WHS Athletic Newsletter
GOOD Morning Wilton features Wilton High School sports results and updates provided by the WHS Athletic Department, including write-ups from coaches, teams and boosters. Scores and results are also compiled from CIAC and FCIAC when available. Additional materials of interest can be submitted to GMW for consideration submitted via email.
The following report contains updates from June 1-9. Any results from contests after those dates will be reported in the next update.
Message from the Athletic Director
Hello Warrior Nation!
We are in the final week of the CIAC State Tournament and we have three teams still active. Emily Mrakovcic [and Ryan Johnson] moved on to the New England Championship in track and field on Saturday, June 11. In boys tennis, Sam Gioffre and Alex Reyes continued their quest for the state championship in men’s doubles. The boys lacrosse team defeated Daniel Hand in overtime in the quarterfinals and Cheshire in the semi-finals, advancing to the CIAC championship game (see above). We wish the very best of luck to all our teams.
On a personal note, I wanted to thank the Wilton community for all of your support these past years. It has been an experience that I will never forget. While I am excited about the opportunities that await me in the future, I am sad to say good-bye. My time here has been marked with both challenges and triumphs. I will forever value the coaches, athletes, administration and the Wilton community. I will cherish the many friendships that have been created here. Wilton is a special place and I will always be grateful for the opportunity I had here. Thank you for the positive memories.
Go Warriors!
Chris McDougal
Athletic Director
Message from the Athletic Department
This year Wilton has many senior athletes continuing their athletic careers at the college level. We wish them success as they move on to the next chapter.
Maxwell Andrews, Soccer, West Point (Div. 1)
Benjamin Calabrese, Lacrosse, West Point (Div. 1)
Elizabeth Copley, Basketball, St. Andrews (International)
Catherine Dineen, Lacrosse, Bucknell University (Div. 1)
Alex Elia, Golf, College of the Holy Cross (Div. 1)
Zarius Eusebe, Soccer, Denison University (Div. 3)
Erynn Floyd, Soccer, University of Louisville (Div. 1)
Abbey Gardner, Swimming, University of Tampa (Div. 2)
Matthew Giller, Lacrosse, Franklin and Marshall (Div. 3)
Amelia Hughes, Lacrosse, Princeton University (Div. 1)
Ryan Jackson, Lacrosse, Wheaton College (Div. 3)
Edward Keller, Football, Mass Maritime (Div. 3)
Dylan Koziol, Tennis, Loyola Maryland (Div. 1)
Abigail Kyle, Soccer, Kenyon College (Div. 3)
Morgan Lebek, Lacrosse, Amherst College (Div. 3)
Colin Lenskold, Lacrosse, University of Utah (Div. 1)
James Luce, Football, Hamilton College (Div. 3)
Grant Masterson, Lacrosse, West Point (Div. 1)
Malcolm McCormick, Cross Country/Track, University of Chicago (Div. 3)
Emily Mrakovcic, Cross Country/Track, Brown University (Div. 1)
Avery Newcomer, Swimming, Tufts University (Div. 3)
Natasha Ring, Field Hockey, Bryn Mawr College (Div. 3)
Joseph Schiavone, Football, American International College (Div. 2)
Jake Sommer, Lacrosse, Notre Dame (Div. 1)
Gwynn Sullivan, Lacrosse, Pitzer College (Div. 3)
Sean Wiseman, Lacrosse, St. Lawrence (Div. 3)
Parker Woodring, Football, Cornell (Div. 1)
Boys Lacrosse
Congratulations to the Wilton High School boys lacrosse team, which walloped Notre Dame-West Haven on Sunday, June 12 to win the CIAC Class M State Championship by 22-6.
