Choate athletes competed against eight Loomis teams on April 24.
Varsity Baseball hosted its annual Senior Day against Loomis Chaffee. Second baseman Eli Levesque ’23 said, “It’s a game we’d looked forward to for quite some time, and we practiced hard for it.” Solid pitching from Ryan Sweeney ’21 and Glenn Halladay ’21 kept the Boars in the game. Jaxon Carroll ’23 commented, “It’s a relief that the seniors got to have their day, given the degree that Covid-19 has impacted us so far.” After a difficult loss, the team hopes to bounce back in its second game against Loomis on May 8.
Boys’ Varsity Tennis hosted a nail-biter against Loomis that came down to the final match. Nineteen players from both squads faced off against each other in both singles and doubles matches. John Henderson ’23 and Will Ji ’23 took on the top-ranked doubles team. “Loomis was a team we knew would be a close one,” Henderson said. “For us, it was all about staying calm and playing each point like it was the last.” Strong serving and consistent groundstrokes led the Boars to many singles and doubles wins, and they hope to carry this momentum through the end of the season.
Boys’ Varsity Golf played Loomis at Wallingford Country Club. Tynan Davidson ’23 described the season thus far as “a wonderful experience,” and noted that “there aren’t many Covid-19 rules other than wearing a mask and watching your distance between opponents.” Vasily Konachenkov ’22 had a great round, shooting the lowest score of the team at 38.
Varsity Softball matched up against Loomis for its third game of the season. Choate’s explosive offense dominated, with Alex Hassett ’23 hitting a three-run home run in the first inning. Behind the plate, Lexington Secreto ’21 threw out three runners at second. Jordan Wallace ’24 said, “The energy from the bench was really there today, and I’m proud of all the girls this season.” The Boars aim to continue their dominant play as they head into Senior Day.
Girls’ Varsity Tennis faced off against Loomis for its mid-season game. Although Loomis offered a tough challenge, many Choate athletes stepped up on the courts. “With lots of hard work we were still able to come out with [some] big wins. Many of our players stepped up and won both their singles and doubles matches as well,” said Captain Greer Goergen ’21. A highlight of the match was Zeynep Orucu ’22’s second singles match win of the season.
Girls’ Varsity Golf had an unorthodox away game on Loomis’s course. “We had fun playing the match in the ‘Scramble’ way, a type of golf game where players on each team play with their best shots.” said Summer Xu ’22. Keeping with the scrimmage nature of the match, the ‘Scramble’ game-mode allowed golfers on both teams to enjoy the greens while practicing essential golf skills.
Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse played a strong game against Loomis. Choate’s defense excelled throughout the game, refusing to fold despite tough attacks by Loomis. Boars’ offense was bolstered by goals from Lindsay Spears ’22 and Blake Bertero ’22. “We had a lot of teamwork and our transitions looked super good. It was great to see the things we worked on in practice executed in the game,” said Bertero.
Choate Boys’ and Girls’ Track and Field continued its virtual season in a meet against Loomis. Andrew Jean Baptiste ’24 and Sean Dallaghan ’23 put up great times in the 4×1 relay. Payton Garcia ’23 reflected, “We came together as a team even though there was nobody to physically race against. It’s a tough obstacle to get past, but we have been able to overcome it.” The girls’ team performed admirably as well. “The team did very well against Loomis with many girls [breaking personal records] in their events. We are super excited for our last meet on the 15th [on] the track,” said co-captain Alicia Xiong ’21.
