The leading scorers on the JV girls lacrosse team this year were two fourth formers, Lea Lefebvre and Julia Seelye, tied with 23 goals each. Both also racked up several assists. Still, head coach Kristin Benjamin cited their “fierce competitive spirit and team play” as “more important than their goals.” Benjamin continued, “They always had a great attitude in practices and in games, which made them a pleasure to coach and good teammates.”

Captain Ellie Pardoe led the girls tennis team to victory in the deVillafranca Tournament, which is essentially the New England championships for girls tennis. She and her partner, Louisa Drake ‘09, won the #1-doubles consolation tournament, defeating the #1 team from Choate 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. This victory gave Kent its first 1st-place finish in the deVillafranca Tournament in more than twenty years.

His coaches recently called Jadeson Komolvipat “one of the building blocks of our defense, and our entire team” in the thirds squad’s best-ever season. Said head coach Tim Booth, “Dedication, team-first attitude, tremendous stick skills, and a warrior’s mentality have been the defining characteristics of this role-model student-athlete all spring.” Assistant coach Will Waters concurred, noting the positive effect of Komolvipat’s “quiet, lead-by-example presence” on the whole team’s efforts.

Ali Lospinuso is, as a fourth former, one of the varsity team’s leading scorers, and she had a terrific game May 12 in what was a heart breaking 10-9 loss for the squad. After they fell behind in the first half, Lospinuso helped lead the comeback, scoring two beautiful goals off of fast breaks from the midfield. She scored four goals in total and played a good defensive game as well. Lospinuso has a great shot and has been a real asset to the team on attack. Said head coach Liza Davis, “We are lucky that she will be around for a couple more years!”

On May 12, Ned Shugrue paced the golf team with a 75, the best score fired by a Kent School player in at least two years. The fifth former from Rye, NY found consistency in his ball striking, and he was able to rely upon what head coach Matt Greason judged “his much improved and very impressive short game.”

Rachelle Coward has been an important addition to the varsity softball team. She began as a centerfielder, where her speed was obviously an asset. On May 5, Coward had her debut as pitcher in Kent’s battle with Berkshire. She had 4 Ks and only walked 4 runners, which allowed Kent to stay within striking distance in the 13-8 loss. Head coach Isabel Janelli said recently that her squad is “excited to have Rachelle on the team, and we all anticipate that her pitching will continue to improve and help the team in our last few games.”

In a 6-2 win over Kingswood-Oxford, fifth former Harry Glynne pitched 6 innings, retiring 23 batters, 11 on strike-outs. He helped his cause with two hits at the plate and one stolen base.

On April 22, Regan Cherna defeated her opponent at #3 singles 6-0, 6-2 to give Kent a 4-3 victory over Hotchkiss, the defending NE champions. The following Wednesday, she defeated the #3 player from Westover 6-0, 6-3 to extend her undefeated season to 6-0. Said head coach Rob Ober, “Regan is one of the best pure competitors I have ever coached. She maintains her focus through the ups and downs of any match.” Cherna’s would be a fine accomplishment for any player, and she is still a freshman!

Katie Duncan played a terrific game for the Lions against Westminster. In addition to scoring the team’s final goal in the loss, Duncan came up with a number of crucial interceptions and forced some turnovers that kept Kent in the game against an imposing squad. Said head coach Liza Davis, “Katie is a tough and aggressive defender, and with her impressive speed she can keep up with the strongest of opponents. The team relied very much on her athleticism on Saturday as they do every game.”

In Kent’s 15-4 victory over NMH, Austin Smyth played a big role. The third former from Guilford, CT scored 5 goals, had 1 assist, and dominated the face offs. Recalled head coach Curtis Scofield, “He also hit an opposing player who was at least twice his weight. He said afterwards, ‘I knew that it was going to hurt,’ but he still made the play.” Smyth has since been called up to the varsity.

Julia Wood had one goal and two assists in Kent’s overtime win against Canterbury on April 14. Not only was Wood a major contributor to the team’s attack, but as the center she was responsible for winning a huge number of the draws, and won every one in the last ten minutes of the game and overtime. Said head coach Liza Davis, “She is a tenacious player and made some very smart decisions in the game on Saturday. Without her efforts we would have really struggled to come through with this victory.”

Third former Jesse Frehling pitched a complete game against Trinity-Pawling on April 14, allowing only one run and 4 hits in Kent’s 4-1 victory. He struck out 3 and allowed only 1 walk as he controlled the game from start to finish. In the season opener one week earlier, he stymied South Kent’s batters, striking out 7 and allowing only 1 hit over 4 innings before being relieved in the 5th in a 14-0 Kent win. He has accounted for both Kent wins in the team’s 2-1 start. When not on the mound, he anchors the shortstop position and also bats leadoff for the Lions.

Alexandra Downey and Rossy Brito Trinidad have both stepped forward in practice and volunteered to learn to pitch for JV Softball. Neither has ever pitched before. Said head coach David Greene, “It is to their credit that they are willing to take on such a challenge and volunteer to be in the most potentially frightening place on the field—on the mound!”

