Girls Swim and Dive

By James Isenhower '22

Coming off a second-place finish at New Englands for the second year in a row, Andover Girls Swimming & Diving looks to replicate its success in the upcoming season. After an eighth-place finish at Easterns, the team defeated Phillips Exeter Academy 100-86, concluding the season with a 4-3 record.

Although Andover placed second at New Englands last season, it was the second year in a row that the team lost to Greenwich Academy. This year, the team is confident in its ability to steal the title, according to Ashley Vensel ’22 and Co-Captain Grace Hitchcock ’20.

“We [placed] second at New Englands. The team that beat us was really strong. Greenwich Academy, it’s all girls, so they’ve been training with the same coach since they were really young, but we have really good [Juniors] this year, so maybe we have a shot,” said Vensel.

“We’ve got some tough competition, but I think that we have a really strong group of girls this year, a lot of fast, new speed on the team and some really strong returners,” added Hitchcock. “We’re really looking to make small changes that will allow us to maximize the work we put in in-season to see maximum results at the end of the season.”

With only a few returning members, Andover will look to grow as a team and feel even more comfortable with each other.

“Having new people on the team this year has been a very fun experience because they bring a lot of enthusiasm to practice that I think has made everyone push themselves,” said Dive Captain Claire Davis ’20.

“Last year we didn’t have time to do any get-to-know-you type things, because of the way the breaks were spaced, but this year we had a little meeting and talked about our goals and got to know each other better, so I definitely think that can help with the team dynamic and overall pushing each other to be the best that we can be in practice,” added Vensel.

Andover’s first meet will be on January 11 at home against Choate.

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Boys Swim and Dive

By Nicole Lee '22

The 2018-2019 Andover Boys Swimming & Diving team set ten out of twelve school records, won Andover’s first Eastern Championship title, and secured the program’s fourth consecutive Nepsac championship. In addition, six members of the team competed for the U.S. at the International School Sport Federation World Schools Championship in Rio de Janeiro in May. Zack Peng ’21 also set a school diving record last year with a score of 348.30, and will return to the team this year.

This year’s team is looking to build upon last season’s success with a strong contingent of returning team members and newcomers. One of the team’s goals is to have every member set personal best times over the course of the season, according to Ralph Lam ’22.

“I think that [Head Coach David Fox] also said that we are aiming to have everyone go for best times this year. We got really close last season to everyone breaking their own record but I think this year that’s a very important goal given how strong the team is,” said Lam.

According to Co-Captain Arnold Su ’20, although there are no meets in the upcoming two weeks, the team has been training hard to be as prepared as possible. Fox noted that this training has been exceptionally demanding.

“So far we have been training pretty hard in the pool as well as starting to incorporate some supplemental on-land training. Everyone is in different parts of their training as we were unable to practice in the fall, but everyone is working hard and pushing themselves accordingly to how well in shape they are,” said Su.

“This year’s team has begun by handling the most challenging early-season training we have attempted in the past fifteen years. While we would greatly prefer to have a meet or two in December because we like to race, we will be able to use those free Saturdays to do some extra work,” wrote Fox in an email to The Phillipian.

Even with a large number of new swimmers, the team looks to work on its unity in hopes to replicate last year’s successful season.

Fox wrote, “Seven of the 18 members of the swimming team are new to Andover, and only six members are in their third or fourth season with us. So, among our challenges, this season is the complexity of assimilation: having the program learn from, and adapt to, this great influx of newer swimmers while at the same time having them learn from, and adapt to, the program.”

Editor’s Note: Ralph Lam ’22 is an Associate Video Editor for The Phillipian.

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Girls Indoor Track

By Cassidy Sadowski '22

With more than one hundred runners this season, Girls Indoor Track & Field is looking to integrate new people into the team and build upon its success last season, according to Captain Sadie Cheston-Harris ’20. Last season, Andover set two new records: the 4x400-Meter relay and 55-Meter hurdles. According to Harris, the team is specifically seeking to increase the amount of runners participating in events.

