Boys’ Tennis

After traversing a long road of redemption toward its first state crown in four years last spring, the Guilford boys’ tennis team is ready to integrate its returning players with some new athletes to create a squad that can stay on top.

While missing out of their first state title since 2010 by two points to three-time defending Class M champion Avon in 2013, the Indians motivated themselves to grab the gold last spring. The dedication paid off for Guilford, which beat out those same Falcons 21-19 to reclaim the Class M crown. Guilford, which finished 18-4 overall and also reached the SCC Division I Tournament semifinals, will have to stay off the injury list and develop some of its varsity newcomers to retain its claim of the top slot.

“The goals for our team this season are to remain healthy and develop our younger players,” said Head Coach Andy Raucci, who returns for his 16th campaign.

Leading the way for the Indians, who lost to Hand 5-2 in their first match, will be senior captain Matt Murphy, who is coming off of a 2014 slate that saw him earn All-State and New Haven Register All-Area honors while being a part of a doubles tandem with then-senior Luke Lemieux that helped clinch the M crown for the Indians.

Fellow seniors Joe Boughton and Cameron Charbonneau also bring some seasoned veteran experience to the court, along with sophomore Jeff Eng. Coach Raucci remarked that the versatile trio “all can play singles and doubles.” The Indians also welcome back junior Evan Powell following his successful sophomore season that saw him make All-SCC, in addition to making All-State and the Class M semis for the second year in a row.

Girls’ Tennis

As the Guilford girls’ tennis squad begins its 2015 campaign, the Indians have a problem that most teams would welcome with deep pool of players who will force Head Coach Chris Marra to try and fine tune the best lineup possible so his program can continue its string of successful postseason runs.

Marra comes back for his fourth spring as head coach of the Indians following a 2014 slate during which the Indians reached the SCC Division I Tournament semifinals and Class M State Tournament quarterfinals and then lost to the eventual champions of each bracket in Hand and Wilton, respectively. Marra explains that the opening portion of the season will involve some tinkering, but feels that once that phase is complete, all of Guilford’s conference opponents will be put on notice.

“We have a lot of depth, so establishing a lineup that really works is our top priority,” said Marra, whose Indians went 16-3 in the regular season for 2014. “After that, we’d like to have a successful season and do well against the other top teams we play. As always, we’d like to make a good run at both the SCC and state championships.”

Guilford will be guided by its versatile senior captain trio of Madeline Montenegro, Genevieve Wilson, and Emily Etter. Etter went 22-1 and was the team MVP last year.

Looking further down the roster, senior Ritika Makhajani will make her return to the net as a doubles competitor after a year off. Marra also noted that juniors Kate Dinauer and Ellie Pinchbeck “have improved in the offseason and will bring a lot to the team.” Indians’ 2014 Rookie of the Year in sophomore Claire Dinauer (20-4 personal mark as a freshman) also looks to follow up her successful first year and will play No. 2 or No. 3 singles.

Guilford also opens the doors to a dozen freshmen on the team this spring with four standouts, according to Marra, in twins Charlotte and Molly Babbin, plus Sam Stofflet and Faren Roth, who are “all very versatile and can play singles or doubles.”

Following its opening day 4-3 loss to Hand at home on April 8, Guilford lost 6-1 to Glastonbury the following day, also as a host. Faren Roth scored the lone victory in the Glastonbury matchup (7-6 (7-4), 6-2).

Softball

The Guilford softball squad has had a brief absence from postseason ball in the last couple of years, yet the Indians are hopeful that their recent journey filled with growth will put a screeching halt to that drought this season.

Steve Zajac is back for year No. 13 as the Indians’ skipper following a 6-14 mark in 2014 that led to Guilford missing states for the second consecutive year. Coach Zajac expresses that following his group’s productive preseason, Guilford is focused on progressing while targeting a pair of tournament appearances.

“We were able to get outside for five scrimmages. I was impressed with the improvement of the older players and the development of the younger players. I expect that as our team gains more experience playing together, we will improve as the year goes on,” said Zajac, who will be joined by fourth-year varsity assistant Kristy Kehoss and new JV coach Christa Parisi. “Our goals are reaching the SCC and state tournaments. After reaching the Class L tournament for six straight years, we are on a two-year run of not making it. Our goal is to return to the tournament this year. In one of the best conferences in the state, it is always an accomplishment to reach our conference tournament.”

Senior shortstop and four-year starter Olivia Boudreau returns for her second campaign at the captain’s helm after hitting .365 as a junior with 11 RBI for an All-SCC Hammonasset Team bid, in addition to being selected to play in Connecticut State Coaches’ Association Junior Select All-Star Game. Joining her as a captain is fellow classmate Allison Stephens in center field. Stephens notched a team-leading 15 runs scored and hit for a .353 average with 13 RBI during 2014.