Neima Hadi had an outstanding win at second singles in a very tough match against the undefeated Hopkins team. The match seemed to last all afternoon; both boys were cramping at the end. Hadi used grit and determination to will his way to victory in three very close sets. Although the team suffered a close 4-3 loss in the overall match, Hadi’s win was something to be very proud of. Said head coach Jim MacLeod, “His leadership as co-captain through his play was a fine example to the rest of the boys on the team as to what it takes to win a tough match.”

Head coach Cheryl Setchell recently praised the “monumental improvements from the first week in the season to the last” in the play of Ali Lospinuso. The fourth former started her season with the JV squad and moved, on the varsity team, from defense to forward at midseason. She saw limited ice time at first, but towards the end of the season, she was playing regularly on the Penalty Kill unit, and she logged a lot of ice time. Coach Setchell was particularly impressed with her hustle, saying Lospinuso “always does a great job on the back check; her speed is deceptive.”

Nicky Hynes scored the tying goal against Hotchkiss on February 15 (Hotchkiss won 2-1 in OT). Head coach Cheryl Setchell also nominated Hynes as Athlete of the Week in appreciation of the sixth former’s leadership throughout the season.

Italian fifth-form goalkeeper Chiara Traversa made a remarkable 45 saves against Hotchkiss, often three or four in a row, and had a 0-0 shutout against Kingswood-Oxford the following Saturday.

Reggie Alksnis has been a leader of Kent’s defensive group for the entire season. The Latvian fifth former leads the team in hits and blocked shots, and he leads the defense in scoring (6 goals and 14 assists for 20 points) and plus minus rating (+16). In a 7-4 loss to Hotchkiss on February 15, Alksnis had a goal and an assist and was +1. Two days later, in a 7-5 win against Canterbury, Alksnis was +4 and chipped in three assists, giving him the lead in points on the team for the week. Alksnis is well known throughout the league for his spirited play.

Brian DeDonato, a fifth former from Salisbury, CT, worked hard this season to establish himself as a starter, and in recent weeks he has proved a formidable presence in the net. Head coach Jesse Minneman lauded DeDonato’s “greatly improved quickness and puck vision” and noted that his work against Taft in a 3-3 OT result “included a number of point-blank saves, including a first period rifle with rebound chances that he turned away.” Four days later, in a 3-2 OT win over Trinity-Pawling, DeDonato made key saves in the third period and in OT. Kent’s JV team has amassed a 9-1-4 record.

New to the sport of hockey this winter, Lauren Cameron has, with hard work and dedication, earned a spot on the first line. Head coach Jesse Klingebiel said that Cameron “has developed a solid shot and positions herself quite well. She has committed to mastering all aspects of the game, and she is a positive and enthusiastic team member every day.” Cameron collected two goals in each of her last two games and assisted on another. In her first two seasons of play at Kent, Cameron has been named an Athlete of the Week in each. Her exemplary demeanor and nose for the net also won her the award as a member of the girls JV soccer team.

Ellie Pardoe ‘07
Girls JV Basketball
Jan. 28 - Feb. 3, 2007

After sitting out four games because of injury, Ellie Pardoe was back in the lineup against a strong Taft team. She was a constant scoring and rebounding threat on the offensive end, and she dominated the post area on defense. Pardoe scored 15 points and had a total of 22 “possessions gained,” her total of rebounds plus blocked shots. In part because of Pardoe’s intimidation factor, Taft was limited to 12% shooting, and fell to Kent, 37-19. Head coach John Perkins called Pardoe’s performance “spectacular” and went to say that it was the team’s “finest game of the year, against a quality opponent.”

As the boys varsity hockey team defeated the top-ranked teams in New England, Justin Daniels and Danny Colvin were involved in the vast majority of the points. Things got rolling on Monday with a 3-3 tie against a very competitive Gunnery team. Two days later, Kent defeated Taft, ranked first in New England, 4-2. The Lions finished the week on Saturday with a convincing 8-5 win over Westminster, ranked second.

In those three games, Kent scored a total of 15 goals. Justin Daniels scored 4 goals, including the game-winner against Taft, and dished out 8 assists for a total of 12 points during this three-game stretch. He either scored or assisted on 80% of Kent’s goals. During that same span, Danny Colvin scored 4 goals and notched 7 assists (including one on Daniels’ game-winner) for a total of 11points. He either scored or assisted on 73% of Kent’s goals. Both players are +10 in those three games: they have been on the ice for ten more of Kent’s goals than those scored by their opponents. Assistant coach Garrison Smith said simply, “They are playing extremely well together, and whenever they are on the ice they are a threat to score.”

Rachelle Coward has been a major contributor to the extraordinary success of the girls varsity basketball team (14-0), and head coach Wayne Walton said that Coward “played some of her best basketball of the season” in wins against Westover and Williston. Coward had 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, 1 steal, and 1 assist at Westover. The Williston game was another strong performance for Coward. She tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks, and 5 assists to go along with a good effort at the defensive end.

