Winter 2023–24 Athletics Banquet and Season Recap

March 5, 2024—“Sports are so much more than winning and losing, they are working hard and challenging yourself to be the best player and teammate possible,” shared Director of Athletics Sherren Granese at the Winter  2023–24 Athletics Banquet. Student-athletes, coaching staff, and parents and guardians gathered in the Dining Room to recap the winter season, which concluded on March 1. “Like life, [playing sports] often involves stepping outside of your comfort zone, taking risks and not being afraid to fail,” she added.

While attendees enjoyed pizza, salad, and desserts, Ms. Granese thanked the “incredibly dedicated” coaching staff for “all of the hard work and passion they put in, coaching and motivating each [student-athlete] to become the best player and person possible.” 

She also thanked the Athletic Department for their support—Assistant Director of Athletics Trina Habel, Athletics Administrative Assistant Tiffany Marshall, Head Athletic Trainer Adam Newell, and Athletic Trainer Lisa Brandorff. “This evening and the entire winter season would not be possible without all of the behind the scenes work that takes place,” said Ms. Granese.

The Winter 2023–24 Athletics Banquet celebrated the basketball, ice hockey, squash, and swim teams. There were many personal bests this season including basketball player Nell Sparks ’25 who became the fourth player in Winsor history to score 1,000 points. More highlights include the annual alumnae ice hockey game and a winning squash season that boasted both a trip US High School Squash Championships in Philadelphia and a 14th straight EIL championship.

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

EIL 10–0 | Overall 14– 0

JV basketball was composed entirely of all eighth graders and our team’s mentality was to get one percent better every time we stepped onto the court. This group took this to heart by going on to win 14 straight games and becoming one of the few teams to go undefeated at Winsor. They came to practice focused and ready to put in the work each week. Every game they gained more confidence, developed more chemistry, and played some of the most relentless man-to-man defense I’ve seen in this age group. JV basketball exemplified the meaning of team: a group of individuals who worked together to achieve their common goal and who relied on each other. The comradery, the chemistry, and the memories made this season will surely be long-lasting. I look forward to watching their growth throughout their high school careers. Congratulations, JV basketball!

 

EIL  4–11 | Overall  4–17

Varsity basketball returned to the court for the 2023–24 season led by co-captains senior Natalie Cooper ’24 and junior Nell Sparks ’25. The team opened the season with three EIL games and then over winter break participated in a holiday tournament at Pingree. In a hard fought first game of the tournament, they lost in the final seconds to Greenwich Academy. At the beginning of the new year the team took on EIL rival Bancroft and posted a 21-point win that saw balanced scoring from six different players. To continue their success varsity defended their home court and came up with another double-digit win versus Lexington Christian Academy (LCA). Known for their never-give-up attitude, the team battled their next several EIL opponents till the bitter end, just narrowly losing to Portsmouth Abbey, Berwick, and Wheeler. A highlight for this season was on Feb 2, at home in front of a packed crowd against Concord Academy, junior Nell Sparks ’25 became only the fourth player in Winsor history to score 1,000 points. Winsor completed a season sweep over LCA to close out the season on the road by erasing an 11 point halftime deficit, willing their way to win by holding LCA to just 19 points in the second half, and scoring 32 points to come out victorious. With only two seniors graduating and an undefeated JV season, the future looks bright for Winsor basketball. 

 

EIL 1–6–1 | Overall  2–9–2

In 2023–24 Winsor varsity ice hockey had another fun and exciting season. With 16 returning players, the team welcomed six new members to the fold. Everyone brought enthusiasm and a sense of fun to all our activities including hard practices, team dinners, and long bus rides alike. The team hosted another successful alumnae game in the North End, welcoming back 14 former players and managers and many parents and fans to support the group. The team improved on last year’s record, and showed a tremendous amount of individual growth. In the second half of the season, that growth allowed us to take points off two opponents we had previously lost to. The group was able to send the seniors out in style, with an exciting 3–3 tie with Austin Prep on Senior Day. Congratulations, varsity ice hockey!

 

EIL 0–2  | Overall  1–2

With an average of an astounding 10 personal best times per meet, the JV swim team had an amazing season. The team raced against Dana Hall twice, showing more confidence the second time we faced them, and significantly improving their times that helped narrow the score the second time around. We ended the season with a stellar win against Worcester Academy’s co-ed middle school team with a stunning 11 personal best times. Every member of the team showed what it meant to be a good team member by working hard and supporting one another. The coaches are incredibly proud of each and every swimmer and can’t wait to see what you’ll do in the future.  

