Earning a spot on an All-NEPSAC team amongst the best athletes from New England prep schools is a difficult feat to accomplish. However, this fall, eleven Choate student-athletes from six different teams have earned a place on the All-NEPSAC team for their respective sports: North Peters ’19, Hunter Burns ’19, Clay Zachary ’19, Spencer Witter ’19, Lani Uyeno ’19, Mustafe Dahir ’19, Sarah McAndrew ’20, Hannah Huddleston ’19, Brendan Kish ’19, Nicola Sommers ’19, and Tife Agunloye ’21.
Four-year player and captain of Girls’ Varsity Soccer, Hannah Huddleston ’19 landed her aspot on a NEPSAC All-League team with her dependable play and leadership. She said, “Defense is a tough position because it takes a lot of communication, teamwork, and positioning. I was really proud of the other defenders this year: CiCi Curran ’20, Grace Stapelberg ’20, and Jenna Rempel ’20.”
Huddleston’s outstanding play combined with the team’s cooperative efforts allowed Girls’ Varsity Soccer to defeat the previously undefeated Miss Porter’s and secure a spot in the New England Championship Playoffs. Huddleston said, “Out of the four years I’ve been on the Choate varsity team, I think we had the best team dynamic this year. We’re all really supportive and passionate people. I will definitely miss the team next year.”
Senior captain Brendan Kish ’19 made the most out of his last year at Choate by guiding Boys’ Varsity Soccer to a playoff appearance, in the process earning a spot on the All-NEPSAC first team. This season, he played a more defensive role on the team while still controlling the pace of games as a midfielder, contributing to the team’s success. Kish said, “The team had an amazing run of unbeaten games. I will always remember our performances against NMH and Taft at home where we showed that we could compete with anyone.”
Kish was not focused on making the All-NEPSAC team, but rather just fulfilling his role on Boys’ Varsity Soccer. He said, “I don’t think there were any particular moments that made me earn an all-NEPSAC spot. Playing consistently and doing what the team needed was what I was focused on.”
Varsity Football’s dominance over the past few years has resulted in several of their players with spots on the All-NEPSAC team.This year, tight end Spencer Witter ’19 was one of them. His play was an integral part of a fifth-straight undefeated season and New England Championship. He credited the team’s success to its ability to compete through adversity. Witter said, “We battled through injuries and tough times together. The amount of love we have for each other and the sense of family that we have developed over the season is unmatched by past years.”
Witter attributed his success this season to his talented and dedicated teammates who motivated him to improve. He said, “This isn’t an individual award. If it wasn’t for the offensive line owning the line of scrimmage, or the running backs dominating in the run game, or Jack Maley ’19 and Shane Baldwin ’21 being outstanding year round, or going up against the best defense in New England every day, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything.”
After a season of injuries last year, Girls’ Varsity Cross Country runner Sarah McAndrew ’20 bounced back to earn a place on the All-NEPSAC team. This season, she simply focused on running a best-time, and that determination showed with a top twenty finish at the New England Championships.
The team as a whole had an outstanding season with a Founder’s League Championship victory. Said McAndrew, “A team goal that we had this year was to win Founders. Right off the bat, we could tell we were going to have a good season because we gained lots of talented runners, and returners from last year improved so much.” She credited her individual and the team’s overall achievements to the encouragement and motivation that the runners provided each other.
McAndrew said, “My coach [Mr. James Davidson], and my running bunch, Lilly Bar ’19, Claire Gussler ’19, Sarina Kapoor ’21, and Betsy Overstrum ’20 really pushed me to help me achieve my individual goal which contributed to achieving a spot on the all-NEPSAC team.” She continued, “The rest of the girls on the team have also helped me throughout the season. They cheered for me and each other in practice and meets, and that support really drove me to work harder.”