Cheston-Harris said, “We have [more than] 100 members, which is a lot larger than last year’s indoor team, which is super exciting. Given we have a large team and a lot of depth, I hope we can get everyone participating in as many events as possible this season, and we can train together towards having a super strong team [that can] beat [Phillips Exeter Academy] at the end of the season.”

The team has had a large increase in lowerclassmen in particular. As the season begins, the captains are working on ways to strengthen the team dynamic, according to Kiera Suh ’22.

“Our captains are very experienced with track and have had many new people come to the team [before] so they have a lot of experience with getting people adjusted. So far that has been really helpful. We have a lot of new Lowers and a lot of new [Juniors], just a lot of people overall who are new to the team and new to the sport, and I think they've done a good job of acclimating people so far,” added Suh.

Fueled by the loss against Exeter last year, Andover speculates that the rival will be its toughest competitor again this year, according to Melanie Chung ’20.

“People are really excited about how the team is bigger this year, how there’s more people across event groups, and so hopefully we'll be able to beat Exeter this year,” said Chung.

According to Head Coach Rebecca Hession, the team is looking to use these two weeks before break to set a tone for the rest of the season.

“Our block of December is a really important time for the team to begin to establish routines and rhythms, and we have our opportunity to have our first scrimmage before we leave for break, which… is just a chance to take stock of where we are as a team,” said Hession.

The team has its first meet this Saturday against Wilbraham, Governor's, and Andover High School.

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Boys Indoor Track

By Luke Boshar '22

After a strong period of preseason training, Andover Boys Indoor Track (PATF) is looking to defeat Phillips Exeter Academy behind a stronger team than last year, according to Captain Alex Fleury ’20.

During the two week period in between Thanksgiving and Winter Break, the team will welcome new runners to the program and build team spirit. According to Head Coach Rebecca Hession and Fleury, preparation during these weeks allows the team to hone-in on training after Winter Break.

Hession wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “The December block is a great way to welcome experienced and new teammates to a new season of PATF. We’ll use the early season meet as a benchmark for training once we return in 2020.”

Fleury continued, “For the next two weeks, our main goal is to get everybody on the team—especially the new kids—used to the flow of things in indoor track practice and everything like that and also for them to meet as many people as possible so they feel as comfortable as they can in the team atmosphere.”

The team’s first official meet will take place on Saturday, December 14 against Andover High School, Governor’s, and Wilbraham and Monson Academy. This competition will follow a mini meet with Boston University earlier in the day.

According to Fleury, the team looks to use its meet against Exeter as motivation to train harder and win its meets against other, less competitive schools and eventually beat Exeter.

“I think beating Exeter will be the biggest challenge. It will take staying focused throughout the whole year and just having that goal in the back of our minds during the season. And I think that will lead to a victory at Andover/Exeter,” said Fleury.

He continued, “We were very successful at the smaller meets throughout the season and at our meets that we had at Harvard. Exeter is a very strong team but … we’re a [strong] team as well so I think that this year we should see a lot more success.”

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Girls Squash

By Jay Aziabor '22

Andover Girls Squash finished last year’s season with a record of 7-5, placing ninth at Interschols. The team lost to Exeter at the tournament, despite beating them days before. According to Kennedy Ndiaye ’22 and Head Coach Jennifer Elliott ’94, the team hopes to improve upon its strong foundation from last season.

Ndiaye said, “We want to be in Division I for High School Nationals, and at the end of the season, we want to beat Deerfield. But I feel like what true success would be for our team is for us to keep pushing and supporting one another and making each other better players and better teammates by the end of the season.”

“We hope to stay healthy and build from a very strong and exciting start! We have terrific experience, talent, and positive energy in our cohort right now. It is super exciting. This is a fantastic group of young people to coach. I feel incredibly grateful and optimistic about the season ahead,” Elliott wrote in an email to The Phillipian.

Ndiaye, Mafi Pinot ’22, and Karen Wang ’23 are new members to the team. According to Mariam Elkheshen ’21, each adds to the dynamic of the team.