 

EIL 4–2  | Overall  8–2

Winsor varsity swimming had another outstanding season! The team had an 8–2 record, losing two close meets to Dana Hall. The team beat every ISL opponent that they faced, including an exciting win over St. George’s that came down to the final relay. During our regular season meets, we saw countless personal records being set each week. At our EIL/ISL championships we placed second with a total score of 313 points. We had two swimmers finish first in the EIL at this meet—Charlotte Holmes ’26 won the 500 freestyle in a time of 5:39.92 and Laurel Halfman ’25 finished first in the EIL in two events; in the 200 freestyle she finished with a time of 2:03.02 and in the 100 freestyle she swam a time of 56.65. The team also had an amazing 20 personal records set at this meet! Other top-three finishers include Bonnie Li ’24 finishing third in the 200 IM and second in the 100 backstroke. At the NEPSAC championships, held in White River Junction Vermont this past weekend, the team placed sixth overall with a total score of 181.5 points. The team had 8 top-8 finishes and 15 top-16 finishes. During the meet there were 11 personal records set and senior Bonnie Li ’24 set a new Winsor swimming record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:04.02. Congratulations varsity swimming on a fast and exciting season!

 

EIL 4–0 | Overall 14–2

The fifth floor of the LOC was the place to be during the winter season, with enthusiastic crowds of students and parents coming out to support this year’s JV2 squash program. As has been true for many years, Winsor’s JV2 squash team didn’t disappoint, producing a final record of 14–2 overall and an undefeated 4–0 in the EIL competition. Many of our tough matches were against co-ed teams. It hardly seems possible, but our roster was even deeper than it was last year, as the bottom half of our ladder consistently provided those wins that clinched our matches. Summing all our competitions, Winsor played 214 individual matches and won 173 of them, or 81%. Special shout-outs to co-captains senior Jessica Wu ’24 and sophomore Theo Zarrow ’26, who brought the best out of all of us in ways both subtle and loud. The coaches could not be more proud of what the team has accomplished this year. Congratulations, JV2 squash!

 

EIL 4–0 | Overall 11–0

Once again this year, Winsor’s JV1 squash team continued to stay in absolute control and dominated the Independent School JV team rankings from start to finish. In this squash season the team played against 11 teams and won all 11 times. In fact, they didn’t just win these matches, they crushed every single opponent that they played. They won a total of 68 individual matches and lost only 2 of them in the entire season. These incredibly talented young players are from Class II through Class VII. They worked well together, they had fun, and they were UNBEATABLE! Congratulations, JV1 squash!

 

EIL 4–0 | Overall 11–2

Varsity squash had another successful and memorable season. Our co-captains, senior Mina Subramanian ’24 and junior Kate Drachman ’25 quickly created a hard working, fun, healthy and happy team environment through their outstanding leadership. The team was victorious in one season match after another, ending the season with 11 wins and 2 losses. The team’s EIL record was impressive, as no team in the league was able to win a single match against Winsor.  In fact, Winsor players didn’t lose a single game during league matches, propelling them to their 14th straight EIL championship! Our outstanding overall season record placed the team in the top division in the New England Championships, where the team finished in fifth place. At the end of the season, varsity squash traveled to Philadelphia for the US High School Squash Championships that included a total of 203 teams in both the boys and girl’s divisions. After a nail biting loss in the first round against Andover, the Wildcats were unstoppable. They were fired up for the rest of their matches and beat Conestoga 6–1 and Choate 5–2. They ended the weekend with an amazing 4–3 win against the Baldwin School. There were lots of happy and sad tears at the end of the weekend, as we celebrated our wins, but also said our goodbyes to Mina who has been a pillar member of this team for the past several years. There were 91 teams competing and Winsor finished ninth in the country, an amazing accomplishment to be incredibly proud of. Congratulations, varsity squash! 

  

Squash Coach Szilvia Szombati was named the EIL Coach of the Year for the 11th time and several Winsor student athletes received All League and All New England Honors. At the banquet, they stood for applause and recognition of their accomplishments.