The game was played at Sacred Heart University and included one uninterrupted 14-goal stretch to prove WHS dominance. In all, 12 Wilton Warriors contributed to win, including Charlie Johnson (4), Charlie Rath (3), Ben Calabrese (3), Michael Wall (2), Sean Wiseman (2), and Grant Masterson (2), and one goal apiece by Tommy McKiernan, Andrew Black, George Hahn, Ryan Leung, Matthew Giller and Lorenzo Caratozzolo. (main photo: Gretchen McMahon Photography)
From Athletic Department Newsletter: The boys varsity lacrosse team faced Pomperaug High School in the first round of the CT State Tournament on Wednesday, June 1 and came away with a convincing 17-2 victory. Twelve different Warriors scored and six additional players assisted on goals. The following tallied points: Wall (3 Gs 1A), Johnson (3Gs), Masterson (2 Gs 1A), Calabrese (3As), Dave Sylvester (1G 1A), Connor Smith (1G 1A), Spencer Liston (2As), Charlie Rath (1G), Black (1G), Conner Flanagan (1G), James Kane (1G), Will Sullivan (1G), Connor Sweeney (1G), Giller (1A), Wiseman (1A),and Mac McGovern (1A).
On Saturday, June 6, Wilton was tested to the brink in its quarterfinal game against Daniel Hand High School. Hand jumped out to a 4-0 lead and, in spite of a quick two-goal spurt by the Warriors from Wiseman and Liston, Hand maintained a 5-2 halftime advantage. The Warriors battled the entire second half and were able to pull out a 10-9 victory in overtime. Masterson scored off a feed from Johnson to tie the game with 19 seconds left in regulation and Johnson scored the game winner in overtime from a feed from Wall. Scoring was led by Wilton’s attack, including Johnson (3Gs 1A), Calabrese (3Gs) and Wall (3As).
On Wednesday, June 8, Wilton played one of its best games of the season and dominated number-one seed Cheshire High School and came away with a 14-6 victory. It was a total team effort on both sides of the field. On the offensive side, Johnson scored six goals, Wall had three goals, Charlie Rath and Masterson each had two goals and Calabrese had one goal. The defense was led by goalie Colin Lenskold; close defenders Jake Sommer, Andre Wiest and Nate Rath; long stick middies Flanagan, Owen Rosen and Liam Pearsall; and short stick defensive middiess McKiernan, George Hahn, Leung and Arrow Fox.
Girls Lacrosse
The Warriors finished strong in the State semifinal game against Darien, but came up short losing 3-13. The Warriors ended the season 16-5, with the five combined losses to the number-four, -five, and -six teams in the country. The team had an incredible season. There’s no doubt that the returning Warriors will be back hungry and on a mission to win. Shoutout to the seniors who have made a dominant presence on and off the field. They played with heart and will leave a lasting legacy in the Wilton lacrosse program. Good luck to them all next year on their future endeavors!
Thank you for all of the support. Let’s go Blue White!
Boys Tennis
The Warriors fell to Darien 4-1 in the Class L State Tournament quarterfinals to end the season 14-5. It was a hard fought battle with both teams playing at a high level of tennis.
- #1 singles captain Dylan Koziol grinded for two hours but his opponent in the end was too consistent. Koziol lost 3-6, 2-6
- #2 singles Akhil Vallabhajosula lost in a baseline battle. He came out swinging, but his opponent raised his game as well. Vallabhajosula lost 2-6, 0-6
- #3 singles Jackson Carbonier played some solid tennis, with lots of long points and exciting defense on both sides. Unfortunately, his opponent was in the zone. He lost 3-6, 1-6
- #4 singles Owen Dyer was off to a great start. He was up 6-2, serving and hitting his groundstrokes extremely well, when the match was called.
- #1 doubles team, captain Sam Gioffre and Alex Reyes ran into probably the best doubles team in the state, losing 1-6, 0-6. Darien didn’t miss many shots and capitalized on every opportunity.
- #2 doubles Nickolai Naydenov and Jonathan Yerrall rolled 6-4, 6-2. They have been tremendous this year finishing 15-1 and have some great tennis ahead of them.
- #3 doubles Harry Becraft and Peter Reyes were up 5-2 when the match was called. They took control of the net early and were playing some great tennis.