“We have three new people and having them is really [great] because they are really nice people and they have taught us a lot. For sure, we have probably taught them something too. It’s nice getting to know them and they are really good players, too,” said Elkheshen.

In addition to regular practices, the team worked on establishing a feeling of togetherness during the preseason.

Elliott wrote, “We are working on building from our strengths and becoming stronger, quicker, more accurate, and more strategic players. We are working on developing a strong sense of camaraderie and Non Sibi spirit. I firmly believe that we play better as individuals when we are competing for something bigger than ourselves.”

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Boys Squash

by Trey Wolfe '23

Andover Boys Squash moved up to Division I this season after a strong second place finish in Division II at the Head U.S. High School National Championships last year.

According to Erik Wang ’21, one goal the team has this season is to stay competitive against schools such as St. Paul’s and Deerfield, two teams that defeated Andover last season. Deerfield finished third in Division I at Nationals last year, proving its status as a top-tier team.

“Last year, we lost to both St. Paul’s and Deerfield. Historically, those two schools have had some of the strongest squash programs in the country, so it would be tremendous if we could post wins against them this year. Some of the players at the top of their ladders graduated last year, so we are looking to capitalize on their younger team,” said Wang.

According to newcomer Cody Comyns ’23, in practice all players have aimed to improve their individual skills in addition to building a strong sense of team camaraderie.

Comyns said, “We’re all looking to improve individually but also as a team. It’s clear in practice that everyone tries their hardest. We’re also all trying to work on team dynamics and team bonding over the season.”

The team looks to the leadership of its three Seniors as it works to strengthen both its endurance and physical power, according to Comyns.

Comyns added, “The seniors really care about everyone and their improvement… I think most people wish they were a little more fit, but we’ve done fitness after almost every practice.”

After losing its first matchup away at Belmont Hill, the team hopes to rebound as it starts the 2019-2020 season.

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Girls Hockey

By Lily Haik '2

After finishing with a 12-5-4 record and a fourth place finish in the Class A Nepsac tournament last winter, Andover Girls Hockey hopes to further improve this season.

Head Coach Martha Fenton has implemented bonding exercises to help build the team’s chemistry at the start of the season rather than going straight onto the ice, according to Indi Wagner ’22.

“We have done some team bonding activities like blind folded dodgeball and a blind folded obstacle course in buddies, which was so fun. We all started to get to know each other especially the new people, and just working together more was important as it was especially for our communication on the ice,” said Wagner.

According to Rachel Neyman ’22, with its six new players and growing team bond, the team aims to win playoffs, where its season ended last year in the semi-final round.

Neyman said, “We have two [Post-Graduates]: Rose O’Connor [PG’20] and Olivia O’Brien [PG’20], three new [Juniors]: Claire Colvin [’23], Olivia McManus [’23] and Anne Averill [’23], and a new Upper: Abby Lamontagne [’21], who are all really good. I think as a team we just really want to start getting our chemistry going and being more of a cohesive unit. In doing this, it will lead to all the regular season wins and I hope to go really far. I think this year we should definitely win playoffs.”

According to Wagner, both practice and the team’s first scrimmage against Andover High School have helped the team improve its dynamic on the ice and offensive execution.

Wagner said, “From our first practices, we are already starting to become a team and in the game we made a bunch of switches in the lines. We were still able to put up ten goals throughout the game and we let none in, which is a great sign. Given that that game is probably one of the easier games we will see this season, we still put up a fight through all three periods and were able to get pucks in the net and capitalize on all our opportunities which was amazing.”

Amelia Meyer ’21 is looking forward to the Andover/Exeter competition towards the end of the season.

“I'm definitely looking forward to [Andover/Exeter]… The vibes at A/E are so cool, especially because we had our winter game at Exeter last year, and the stands are just filled and everyone is so loud, there is pounding on the glass, just the community support is rad,” said Meyer.

Andover looks to continue its offensive success in its third matchup against Dexter Southfield on Saturday.

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Boys Hockey

By Christine Michael '22

Andover Boys Hockey started off its season at the Tabor Jamboree this past weekend, finishing the event with a 1-1 record. The team has already developed a close bond between the 13 new members and 10 returners.