With her impressive speed and ball handling, Jennifer So has emerged as starting point guard on the 2007 girls JV team. Against a strong Taft team on January 17, So scored 12 points and assisted on several others, helping Kent to a tough, 3-point victory. On the 20th, So had 8 points in the JVs’ seventh victory. John Perkins, who has coached the team since time immemorial, said of So, “She is a true team player, and she puts the ‘fast’ into ‘fast break.’”

In a meet at Hopkins, Kyle Beek took first place for the boys with the highest score of his career, 191, and earned his first 7.0 score on a dive, an outstanding mark. Beek, captain of the diving team as a fifth former, hails from Kingston, Jamaica.

In two meets, Christine Drpich earned two first-place finishes as a diver. She also swam in two relays against Westminster, making great time even after only two days of practice. Head coach Margaret Magee said recently, “Christine will make an impact on the girls’ swimming program and we look forward to three more years with her!”

In his second year as point guard for the JV basketball team, Ping Chi Yang is a leader on the offensive and defensive ends. Yang scored 10 points against Loomis-Chaffee, almost a third of Kent’s point production in a 33-24 win. Additionally, both his rebounds and assists totals were among the team leaders’. As one of the captains of the team, Yang has been a big part of the team's 3-0 start this year.

Jon Schanke scored three goals, including the game winner, in Kent’s 5-2 victory over Salisbury, a perennial powerhouse and the defending New England champions. He also scored a goal and had two assists in Kent’s previous game, against Brunswick four days earlier. Schanke leads the team in goals with six in only five games played. Assistant coach Garrison Smith called him “the kind of player who saves his goals for the biggest games of the year—and this week was no exception. Salisbury was one of the biggest wins for the hockey team in recent memory, and Jon played an integral role in that victory.”

When the girls varsity hockey team found itself short of skaters, reserve goaltender Siobhan Lavery joined the second shift. Head coach Cheryl Setchell lauded Lavery’s team-first attitude and complimented her rapid improvement as a key part of Kent’s zone defense. Lavery, a sixth former from West Hartford, CT, is a four-year veteran of the girls hockey program.

Phil Stevens anchored the boys JV soccer team all year, both in his role as co-captain and as the goalkeeper. Thanks to a solid defense and Stevens’ stellar play, the team allowed an average of only 1 goal per game over the 16-game season, finishing with a 9-3-4 record. In one of his final outings, Stevens recorded a shutout against Westminster in the driving rain on a messy field. With the game tied 0-0 in the first half, he stopped a penalty kick, causing a rebound that hopped directly to the shot taker, who fired again toward the left goalpost. Stevens dove and, improbably, caught the second shot. With Kent ahead 1-0 in the closing minutes, he managed 3 more saves on point-blank shots, including a last-second drive from 6 yards out. Due to his fine leadership, good sportsmanship, and outstanding play, Phil Stevens earned the team’s MVP award this year.

Ellie Pardoe closed her sixth-form season by scoring Kent’s lone goal against Loomis on November 11. Head coach Margaret Magee, citing Pardoe’s strong hit and game sense, said, “She has been a force to reckon with on the field all season. She has directed the defense and the entire team. We are going to be lost without her next year.”

Scott De Santis finished 5th of 63 varsity harriers with a time of 16:48 at the Founders League Championships. De Santis went out with the lead pack or runners, holding his own pace and keeping watch on the leaders. He moved up throughout the race and passed three finishers in the final half mile. De Santis has been the number one runner for the boys since his first race this season, which was his first race ever. He finished 32nd at that race, the Canterbury Invitational; he then went on to finish in the top three overall in each of the regular season’s races. Said head coach Jeremy Sokolnicki, “Scott has a wealth of ability that he is just beginning to discover.”

Lea LeFebvre scored 2 of Kent’s 5 goals against Westover on November 4 and assisted on another. Head coach Margaret Magee said of her, “She is a strong middie who has a great hit in the circle. She rarely tires and has a positive attitude.” LeFebvre, a fourth former, is playing her first year with the team.

Emily Reynolds has consistently been Kent’s number one runner in meets this season, and in an important match-up, Reynolds’ first-place finish was a deciding factor in Kent’s narrow win over Taft. Said head coach Laura Herr, “Despite aching shins and other annoyances, she has always remained positive” and totally dedicated to every practice and competition. Reynolds, a co-captain, is racing in her fourth season with the varsity cross-country team.

Jamar Beverly rushed for 128 yards on 16 carries, including a touchdown, helping Kent to a 28-3 victory over Taft on Kent’s Parents Weekend, October 28. Beverly also caught one pass for 8 yards and had a 44 yard punt in the game. Head coach Todd Marble also lauded his work on defense and special teams. Beverly has 440 yards rushing on the season, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt.

Abby Kelly ’08 scored Kent’s goal on October 7 against Pomfret, tying the game at 1-1 after the half. Although Pomfret won the game during the final minutes of play, Kelly’s goal kept the team in the game and encouraged. Head coach Liza Davis called Kelly “a tremendously skilled player with good power and speed. The team consistently looked to her.”