Fall Sports 2019 Recap
Varsity Crew
Fall 2019 was a season of amazing weather, ideal for seasoned rowers and the large number of new team members eager to master the sport.
Under the leadership of head coach Lisa Stone P’03, entering her 21st season at the helm, and led by tri-captains Sophia Copeman ’20, Avery Beber ’20, and Briggs Negron ’20, crew began the fall regatta season on the first weekend in October with the Textile River Regatta. In the varsity four event, Winsor finished 5th, 12th, and 20th in a field of 41 boats. In the varsity eights, Winsor finished 8th and 15th in a field of 20 boats.
The 10th Annual Junior & High School Regional Championships in Worcester was the second race of the season. Winsor placed 4th in the High School varsity eights race, and in the fours races, varsity, JV and 3V all medaled.
This year’s Head of the Charles was raced in unbelievably beautiful conditions. The crowd on the Winsor dock was large and a great help in cheering on both the eight and four boats as they raced through the Eliot Bridge and into the last half-mile of an exciting race. In the fours, Winsor finished 25th in a very tight field consisting of 85 entrants from across the country and Europe. In the eights, Winsor was 66th in an equally large field, and a minute and a half closer to the winning crew, a finish demonstrating impressive growth and depth for the junior crew.
The season was rounded out with a magnificent Double Ewe Regatta on Halloween, with costumes that were most remarkable for their inventiveness.
Novice Crew
The novice crew team had a very successful first season, showing a phenomenal work ethic and proving that they have incredible potential in the sport. In their first race at the Textile Regatta, the crew finished 5th out of 22 boats in the novice 8+ event, and 2nd, 4th, and 6th out of 21 boats in the novice 4+ event. The New England Junior & High School Regatta was next, and the crew placed 8th out of 17 boats in the novice 8+ event, and 2nd out of 10 boats in the novice 4+ event.
View the varsity and novice crew photo gallery.
Cross Country
EIL 9-0; Overall 15-0
Winsor cross country had another spectacular season as it adjusted to its second year of Division 1/Class A NEPSAC competition. The team of 20 was led by captains Winnie Wang ’20, Indi Aufranc ’20 and Maggie Furlong ’20 who kept the group cheerful even as they faced hill after challenging hill. The team had many accomplishments to celebrate this year, among them a win at Canterbury for the first time since 2016, winning EILs for the fifth straight year, a nail-biter win over Deerfield, and repeating as NEPSTA runner-ups.
The team’s hard work and positive attitude allowed them to rack up a 15-0 dual meet record, while also beating some of the largest private and public schools along the way. A few of the teams they left in their wake this year include: Deerfield (3 times), Andover, Milton Academy and St. Paul’s (all twice), Northfield Mount Hermon, Loomis, Hotchkiss, Nobles, Acton Boxborough High School, Cambridge Ringe and Latin School, and the entire EIL. The team went undefeated in the EIL for the fifth straight year and won the EIL title by putting 5 runners in the top 10.
The team was paced by Meg Madison ’24 who won nearly every race she entered. Meg set the new Winsor School record at an astonishing 17:52, and brought home individual champion titles from the Canterbury, NMH and Brown Invitationals. She finished her NEPSTA season by winning the Division 1 NEPSTA race and then winning the All-star race by 80 seconds and setting a new course record at St. Mark’s School.
Coach Moriah Musto was once again selected by her peers to receive coach of the year honors.
EIL honorable mention: Ashley Browne ’21, Avery Gardner ’21
EIL All-League: Indi Aufranc, Eve Lesburg ’21, Meg Madison, Anahita von Andrian-Werberg ’20, Winnie Wang
All New England Team: Eve Lesburg, Meg Madison, Winnie Wang
Division One New England Champion: Meg Madison
All New England All Star: Eve Lesburg, Meg Madison, Winnie Wang
All New England All Star Race Champion: Meg Madison
View the varsity cross country photo gallery.
Varsity Field Hockey
EIL 9-1; Overall 15-4-1
Led by tri-captains Rachel Place ’20, Brianna Feliciano ’20 and Ellie Pellegrino ’21, the varsity field hockey team went “all out” and finished the year with a commanding 15-4-0 overall record, losing only to Pingree and Worcester Academy in overtime. The Wildcats were a dominant force all season long, scoring a total of 78 goals while allowing only 24. Junior goalkeeper Rani Balakrishna ’21 and her defensive unit were virtually impossible to beat in the backfield as they had 11 shutout performances (including two big 1-0 and 2-0 victories over ISL teams BB&N and Thayer Academy).