According to Shane Shelest ’22 and Matthew Skobelev PG’20, the team has worked to create a welcoming atmosphere and has successfully integrated the new members of the team.

Shelest said, “We've adjusted well, especially since the captains have done a good job of bringing the team together. All the boys have a great bond so far, so I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Skobelev said, “The culture of the team is just a family. It's hard to describe not being in the locker room. You know we make fun of each other a lot, but we get along. Seeing the team is something [that makes me] enjoy going to the rink every single day.”

In preparation for the upcoming games this season, the team has been working various drills with an emphasis on improving players’ speed and teamwork, according to Shelest.

“In practice we do a lot of team system drills. I find that we do a lot of drills, especially in the power play or puck move-in type drills,” said Shelest.

According to Mojmir Petras ’21, the team is starting to see the different hockey backgrounds of each new player influence Andover’s team.

“Adjusting to a new environment has been super easy and enjoyable. We've been working on mostly tactical stuff in practice like power plays, penalty kills, and so many other things. I guess the new people, like me, bring different experiences from different teams to this one here. Different kinds of players help the team in different ways,” Petras said.

Andover’s primary goal for the season is to finish as one of the top 8 teams in the league and to successfully make it to playoffs, according to Shelest.

“A big goal would be to get to the Elite 8, finish in the top eight in the rankings. We just have to work as a team and listen to what our coaches tell us to do… The team is excited to just win games with the boys and have a good team dynamic and a good bond with each other,” said Shelest.

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Girls Basketball

By Luke Boshar '22 and Nicole Lee '22

Looking to rebound from its 5-16 record during the 2018-2019 season, Andover Girls Basketball hopes to improve as a result of the talent of returning team members and newcomers.

One major goal for the players is to carry their first weeks’ positive energy and willpower with them throughout the season, even after tough losses, according to Niya Harris ’21.

“I think just maintaining our determination and energy we have now is important because we only have eleven members on the team. During games, that can be really hard because we do not have as many subs, and throughout the year, because we have a lot of games, it is important to make sure that no one gets hurt. When things get hard, we maintain that competitive energy,” said Harris.

With an influx of new players, the team hopes to unlock its potential by determining what it needs to work on during these two weeks, according to Co-Captain Claire Brady ’20.

“We have five new players on our team, and they make up almost half of the team, so that’s super cool and something that hasn’t happened in the past—they all bring a great energy to the team. I hope that we can discover our strengths and weaknesses early on because I believe this team has so much potential, which can lead to us doing even better this term,” said Brady.

The team has been working on its conditioning in past practices in an effort to control as many aspects of the game as possible, according to Harris.

Harris said, “We’ve been doing a lot of running and think that’s a big difference from last year. Our coaches are really pushing us to be in the best shape, partly because we are a very small team—we have to sprint out on people. We are not going to be the team to overpower others, so sprinting has been helping us become more tactical players.”

According to new player Alanna Olsen ’23, the team has some of its toughest competitors early on in the season and therefore hopes to start the season off on a high note.

Olsen said, “We have two of our hardest games coming up on Wednesday and Saturday, so I hope we can play at our best during those games and utilize the skills we have been practicing effectively throughout. I think we already have a pretty strong bond as a team, but I hope as time goes on, we can become even closer and continue to improve, which will hopefully lead to victories.”

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Boys Basketball

by Charles Ferguson '23

With eight newcomers to the team this year, Andover Boys Basketball looks to build on its strong core from last year after finishing last season with a 15-9 record and missing the playoffs by just one game.

According to Co-Captain Dallion Johnson ’20, there are many talented additions to the roster, such as Bube Momah ’22, Noah Dinkins PG’20, and Henry Meyers PG’20.

“The two [Post-Graduates], Noah and Henry, and the lower, Bube, are great additions to the team. They have already had an impact on the games that we have played,” said Johnson.

With a big roster change from last year, the team will look to take advantage of the new skill sets provided by new players and lineups, according to Head Coach Terrell Ivory ’00.

