Athletics

BERWICK ATHLETICS

by Rob Quinn, Director of Athletics

The 2021-22 fall and winter athletic seasons looked a lot more normal compared to the year prior, and we were grateful for the resiliency and determination our student-athletes have showcased as we managed fluid guidelines and restrictions. Most of our teams returned to Eastern Independent League (EIL) competition in the fall, and both our Boys and Girls Soccer teams qualified for the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) playoffs. Winter sports were highlighted by an EIL Championship for the Girls Hockey team, led by Julia Cabral ’23, who was named EIL Player of the Year.

BOYS VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY

Led by tri-captains Finn Garside ’22, Parker Douglas ’22, and Jack Masiello ’23, this year’s Boys Varsity Cross Country team finished in fifth place at the Eastern Independent League (EIL) Championships at Franklin Park (up from seventh in 2019) and seventh place at the New England Prep School Track Association (NEPSTA) Championships at the University of Maine, Augusta (up from 15th in 2019).

Michael Eddy ’24, this year’s top runner and MVP, won all but two regular-season races. He finished second at the EIL Championships in 17:37, earning an EIL All-League recognition. Eddy finished seventh at the NEPSTA D4 championships with a time of 18:23. He nearly missed the top 20 at the NEPSTA All-Stars Race at St. Mark’s in Southborough, Massachusetts, finishing in 17:52 among the leading independent school runners in New England.

Nick Simonds ’24 was consistently the team’s number two runner, posting finish times of 20:48, 20:17, 19:55, 19:35, and a season-best 19:25 at the EIL Championships. For his efforts, Simonds earned an EIL Honorable Mention.

Will Shipley ’23, a Berwick top-five runner, was symbolic of the team’s unofficial motto of working hard, being present, and performing regardless of circumstance. He earned this year’s Coaches Award.

BERWICK ATHLETICS

GIRLS VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY

The Girls Varsity Cross Country team had a number of new runners this season.

Led by captain Kaia Buensuceso ’23, the team competed at Gordon College, Bancroft, Lexington Christian Academy (LCA), and Berwick Academy during the regular season. Julia Michaud ’23 was the top Berwick runner throughout the regular season, with her fastest run being 24:58 at LCA. Maia Cook ’24, Maya Learner ’25, Haley Ritter ’23, and Buensuceso rounded out the top five.

The girls won against LCA and Bancroft at Gordon College in September. The EIL Championships were held at Franklin Park, where two runners competed. Ritter finished with a time of 25:41 and Learner finished in 26:00.

The NEPSTA Championship was at the University of Maine, Augusta, where Ritter finished with a time of 26:46 and Buensuceso crossed the line at 35:11.

Michaud ’23 was this season’s MVP, modeling resiliency and growth this fall. Though she couldn’t compete at EILs or NEPSTAs due to injury, she was still an integral part of the team. Buensuceso ’23 received this season’s Coaches Award. Though she was injured for much of the season, she led warm-ups, offered advice, and inspired new runners to work hard and have fun.

VARSITY GOLF

The Varsity Golf team rounded out the season and EIL championship with a 6-3-1 record, finishing second overall. The veterans on the team, including four starting seniors, led the way from the start and never looked back. That leadership translated to a few tenth grade athletes emerging into steady contributors and future leaders of the program. The EIL Championships were held at The Links at Outlook in South Berwick, and the Bulldogs put together a strong showing on their home course to finish second overall. Reece Bessette ’24 fired a team low 77, followed closely by Shivani Vora ’22 (78), Jack Kenney ’22 (85), Ronan McDonald ’24 (86), and James Choate ’22 (88). As the team scores were counted, the Bulldogs fell short of the Pingree Highlanders, but defeated the other five teams in the field.

Kenney ’22 and Vora ’22 earned All-League recognition this season.

VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY

The Field Hockey program wrapped up the season with a 5-8-1 record, including a 3-2 win over Dana Hall and a hard-fought 2-0 win over Hebron Academy. The team was led by captains Sophia Snaith ’22, Alex Kingsland ’22, Elie Crigler ’23, and Reese Fendelet ’23. The return to EIL play brought the return of league and NEPSAC recognition for BA athletes. Kingsland received All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention, while both Kingsland and Fendelet received EIL All-League recognition.

Year-end awards recognized Fendelet ’23 as the MVP and Ella Martin ’24 as the Coaches Award recipient.

BOYS VARSITY SOCCER

The Bulldogs wrapped up their regular season with an impressive 13-3-3 overall record. In the Eastern Independent League, Berwick was involved in a three-way chase for the top spot with Beaver Country Day (BCD) and Lexington Christian Academy teams. In the end, a late-season loss to the former gave BCD the title, with the Bulldogs finishing a very close second. This year’s team could be explosive from time to time in the offensive end of the field, but its true trademark was a defensive unit that conceded just eight goals in 14 matches, leading the EIL. Much credit goes to defenders Alex Penfold ’22, Hayden McGovern ’22, and Ryan Hall ’22, as well as goalies Owen Kenney ’24 and Liliano Rosa ’22 for their consistency and efforts in this vital area of the field. Mitchell Varley ’22, Tyler Hall ’22, and Garrett Lincoln ’22 showed great leadership and excellent play along the way, highlighted by a pair of home wins against rivals Pingree (2-0) and reigning New England Champion Concord Academy (3-0). The season ended with a trip to the Berkshires to play St. Luke’s School in the quarterfinals of the New England Tournament. A goal by Varley ’22 in the first half gave Berwick a halftime edge, while a final-minute equalizer by Hall ’22 pushed the game into overtime. In the end, penalty kicks once again became an unfriendly way to see the season end, but this collection of twelfth graders should be very proud of all they have accomplished in their four years together. End-of-season honors went to Peter Wojdak ’22 (Coaches Award) and Penfold ’22 (MVP). Further recognition went to tri-captains Varley ’22, T. Hall ’22, and Lincoln ’22, who were named to the EIL All-League team, as well as R. Hall ’22 and McGovern ’22, who were selected as Honorable Mention.

GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER

The Girls Varsity Soccer team finished the 2021 season with a 14-4-3 record, making it to the EIL finals and NEPSAC semifinals. The team scored an impressive 40 goals, had a 0.76 goals-against average, and recorded 13 shutouts.

The Bulldogs continued with their recent success and qualified for both the EIL and NEPSAC postseason tournaments for the fourth year in a row, with their only losses coming to teams that advanced to the NEPSAC finals. The Bulldogs graduate a strong group: Sophia Whitney ’22, Phoebe Clark ’22, Charlotte Vatcher ’22, Kara Borkowski ’22, Reese Murphy ’22, and Lily Pleau ’22, who all played crucial roles in the program’s success over the last four years. Highlights from the season include Murphy’s stoppage-time goal vs. Proctor that brought the Bulldogs to the NEPSAC semifinals; Whitney’s screamer to the top corner in the 1-0 victory over Beaver; Pleau’s brace in the victory over New Hampton; Clark’s and Vatcher’s goals vs Newton Country Day that brought the Bulldogs to the EIL finals; and Borkowski’s goal in the first five minutes of our senior day game vs. Portsmouth Abbey. Vatcher ’22 was voted the team’s MVP, following in the footsteps of older sister Annie Vatcher ’17, who received the same recognition four years earlier. Looking ahead, the 2022 Bulldogs will return this year’s Coaches Award recipient Bella Mazza ’23 as well as leading point scorer Grace Libby ’24, who had nine goals and 11 assists.

Earning All-League recognition this season were Whitney ’22, Clark ’22, Vatcher ’22, Dowd ’23, and Pleau ’22. Additionally, Dowd ’23 earned NEPSAC Junior All-Star honors and Clark ’22 and Whitney ’22 were named NEPSAC All-Stars.

