31. The game was tied 1-1 when sophomore Bryce Meder hit a 2-run triple with 2 outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Guilford a 3-1 lead. The Grizzlies added an insurance run when senior Chris Golino scored on a wild pitch and went on to get the 4-1 win.
Meder also tossed a complete game with 9 strikeouts in 7 innings pitched for the Grizzlies. Senior Mike Torre went 3-for-3 with a run scored and 2 stolen bases to aid the Guilford offense.
Then on June 1, the Grizzlies faced No. 1 seed Windsor on the road for a second-round contest and took a 5-2 defeat. Senior Tyler Zajkowski and junior Carter Williams each hit an RBI single for Guilford. Sophomore Mike Buccaro had a double in the game.
Softball
The Guilford softball team took a 1-0 defeat against Fitch in the second round of the Class L State Tournament last week. The Grizzlies finished with an overall record of 19-4 for a season that saw the squad rattle off a 17-game win streak and win the SCC Hammonasset Division title.
As the No. 3 seed, Guilford had a bye through the first round of the Class L State Tournament. The Grizzlies opened play in states by hosting No. 14 Fitch for a second-round game on June 1 and lost a 1-0 decision to the Falcons.
Sophomore Sophia Meade pitched a complete game with 11 strikeouts for Guilford in its states game versus Fitch. Sophomore Addie Smith hit a double for the Grizzlies.
Boys’ Tennis
The Guilford boys’ tennis team took a defeat versus Hand in the first round of the Class L State Tournament last week. On May 31, the 15th-seeded Grizzlies played at No. 2 seed Hand in a first-round states match and lost to the Tigers by a 7-0 score. Guilford posted an overall record of 9-11 this spring.
Boys’ Golf
The Guilford boys’ golf team recorded a third-place performance when the Grizzlies competed in the SCC Championship last week. The Grizzlies posted a team score 331 to place third when the SCC meet took place at Farms Country Club on June 1.
Senior Miguel Pearce and freshman Andrew Beauton finished in a tie for Guilford’s low score at the SCC Championship as both golfers carded a 78 for the 18-hole outing. Pearce and Beauton each earned All-SCC honors by finishing in a tie for sixth place at the conference meet.
Junior Aidan Webster scored an 86 for Guilford at the SCC Championship. Junior Leo Hergan finished with an 89, and senior Owen Angkatavanich scored a 94 for the Grizzlies.
Boys’ Outdoor Track
The Guilford boys’ outdoor track team turned in a seventh-place performance when it competed in the Class MM State Championship at Willow Brook Park on June 1. The Grizzlies tallied a total of 33 points to stake their claim to seventh place for the state competition.
Guilford’s 4x400 relay of senior Justin Shiffrin, senior Thomas Gregory, senior Cal Stephens, and junior Joshua Chen took second place by posting a mark of 3:29.14 at the Class MM State Championship. Chen finished fourth in the 400 (51.76), Shiffrin took fourth place in the 1,600 (4:26.77), and junior Michael Masotti claimed fourth place in the 3,200 (9:43.62) for the Grizzlies.
Sophomore Andres Gutierrez earned a fifth-place finish in the triple jump (40-7.5) and also finished seventh for the 300 hurdles (42.74) at states. Guilford’s 4x800 relay featuring Masotti, Gregory, sophomore Coleman Love, and Shiffrin finished in fifth place (8:22.82).
Gregory took ninth place (2:00.94) in the 800 for Guilford. Love finished 17th (2:04.47) in the 800, and junior Bretton Garrick came in 23rd place (2:08.03) in the event.
Sophomore Alex Hansen finished 12th in the 1,600 (4:40.71) and also placed 19th in the 3,200 (10:23.70). Alex Milano finished 14th for the 1,600 (4:42.49), while sophomore Connor Pensa took 14th place in the 3,200 (10:10.22).
The Grizzlies’ 4x100 relay of senior Mitchell Yaggi, Stephens, junior Kyle Chen, and junior Mike O’Brien finished in 13th place with a season-best time of 45.76 at states. Chieffo came in 25th place in the long jump (17-10) for Guilford.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
The Guilford girls’ outdoor track team recorded an eighth-place finish when the team competed in the Class MM State Championship at Willow Brook Park on June 1. The Grizzlies scored 28 points as a team on their way to placing eighth at the state meet.
Junior Alexa Suchy took third place in the 3,200 with a season-best time of 11:32.41 for Guilford at the Class MM State Championship. The Grizzlies’ 4x800 relay of sophomore Clara Gahm, freshman Ella Heckler, senior Olivia Skapczynski, and freshman Riley Hickey finished in third place (9:58.33); and the 4x400 relay of freshman Daniella Selig, senior Julia Antony, Heckler, and Hickey claimed fourth place (4:11.37).
Antony finished fifth in the 1,600 (5:19.71), while Kaisin came in sixth place in the 3,200 with a season-best time of 11:45.95 for Guilford. Skapczynski placed sixth in the 800 with a season-best time of 2:24.87 and was followed by Gahm in eighth place (2:28.35).
Sophomore Ella Young finished 13th (52.28) in the 300 hurdles with freshman Agnes Batters placing 21st (53.60) in the event. Sophomore Tea Davison finished 17th in the long jump (14-8.75) and also placed 22nd in the 200 (28.25) for the Grizzlies at states. Senior Rachel Ellison took 18th place in the javelin (74-6) for Guilford.