“Anytime you have new personnel, you have to make adjustments and I think this year we have some really good shooters, so I think we want to utilize that. We also have guys who can play multiple positions… [and] we have kids this year who can play inside and out. I think we can utilize that in a way that we weren’t able to last year,” said Ivory.

Even with the new additions, Coach Ivory believes the team’s greatest attribute is its chemistry, which has already been exhibited early in the season.

“We do have some talented players… [But] I think the [biggest] strength is the team chemistry. The kids really like each other. They care about each other. I think they will play hard and unselfishly,” said Ivory.

For the upcoming season, the team believes in the concrete goals that it has set for itself and each player recognizes what is expected by the coaching staff, according to Johnson.

“We are expecting to win. The goal is to make the playoffs and win a championship. However, we are not the most deep and talented team, so Coach is expecting us to play hard, execute, and work together as one,” said Johnson.

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Nordic

By Izzy Alvarez '23

Andover Nordic Skiing looks forward to a strong season after starting its training these past weeks with an early snowfall. Prior to the break, the team ran and conducted workout circuits to prepare for its time on snow.

According to Co-Captain Posie Millett ’20, practicing on snow early in the season will benefit newcomers to the team.

“We have quite a few new members to the team this year, so I’m excited to see how our season plays off with them getting snow time right off the bat...It's been really good to get everyone out on the snow because this isn’t something that comes naturally to a lot of people,” said Millett.

The team has welcomed experienced skiers Remy de Saint Phalle ’23 and Sam Gallaudet ’23 to this year’s roster in addition to some athletes who are quickly picking up the sport, according to Millett. Adding these experienced newcomers will make up for the contingent of graduates from last season.

According to Claire de Saint Phalle ’21 and Gallaudet, the small size of the team this year has facilitated a close-knit dynamic.

“We have a lot of new people on the team which is really exciting...We can really teach them and hopefully, they’ll love the sport...It’s a very fun dynamic. It’s a pretty small team so everyone is really close with each other, which is one of the great things about it,” said Claire de Saint Phalle.

Gallaudet added, “It’s really positive! I like the energy a lot. Everyone is welcome and it’s supportive. I am looking forward to racing.”

Claire De Saint Phalle believes that the team will be able to build off of its success last season.

“[Our goal is] doing the best we can as a team. Last year the girl’s team had a pretty good season, some of the boys did as well. [We are hoping] just keep up the good work from last year,” she said.

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Wrestling

By Jack Pearlson '23

Finishing last season with a team championship at the Northern New England Invitational and a third-place finish at the Nepsac Class A tournament, Andover Wrestling will look to carry its success into this season.

Last year, although Andover’s record stood at 5-8 in dual meets, the team finished out strong in its tournaments, a result that it hopes to continue this year, according to Co-Captain Eamon Garrity-Rokous ’20.

“Our growth as a team over the course, [of] all the years I have wrestled here, we have grown as a team every single year, we developed a whole bunch. We went from not starting out strong in the beginning of the season and ending really well in tournament season, so I think if we keep that up as a team, things will be pretty good,” said Garrity-Rokous.

According to Co-Captain Marisol Nugent ’20, with several new wrestlers this season, the team has a buddy system that will help the team grow closer.

“We have a buddy system this year which holds upperclassmen accountable for checking in on new wrestlers. We talk about [our] goals for practice, our goals for this season, how we're working to accomplish them and what our mental state is,” wrote Nugent in an email to The Phillipian.

One of the team’s goals for the season will be to succeed against Phillips Exeter Academy after falling to several Exeter wrestlers last year.

“I think we might have a shot at Exeter this year, something we haven’t had in recent years, so we will see how that goes, I think we would like to circle that one,” said Garrity-Rokous.

According to Nugent, with the season already underway, the team has been emphasizing a “no quit” attitude when it comes to its matches.

Nugent wrote, “Our kids can lose matches but I fully expect them to step on the mat and give it their all for the full six minutes. Work hard, show your opponent what you're made of, and never give up. No quit is on the back of all my t-shirts. Go hard or go home.”

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