The Indians feature even more experience around the horn with seniors of outfielder and first baseman Marieke Page and right fielder MacKenzie Iasparra, along with sophomore first baseman/outfielder Lily Young. Amanda King will also look to make some rookie contributions as a freshman hurler who will also play the hot corner at third.

Guilford began the season with a 9-7 home loss to North Haven on April 8. In the opener, junior Ashley Ignatowski went 2-for-4 with an RBI while senior Megan Carey batted in two runs. The Indians were tied with North Haven going into the top of the seventh, when the visitors knocked in the eventual game-deciding RBI double. Guilford then lost 4-3 at Shelton the following day before a 15-1 loss to Hand on April 11 in which Boudreau had a triple and RBI.

Boys’ Outdoor Track

After making some headway at the SCC and state levels with a new head coach last year, the Guilford boys’ outdoor track squad is ready to show that its 2014 body of work was no fluke and that the program is on the rise to prominence.

Second-year Head Coach Chris Skaggs, along with assistant coaches in throwing coach Rich Torrellas and rookie assistant distance runner coach Cory Loftis, comes off a campaign in which his club was seventh at the SCC Eastern Sectional Championship, 17th for the conference title meet, and 18th at the Class M State Championship. Skaggs notes that his athletes control their own potential and destiny and, with that in mind, he expects major accomplishments from such a dedicated bunch.

“Our squad has reflected on the past year. They feel encouraged to build on the momentum and I believe they are up for the challenge,” said Skaggs, whose squad was also 4-6 during dual-meet season a year ago. “We look to have a solid regular season record and then look to the postseason and competing at the higher levels. A lot of our guys have conference- and state-level meet goals. I look forward to coaching such a determined group of athletes.”

Leading the charge will be two senior captains in sprinter Nash Singleton and distance runner John Reagle. While both are technicians in different running lengths, they are each eager to consistently contribute as all-around aces in their respective lanes.

Junior Ben Siciliano is also coming off of a strong indoor season and “is healthy and ready to be a standout in the SCC,” according to Skaggs.

At the Freshmen Invitational on April 11 at Hand, Clay Huffman was runner-up in the pole vault (8-0). The 4x100 relay quartet of Corey Sondak, William Smith, Ethan Skinner, and AJ Moscato ran to third (50.54). Elsewhere, Huffman also finished third in the 100 hurdles (22.90); Sondak paced to fourth with the 100 (12.90); Moscato earned fourth in the discus (80-5); in the 1,600, Brendan O’ Callahan was seventh (5:05.32); Skinner found eighth for the 200 (26.64); plus Smith leapt to seventh in the long jump (16-1.5). Guilford started the dual-meet year 0-2 with 123-27 losses to Hand and Cheshire on April 8.

Boys’ Lacrosse

The Guilford boys’ lacrosse team opened up the 2015 campaign on the road on April 8 with a big 8-7 victory at Glastonbury in double overtime. Ryan Brand netted the game-winning goal in the second extra session.

Additional tallies came from Korey Carregal, Will Dacey, and Rob LoRicco (each with 2), along with a score from Frank Ranfone. For assists, Ranfone had two, plus one each came from Loricco and Dacey. The two sides stood even at 1 following the first before both squads notched a pair of goals each for the second, third, and fourth stanzas.

James Bright made 10 stops in net despite the Indians being outshot 26-20.

Guilford is coming off of a 2014 season that saw them reach a second straight SCC final and Class M State Tournament quarterfinal.

Girls’ Lacrosse

After another pair of postseason bids last spring, the Guilford girls’ lacrosse team is aiming to use its strong core of returning players to ascend even higher in the SCC and state ranks while shocking some squads along the way.

Head Coach Steve Jewett enters his second campaign alongside assistants Kelly Jensen (7th year as an assistant) and newcomer Jess Joline. Last season, his Indians finished third in SCC Tier 1 at 5-1-1 en route to a 7-9-1 overall mark for the No. 3 seed for the SCC Tournament, where they lost to Hand in the semifinals. Guilford also earned the No. 19 ranking in the Class M State Tournament and took a defeat to eventual champion Wilton in the first round. Although Coach Jewett knows the SCC is always stacked with competition, he feels he has the right group of girls who are ready to do whatever it takes to make the next climb up the playoff ladder.

“This is a tightly knit group who will work hard at every practice in order to better their game for their school,” said Jewett. “We are looking to continue to develop our defensive and offensive systems in order to be competitive in our conference.”

Starting with the captains, Guilford welcomes back seniors of midfielder Edy Moritz (2014 All-State and All-SCC selections) and defender Katrina Niedziela (2014 U.S. Lacrosse CT Chapter Super Junior Select and All-SCC Team), plus attacker Nicole Raccuia (also a 2014 U.S. Lacrosse CT Chapter Super Junior Select).

The Indians boast further depth along the turf in junior 2014 Second Team All-SCC midfielder Emma Jewett, who will captain the offense, alongside senior defender Mackenzie Cattaruzza and sophomore netminder Brooke Distante.