Spring 2023–24 Athletics Banquet and Season Recap

May 22, 2024—The seniors “wanted to go out on top and knew that to do that they had to work hard, and get everyone to believe that being a team, working together, and having fun would produce the best results,” shared Director of Athletics Sherren Granese at the Spring 2023–24 Athletics Banquet. Celebrating the crew, lacrosse, sailing, softball, tennis, and track and field teams, student-athletes, coaching staff, and parents and guardians gathered in the dining room to recap the spring season.

While attendees enjoyed pizza, salad, and desserts, Ms. Granese thanked the “incredibly dedicated” coaching staff for “all of the hard work and passion that they put into teaching, coaching and leading the student-athletes on and off of the field.” She also thanked the Athletic Department for their support—Assistant Director of Athletics Trina Hable, Athletics Administrative Assistant Tiffany Marshall, Head Athletic Trainer Adam Newell, Athletic Trainer Lisa Brandorff, and the entire facilities staff—for “everything that they do to help make the athletic department and seasons run smoothly.”

Ms. Granese pointed out that despite missing four full seasons due to the pandemic, during their tenure at Winsor, the Class of 2024 has been a part of 21 EIL titles, two New England Championships, three New England Championships as runner ups, a US High School Rowing National Championship, and a Sailing Mass Bay Championship, and also won MVP awards in four different sports, twice were Gatorade Runner of the year, and leave the school with numerous Winsor, EIL and NEPSTA records in place. “Thank you, seniors, for always putting the team first and leaving a legacy that will remain forever. I’m going to miss watching you compete, but look forward to hearing about the wonderful things that lie ahead for all of you,” she added.

There were many highlights during the spring season including an eighth consecutive EIL Championship for the varsity track and field team, who also boasted the largest team in recent memory with 52 athletes. The sailing team—who practiced in all conditions, including with surprise 40-mph winds that kicked up and capsized all of their boats—won the Mass Bay Championship. Finishing their season undefeated, the varsity tennis team won their fourth straight EIL Championship and made school history by moving into the NEPSAC Class A Championships and finishing runner up.

Read what the coaches had to say about each of the teams this season:

Crew

Braving cold and rough waters, Winsor crew had a phenomenal year. This spring, during the regular season they raced 5-6 boats against many schools including Newton Country Day, BB&N, Cambridge Rindge and Latin, Taft, Pomfret, Miss Porters, St. Marks, The Lincoln School, and St. Mary Bay View.

They competed in the USRowing Northeast Championship and qualified all boats to the championships. The 1V8+ and 2V four placed fifth in their finals behind many strong regional club teams. Additionally, the straight 4 and u17 coxed 4 qualified for USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida, by placing top four in the finals. The Novice 4+ also had the second fastest time in heats by over 20 seconds. This season the team was led by the hard work and dedication of the first varsity coxed 4 boat, pushing everyone else to strive for success on the water.

The team’s top four scholastic boats all qualified and will be competing this weekend at New England Interscholastic Championships, on Lake Quinsigamond, with their eyes set on gaining enough points for the team trophy. Good luck varsity crew!

Varsity Lacrosse

EIL 6–3 | Overall 7–8

With a young team, having lost two impactful starters from last year due to injury, we knew this season was going to be a true test of our player’s grit and determination. After a tough loss to a non-league opponent to start the season, the team came back stronger than ever with five consecutive wins to kick off the regular season play with a bang! The varsity lacrosse team played some outstanding lacrosse and finished with an EIL record of 6–3, fourth in the league. Our team’s mantra was WT2—“Work Together, Win Together”—and we did just that. On the field this season we were led by our dominant midfield play, the physicality of our defense, and our cohesive and dominant offense. This was such a resilient team, as each player showed growth as an athlete, a teammate, and an individual. The future looks bright for the Wildcats and we can’t wait for the 2025 season to get here.

Sailing

Other than the weather, the sailing team has had a spectacular season sailing in the Massachusetts Bay League!! The team has been led by captains Dee Dee Ansari ’24, Kimberly Nguyen ’25, and Julia Nephew ’25. Between the top three boats, the team has had many first place finishes in a very packed race schedule, against some tough co-ed competition. The final league points have not been tallied, but the team is in the hunt to win the title again this season. The entire team needs to be acknowledged for their hard work and dedication for making this season so successful. Congratulations to the sailing team on an outstanding season so far and good luck in the final championships tomorrow.

Update: read more about the team’s Mass Bay Championship win!

Softball

EIL 5–3 | Overall 5–7

The varsity softball team started the season young and inexperienced, but finished the season with a bang. With a small team of only 11 players, many new and inexperienced players had an opportunity to step up and represent the Wildcats on the field. The team was focused on strengthening their skills and building confidence to battle every opponent that they faced. The beginning of the season saw the team facing some tough opponents and gaining experience along the way. This was followed up by three big wins over Concord Academy, Pingree, and Lexington Christian Academy. Even with the tough losses the players did not let it deter their motivation to play their best softball and qualify for the EIL tournament. With finishing wins over the Wheeler School and Dana Hall, the team finished the season in fourth place and qualified for the tournament. The coaching staff is beyond proud of the work and dedication put forth by this fantastic group of athletes and the strong finish that they displayed. The future is definitely bright for Winsor softball.