“I’m proud of the way we competed today,” said Coach Damone. “Darien is a very good team and gotta tip your hat to them, they outplayed us today.”
Darien would go on to win the State tournament.
The State individual tournament at Wesleyan University was some sensational tennis. The top 48 singles players and 24 doubles teams in the state competed. Senior captain Koziol (known as the Grinder) was the 12th seed. He had a first round bye; in the round of 16 he defeated a player from Daniel Hand 6-0, 6-1, but later fell in the quarter finals 1-6, 4-6 to the number-five seed from Cheshire. Long exchanges and great defense was on display.
“[He is] going to be missed, great leadership on and off the court and one of the smartest players out there,” Coach Damone said.
The number-three seeded doubles team, senior captain Gioffre and junior Alex Reyes had a first round bye. In the round of 16 they handed Hand a 6-2, 6-4 defeat, playing some solid tennis at the net and returning extremely well. Next up in the quarter finals they took out Weston 6-1, 6-2 to set up a semifinal matchup against the number-two seed from FCIAC foe Staples. Staples came out swinging, winning the first set 6-0 with big serves and forehands. The second set was kind of the same, with Wilton losing 1-6.
Juniors Naydenov and Yerrall defeated Hall 6-3, 6-2 using their great teamwork to take control early. In the round of 16 they squared off against the fifth seeds from Hand. It was a great battle back and forth, with each team winning points from all over the court. In the end Hand prevailed and the final score for Wilton was 3-6, 4-6. “[I’m] looking forward to seeing some great tennis next year, with a majority of team returning it should be interesting,” Coach Damone said.
Koziol, Gioffre and Alex Reyes earned All-State honors. Also, the tennis team would like to thank Chris McDougal for all his support and wish him best of luck… Go Yankees!
Girls Tennis
The Warrior team continued its battle in the State tournament, facing Glastonbury in the quarterfinals. After having to move to indoor courts due to rain during their matches, the girls continued to dominate. The match was ultimately clinched by Vivian Eckert at second singles, with wins by Olivia Koziol, Rhea Raghavan, Annie Caldwell and Olivia Newfield, Faith Wang and Lily Brown, and Abbey Byrnes and Mela Rutkowski. The 6-1 win advanced Wilton to the final four.
In the semi-finals, the Warriors faced the number-one seed Amity. After an unfortunate injury on the Amity team, both teams continued to fight for their spot in the state finals. First singles Koziol secured a win after a marathon match, and third doubles team Byrnes and Rutkowski continued their winning streak. Although the Warriors ultimately lost 3-4, it was a tremendous fight.
Individual states competition also started on Monday, June 6, and Wilton had strong representation. Koziol entered the tournament as the 10th seed in the state. Caldwell and Newfield also entered the doubles tournament. In the first round, the doubles team fought hard against Daniel Hand and came out on top, winning with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 10-4 in the super tiebreaker. Koziol faced Stonington and secured a win.
In the next round, Koziol faced opponent Martina Kaba of Westhill, where she got revenge on her with a two-set win. Newfield and Caldwell faced the top seed team from Ludlowe in the round of 16. After a tough battle, they unfortunately lost with a score of 2-6, 1-6. Koziol moved on to face the number-one seed, Lauren Zhang of Darien, in the quarterfinals. After battling with this tough opponent, Koziol lost. The Wilton girls fought hard to represent their town in the state tournament, and were highly successful! We are so proud of our team and our players, and are sad to have this season end so soon.