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL

The Bulldogs continued to develop as a varsity program this year, focusing on increasing their serving percentage and communicating on the court. Led by Ashlyn Bennett ’22 and Rowan Brennan ’23, the Volleyball team set out to beat last year’s record and certainly proved that they are a force to be reckoned with. The team had a great season, accumulating 211 points without return, 94 total kills, and 29 blocked attacks. With such a young team of dedicated players, there are high hopes for future success as the years unfold. Come fall of 2022, the players and coaching staff are ready to pick up where they left off this season and continue building the Bulldogs Volleyball program. Brennan ’23 received EIL All-League recognition this season, while Bennett ’22 was awarded EIL Honorable Mention.

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL

With many new faces coming into this season, the Boys Varsity Basketball team battled hard and earned a handful of solid wins, highlighted by focused and unselfish play. Returning from winter break, the team was a bit rusty, and that carried through most of January. But February was all about focus, energy, and belief. With those qualities in mind, the team was able to bounce back with solid performances against bigger schools and earn some key wins, including a great victory in the final home game of the season, where twelfth graders Chas Brightman ’22, Harry Nigrin ’22, Thomas Sands ’22, Ryan Hall ’22, Liliano Rosa ’22, Neil Mendez ’22, and Ahmed Algamil ’22 were recognized. The final regular season game was a culmination of all the hard work the team put in this season. In a playoff environment at a packed Bancroft gym, it was a literal Bulldog fight. Berwick showed great poise and grit to secure the win in overtime and earned its qualifying record for NEPSAC consideration.

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL

Girls Varsity Basketball finished the season with a 12-6 record. The five Grade 12 student-athletes — Charlotte Vatcher ’22, Téa Gianoulis ’22, Nat Simonds ’22, Kara Borkowski ’22, and Julia Wagner ’22 — capped their careers by leading the program to the postseason for the first time in eight years by qualifying for the Eastern Independent League (EIL) Tournament as the fourth seed. The team started the season strong with a 4-0 record, which included winning the Landmark Holiday Tip-Off tournament with a 38-14 win over the Landmark School. Simonds ’22 had a standout performance and was named tournament MVP. The girls added a second four-game win streak later in the season, which included a thrilling victory over Winsor School that was highlighted by Ella Smith ’26 making two free throws with no time on the clock to send the game to overtime. The team capped off a 6-2 home record in the Wood Gym with a dominant 52-25 win over Concord Academy in front of a spirited crowd as the twelfth graders were honored before the game. For their efforts, a host of Bulldogs were recognized with postseason recognition. Grace Libby ’24 was selected as an EIL All-Star, while Cam Hamilton ’23 and Vatcher ’22 garnered EIL Honorable Mention. Gianoulis ’22 received the Coaches Award for her contributions to the team as a player, teammate, and leader. Simonds ’22 was selected as an EIL and NEPSAC All-Star and was named the team’s MVP. With a core group of young players returning, the Bulldogs will look to build on a successful season in 2022-23.

BOYS VARSITY ICE HOCKEY

It was a huge success for the Boys Varsity Ice Hockey team to complete a full season after the challenges of last year’s pandemic-altered schedule. The team was led by captains Liam Martin ’22, Nick McSorley ’22, and Josh Felton ’23. The team spirit remained high throughout the winter and the players continued to push themselves and improve right to the end. The Bulldogs have a very young group that will gain significant experience moving into next year. One notable highlight was rejoining the Holt Conference, made up of seven teams throughout Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The Bulldogs will have an opportunity for exciting playoff hockey each season as a result.

GIRLS VARSITY ICE HOCKEY

Season highlights for the 2021-22 Girls Varsity Ice Hockey team include a second consecutive Travis Roy Maine Prep Cup Championship, an Eastern Independent League (EIL) Championship that featured an exciting shootout win over Portsmouth Abbey, and the individual play of captains Julia Cabral ’23 and Bella Pomarico ’23. Cabral’s 27 goals tied a program record for most goals in a single season and landed her fourth in NEPSAC scoring. Her performance earned her team MVP honors, EIL All-League, and EIL Player of the Year honors. Pomarico finished the season ranked first among all NEPSAC goaltenders with 621 saves and a .930 save percentage. She was named EIL All-League and received the Coaches Award for her remarkable performance in net. Kimi Hurer ’23 was also named EIL All-League while captain Reese Fendelet ’23, Bella Mazza ’23, and Louise Roper ’24 all received EIL Honorable Mention.