This year five new members to the squad tallied at least one goal or garnered an assist, sophomore forward Lexi Pellegrino ’22 knocked in a school-record and personal best 32 goals, Coach Erin Calamari earned her 100th career win, and for the first time in program history, the varsity program was ranked high enough (#4) to host the Quarterfinal round of the NEPSAC Class C tournament, beating Canterbury 3-0 in the blustery cold. Although Winsor’s own dream of making it back to the Championships for the second year in a row fell short against a very strong Pingree team in the Semifinal round, there is no denying that what this group accomplished this season was impressive.
EIL Honorable Mention: Chloe Davidson ’21, Rachel Place
EIL All-League: Sam Maynard ’21, Lexie Pellegrino, Julia Ryan ’22
All New England Honorable Mention: Chloe Davidson, Lexie Pellegrino
All New England: Sam Maynard, Julia Ryan
View the varsity field hockey photo gallery.
Junior Varsity Field Hockey
EIL 3-2-1; Overall 3-5-2
Winsor JV field hockey had another great season this year. Led by their inspiring captains, the girls worked hard to improve their skills, and eight new players brought a ton of energy to the team. All of their hard work and desire to improve culminated in a number of impressive EIL wins, including a come-from-behind victory at Portsmouth Abbey and a win against Dana Hall at Under the Lights.
View the junior varsity field hockey photo gallery.
Varsity Soccer
EIL 3-3-5; Overall 3-7-5
Led by tri-captains Caitlin Bracken ’20, Elizabeth Martin ’20, and Lauren Price ’20, the varsity soccer team started the season with a strong 6-2 victory over rival LCA and played an even better second game against Southfield. Then the Portsmouth Abbey Curse struck, and nothing seemed to break the right way. The team grinded its way to 5 ties over the course of the season and ended up .500 in league play. Even though it ended in a loss, the Pingree game proved a highlight of the season as Winsor held off undefeated Pingree (18-0-1) for sixty minutes and finished with a 1-0 final score.
After proving they could play at a very high level, the team struggled to find the back of the net consistently and caught some unlucky breaks, but continued to fight hard to the end of the season.
EIL Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Martin
EIL All-League: Caitlin Bracken, Ava Nace ’21
Mass Prep All State Selection: Ava Nace
View the varsity soccer photo gallery.
JV Soccer
EIL 2-1-1; Overall 5-6-1
The JV soccer team had a good season, fighting and battling in every game right up until the final whistle. The team came out flying, starting the season 3-1-1, with victories over Southfield, Portsmouth Abbey, and Cushing Academy. They also played some great soccer against some strong ISL opponents. Throughout the season the players were committed to learning, improving, and playing a strategic possession game. With so many young talented players, the future looks bright for Winsor soccer.
View the junior varsity soccer photo gallery.
Varsity Volleyball
EIL 11-4; Overall 13-5
It’s hard to believe that just four years ago, Winsor did not have a volleyball team! Led by captains Michelle Pu ’20 and Eva Shin ’20, the team gelled at the right time, qualifying for their second EIL playoffs as the #3 seed with an 11-4 record. Donning their red and carrying their noisemakers, the crowd came prepared to support the team at their opponent’s court. In the EIL semifinals, the young but full-of-heart Wildcats beat a tough-hitting Beaver, making it to the EIL finals. Moving on to face the #1 seed Dana Hall (whom the Wildcats had never beaten), the Wildcats devised a strategy to minimize one of their opponent’s weapons and it worked. The girls came out fighting and never gave up, winning the 2019 EIL tournament in 4 games.
Continuing to break new ground, the team earned its way to its first NEPSAC tournament as the 4th seed, during which they hosted #5 Rivers. In an amazing comeback after going down 0-2, the Wildcats forced a 5th set and came up just short of a victory. The amazing 2019 season may have come to an end that night, but it will forever be a season to remember.
EIL Honorable Mention: Allison Chang ’22, Eva Shin
EIL All-League: Alex Gorham ’21, Michelle Pu
EIL Player of the Year: Michelle Pu
NEPSAC Tournament All Star Team: Allison Chang, Alex Gorham, Michelle Pu
All-NEPSAC Team: Alex Gorham, Michelle Pu
View the varsity volleyball photo gallery.
JV Volleyball
Overall 8-3
The JV volleyball team finished a fantastic winning season with an overall record of 8 wins and 3 losses. All of the players made tremendous progress, learning technical skills that will allow them to contribute to the continued success of the Winsor program and take their personal game to the next level. The season was highlighted by a thrilling 3-set win over Dana Hall in front of a large and vocal crowd at Under the Lights.