Girls Golf
photo: Wilton High School contributed
Overall record: 10-5
FCIAC Record: 7-4
State Rank (Div. I): 12th
FCIAC Rank: 5th
Thursday, June 2 — FCIAC Tournament at Fairchild Wheeler [Black Course] (5th place, 425 strokes)
Senior Captain Samhita Karkarlapudi, freshman Saanvi Karkarlapudi, junior Keerthi Vijay, junior Ella Christ and sophomore Maddie Levi made history for the Women Warriors golf program as the first team in the program’s history to play in the FCIAC tournament. Levi was the first Warrior to tee off at 12 p.m. in almost perfect conditions. The rest of the Warriors and players from other FCIAC schools enjoyed the near perfect conditions for a majority of their front nine. However, as the afternoon went on, course and weather conditions deteriorated rapidly. By the time senior captain Samhita Karkalapudi reached the 17th green, all players on the course were soaked due to a consistent downpour that persisted for a majority of all participants’ back nines and, even worse, the cup and the entire ‘grid line’ in line with the cup was underwater. Fortunately, thunder and lightning held off in the surrounding area and the players were allowed to complete their rounds without any interruptions. A special thanks must go to Coach Stuart Waack, who helped the remaining five (or so) groups navigate a course that teetered on the verge of being deemed unplayable. Without Waack and his expertise as a PGA professional there is no chance that the tournament would have been finished as quickly and fairly (given the playing conditions) as it was. As for the players and teams themselves, New Canaan took home the FCIAC championship, shooting a 356 as a team. The medalist for Wilton was Saanvi Kakarlapudi with a 95.
Monday, June 6 — CIAC Division I Championship at Tashua Knolls Golf Course (12th place, 398 strokes)
The Warriors traveled to the CIAC Div. I Championship with the same line up that attended the FCIAC Tournament. The course conditions and weather at Tashua Knolls were picture-perfect. Wilton played much better, in fact 27 strokes better, in the state tournament. The Warriors either shot similar scores to their FCIAC rounds or dramatically improved their scores by at least 10 strokes. Vijay improved her score by exactly 10 strokes at Tashua, while Levi showed the best improvement by scoring 19 strokes better. Senior captain Samhita Kakarlapudi also improved her score, shooting an 85 (17 strokes better than her FCIAC round), good enough to earn her a tie for 11th place among the individuals and a great way to end her amazing career at Wilton. The Warriors finished 12th in the state, but were a mere two strokes away from finishing in the top 10.
A special thanks goes to: Head Coach Stuart Waack and the entire staff at Silvermine Golf Club, especially pros Craig Garcia and Bobby Farrell for their gracious hospitality and generosity for all members of the Warrior golf program. The entire staff at the local simulator for providing access to the varsity girls Warriors on inclement weather days. Senior Captain Samhita Kakarlapudi for her endless leadership — without Samhita, this program would not be in such a great place. Samhita is certainly leaving the program in a better place than what she found it in; sophomore Olivia Mannino for organizing every aspect of Samhita Night. Above all, thank you to the all Women Warrior golf student/athletes and their dedicated families! Everyone mentioned played a vital role in the best golf season in the history of the women’s Warrior program! We wish you all a safe and golf filled summer!
Boys/Girls Track & Field
A handful of Wilton athletes made the return trip to Willow Brook Park in New Britain on Monday, June 6 for the CIAC Open championships, and two of them returned home with medals and a chance to return to Willow Brook on Saturday, June 11 for the New England Championships.
In the state championships, Ryan Johnson placed fourth in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 8 inches, and Emily Mrakovcic, in spite of being tripped and falling at the bell, got up to win her heat of the 1,600m in 5:00.52.
Also competing were Malcolm McCormick in the 1,600, winning his heat in 4:28.42, which was good for 11th place overall; and the 4×100 relay team of Marianna Lombardi, Ava Partenza, Isabella DeStefano, and Larsen Burke, clocking 51.88, good for 20th place.
On Saturday, June 11, Mrakovcic and Johnson, both seniors, competed in the 2022 New England Interscholastic Outdoor Track and Field Championship meet in New Britain, CT. Top high school track and field athletes compete from six New England states — Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine. Mrakovcic placed third in the 1,600-meter race, running a personal record of 4:58.39, and finishing with a ranking of number two in all of Connecticut in that event. She will be running for Brown University in the fall. Johnson placed 11th in the long jump with a jump of 21 feet, 6.25 inches, and ranking fourth overall in Connecticut in that event. He will be attending Virginia Tech University in the fall.