The fall of 2016 in Guilford saw the field hockey team go on a great run all the way to the Class M State Tournament championship game, while the boys’ soccer squad also made some playoff waves. Additionally, the Indians’ cross country program continued its tradition of success, while freshman Alexandra Mayo made a great debut in the pool.

Field Hockey

After losing to Cheshire in the SCC Tournament semifinals, the Guilford field hockey squad won three games in the Class M State Tournament to advance to the final this year. Head Coach Kitty Palmer and the 4th-seeded Indians defeated Farmington, Hand, and Lauralton Hall to make their first state final since 2012. Guilford then lost 3-1 to New Canaan to conclude the year at 17-4-0-1 overall.

Olivia Clarke and Julia Ellman were All-Southern Connecticut Conference First Team selections for the Indians. Kendra Luden and Teddi Stanley earned spots on the Second Team

Boys’ Soccer

Guilford finished the regular season at 7-5-4 and then Head Coach Joe Maher’s club made the SCC Tournament semifinals after defeating Hand. In the Class L State Tournament, the 14th-seeded Indians defeated Bristol Central, Berlin, and RHAM to reach their first state semifinal since 2011. The Indians took a 3-0 to Hand to finish at 11-7-4.

Rowan Page, Ethan Skinner, and Ben Cousins were All-Oronoque Division selections for Guilford with Page also making the All-SCC First Team and Cousins the Second Team. Page, a senior midfielder, was also selected for the New Haven Register All-Area Team.

Girls’ Soccer

Head Scott McMahon and the 12th-seeded Indians hosted No. 21 seed Lauralton Hall in the first round of the Class L State Tournament on Nov. 9 and prevailed 3-2. Traveling to No. 5 Masuk in the second round on Nov. 11, the Indians were deadlocked at 1-1, but lost 3-1 on penalty kicks to end the year 11-6-2 overall. Guilford also made the SCC Tournament.

Collecting All-Hammonasset accolades were Andrea Basilicato, Kayley McLaughlin, Chloe Shaw, and Taylor Shutak. Basilicato also made the All-SCC First Team, while McLaughlin, Shaw, and Shutak were Second Team selections for the Indians. Basilicato also earned a spot on the New Haven Register All-Area Team.

Boys’ Cross Country

The Indians and Head Coach Jon Rivera finished with a dual-meet mark of 7-2 and captured their second straight Hammonasset Division title, which was also their eighth since 2008, this fall.

Guilford also finished in sixth place with 169 points at the SCC Championship on Oct. 20 at East Shore Park in New Haven. After that, Guilford tallied 106 points to finish second to champion Barlow (88 points) at the Class MM State Championship at Wickham Park on Oct. 29. Finally, Guilford finished in 17th place as a team with 435 points at the State Open Championship on Nov. 4 at Wickham Park.

Finn Davidson ran his way to a spot on the All-SCC First Team, while Joshua Stern earned a spot on the Second Team. Both athletes later earned All-State honors with their performances at the Class MM meet and Davidson also made New Haven Register All-Area.

Girls’ Cross Country

Head Coach Jim Ford’s squad swept a tri-meet with Hand and Foran on Oct. 13 at Guilford’s East River Preserve to claim the SCC Hammonasset Division title.

The Indians bested Hand by a final of 22-33 and defeated the Lions 16-42. With the victories, Guilford finished with a record of 10-2 on the dual-meet campaign, took back the division title that it last won two years ago, and captured its 10th crown overall since 2004, when the league went to a four-division format. The Indians were later the runner-up at the SCC Championship meet that took place on Oct. 20 at East Shore Park in New Haven, after which they scored 109 points to finish third at the Class MM State Championship. The Indians were then represented by Meredith Bloss and Clara Wiesler at the State Open Championship. By virtue of her showing at that meet, Bloss, a sophomore, qualified for the New England Championship.

Bloss and freshman Wiesler were All-SCC First Team runners for Guilford with Claire Keanna making the Second Team. Bloss and Wiesler additionally made All-State and New Haven Register All-Area.

Girls’ Swimming and Diving

Freshman Alexandra Mayo trained with the team at Branford during the regular season and also swam at the Hornets’ meets. After that, Mayo competed on behalf of Guilford as a team-of-one in the postseason.

At the SCC Championship, Mayo came in sixth place for the 100 freestyle in 55.49 seconds and was ninth for the 500 freestyle at 5:29.22. Then in the Class M State Championship, Mayo was the runner-up in the 100 freestyle with a time of 54.55 seconds and took third place in the 200 freestyle at 1:58.47. She earned All-State distinction in both events and qualified for the State Open Championship in the 100 freestyle. At the Open, Mayo finished in 24th place in the 100 freestyle with a time of 55.38 seconds.

Volleyball

Head Coach Laura Meyer and 17th-ranked Guilford lost 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-27, 20-25) in the first round of the Class L State Tournament to No. 16 Platt on Nov. 7 to conclude the season 10-11 overall. The Indians also made the SCC Tournament, where they lost a 3-0 match to Hand in the first round.

Cia Mirrione made the All-SCC First Team and teammate Amanda King was a Second Team selection for Guilford.

Football

Head Coach Mike Eagle and the Indians finished 3-7 overall by defeating Law (41-34), Creed-Career-Whitney Tech (31-14), and Lyman Hall (33-0). The team also posted a 3-3 record in SCC Tier 3 games.

AJ Moscato earned All-SCC Division II/III honors at running back, plus Jack Six went All-Conference as a linebacker for Guilford.