VARSITY SWIMMING

The Swimming team was excited to return to the pool this season and finished with some impressive results. Two swimmers competed at the NESPAC Championships, with Joey Fiermonti ’24 finishing third in the 100 freestyle and sixth in the 200 freestyle. Talula Gregg ’26 took home ninth in the 100 backstroke and 12th in the 50 freestyle. At the EIL Championship, Jishnu Dey ’23 earned a second-place finish in the 100 butterfly, Fiermonti took third in the 500 freestyle, Connor Carmody ’22 swam to a fourth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke, and the boys 200 medley (Declan Carmody ’22, C. Carmody, Dey, and Fiermonti) and 400 freestyle (Noah Rich ’24, Ryan Houlahan ’23, Dey, and Fiermonti) relay teams both registered top-five finishes.

Mike Eruzione ‘73 speaking to members of SALT (above); Eruzione with members of the 2021-22 Boys and Girls Ice Hockey teams (right); and Eruzione celebrating on Team USA during the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” against the Soviet Union (below).

Team USA Legend Talks Leadership at Alma Mater by Andersen Pickard ’23

Mike Eruzione ’73 is no stranger to heroics, but it didn’t take a miracle for his impact to be felt at Berwick on November 4.

The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey legend returned to his old stomping grounds, devoting a lunch session to discussing his story and the core values of leadership with the School’s Student Athletic Leadership Team (SALT).

The 67-year-old Eruzione has spent most of his life as a resident of Winthrop, Massachusetts. He showed interest in various postgraduate programs coming out of high school, before ultimately deciding to attend Berwick Academy. On the Hilltop, the athletic star played hockey, baseball, and football. He even rose to the occasion when the golf team was short on members.

Recruited by colleges for hockey, baseball, and football, Eruzione seemed destined for the University of New Hampshire. However, UNH couldn’t guarantee him a spot on the hockey team, so Eruzione committed to Merrimack College. He ultimately ended up at Boston University, when legendary coach Jack Parker — then the assistant coach at BU — offered Eruzione a spot with the Terriers after seeing him play while refereeing his summer league game.

Throughout his life, Eruzione has taken advantage of his

Eruzione’s 1973 Berwick Boys Ice Hockey team.

opportunities. Drafted by the New York Rangers, Eruzione broke into professional hockey with an affiliate team in Toledo, Ohio, but had his rights waived when general manager John Ferguson was fired. If he hadn’t become a free agent, he never would have been eligible for the Olympics in Lake Placid, never would have been on the ice for the astounding comeback win over the Soviet Union in the semifinal, or the gold medal victory against Finland.

In his visit to Berwick, Eruzione emphasized the importance of trust and respect to the student-athletes gathered to hear him speak. He quoted 1980 U.S. hockey coach Herb Brooks to emphasize his point. “If you don’t respect yourself…your teammates…your competition,” Brooks once said, “you will not be successful.”

Eruzione also talked about the importance of allowing oneself to learn from mistakes. “Nobody goes through life without mistakes,” he said. “But success comes to those who don’t allow their mistakes to happen again.”

He also detailed the 1980 team’s road to the gold medal at Lake Placid, the mental and physical training that allowed the Americans to beat the mighty Russian Olympic team, and the heart that translated to a comeback win in the gold medal game against Finland. Eruzione emphasized the communication and leadership that helped the U.S. band together for the historic victories.

For all he has accomplished on the ice and off, Eruzione was quick to put the Berwick students at ease by advising them to simply be themselves. “I’m the same person today,” Eruzione said, “as I was in high school.”