Junior Varsity Tennis

EIL 3–3 | Overall 4–3

The JV tennis team had a fun spring season! Early on, the team decided that our priorities were:

1. To get better as a team 2
2. To have good sportsmanship
3. To support our teammates on and off the court

We were successful at all three of these goals and along the way also racked up a winning season! With a roster of only eight players, everyone got to play multiple matches and got to experience both singles and doubles. Early season rain took its toll on several matches and practices, leaving Coach to do his best Richard Simmons impression leading aerobics in the yoga room! In the end our record was four wins and three losses, and with a team of mostly freshmen and sophomores, we are looking forward to an even stronger showing next year. Congratulations JV tennis!

Varsity Tennis

EIL 9–0 | Overall 18–1

Winsor learned last summer that it would be moved into the Class A New England championships, the most competitive group in New England. The team knew what this meant: they had to focus and work hard if they wanted to make it to the New England tournament and be seeded at the top.

The task was both exciting and daunting, how would we fare against the strongest competition that our region had to offer. The team did more than rise to the occasion, they went undefeated during the regular season and lost in the NEPSTA championships. Over the ten weeks of the season, the team played an impressive 16 matches and were victorious in all of them. Several of our players did not lose a match during the entire season.

It is no secret that the varsity tennis team of 2024 knows the value of hard work, but in a more complex way, they also understand the particular magic that occurs when hard work is done together, among a group of players equally invested in each other’s success. Yes, we’re always working for the wins, but the real prize was in those smaller moments, those moments that linger for years to come and that reveal the true value and meaning of being a team. For many reasons this season will be one to remember, and their coach could not be prouder of everything that they have accomplished. Congratulations varsity tennis on an amazing season, for your fourth straight EIL Championship, and for being the runner up in Class A NEPSTA Tennis Championship.

Track and Field

EIL 5–2 | Overall 20–8

The track and field team started this spring as it does every season: with the goal of winning another EIL championship. The regular season results sometimes looked rocky, but this was a very young team that got great experience against some top competition.

Last year the sprinter group was a bit stronger and deeper than the distance group. This year we knew that a deep and talented distance group would need to carry a bit more of the scoring, which is exactly how things played out. Along the way during the regular season, Yemisi Adetowubo ’26 set a new school record in the triple jump with a distance of 39 feet 3.5 inches.

At the EIL championships, Winsor went first, second, and third in all three distance events—the 800, 1500 and 3000—an incredible achievement. Meg Madison ’24 set new EIL meet records in the 800 and 1500 and joined with Tenney Bluman ’26, Gabrielle Peskin ’28, and Tessa Laurans ’28 in the 4 x 400, to set another EIL meet record.

Many other athletes had outstanding efforts and scored in their events, which led to Winsor’s eighth straight EIL Championship.

At the Division 1 New England meet, Winsor finished seventh in team scoring. Meg Madison was named meet MVP after shattering the meet record in the 1500 by 7 seconds with a time of 4:31 and also winning the 800. Congratulations varsity track on another outstanding season.

Honors

Coach Shalise Manza Young was named the EIL Coach of the Year for Track and Field for the fifth year in a row and Tennis Coach Maria De Marco was voted the EIL Coach of the Year for the fourth year in a row. Additionally several Winsor student athletes received All League and All New England Honors. At the banquet, they stood for applause and recognition of their accomplishments.

• Varsity Lacrosse EIL Honorable Mention: Lexi Pascucci ’26 and Lucie Rynne ’24
• Varsity Lacrosse EIL All League: Lucy Condron ’26, Kate Perkins ’26, and Nell Sparks ’25
• Varsity Lacrosse All NEPSAC Honorable Mention: Lexi Pascucci ’26 and Nell Sparks ’25
• Varsity Lacrosse All NEPSAC: Lucy Condron ’26 and Kate Perkins ’26

• Varsity Softball EIL Honorable Mention: Ryan Fantasia ’24 and Sana Khan ’27
• Varsity Softball EIL All League: Gricelda Castro ’24 and Gwen Castro ’24
• Varsity Softball All NEPSAC Honorable Mention: Gricelda Castro ’24

• Varsity Tennis EIL Honorable Mention: Maya Cukras ’27 and Avery Harrison ’24
• Varsity Tennis EIL All League: Karina Artemiev ’25, Julia Bae ’25, Ila Desai ’27, Jiwon Lee ’27, and Suzanne Pogorelec ’24
• Varsity Tennis EIL Player of the Year: Suzanne Pogorelec ’24
• Varsity Tennis All NEPSAC Honorable Mention: Jiwon Lee ’27
• Varsity Tennis All NEPSAC: Julia Bae ’25 and Suzanne Pogorelec ’24

• Varsity Track EIL Honorable Mention: Serena Toscani ’25 and Desiree Winston-Johnson ’24
• Varsity Track EIL All League 4 x 400: Tenney Bluman ’26, Tessa Laurans ’28, Meg Madison ’24, and Gabrielle Peskin ’28 
• Varsity Track EIL All League 800 and 1500: Meg Madison ’24
• Varsity Track EIL All League 3000: Gracie Zhou ’26
• Varsity Track All New England 4 x 400: Tenney Bluman ’26,  Lara do Rosario ’26, Meg Madison ’24, and Gabrielle Peskin ’28
• Varsity Track All New England triple jump: Yemisi Adetowubo ’26
• Varsity Track All New England 800: Tenney Bluman ’26
• Varsity Track All New England 800 and 1500: Meg Madison ’24
• Varsity Track All New England 1500: Gabrielle Peskin ’28
• Varsity Track All New England 300 hurdles: Desiree Winston-Johnson ’24
• Varsity Track NEPSTA Division 1 Meet MVP: Meg Madison ’24