New Field Book

The Multisport Athletics Complex

THAYER ACADEMY

THE NEW MULTISPORT COMPLEX Shining a Light on Thayer Sports

In the fall of 2026, a new sports complex will welcome Tiger student-athletes. Replacing the former grass football field, a turf field in the complex will have the versatility to host football, soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse games. The field will be encircled by a new track, and for the first time in Thayer’s history, permanent sports lighting will be installed, making it possible for Thayer to host numerous night games in the fall and spring. Other features include a press box, Tiger Tunnel, sound system, and video scoreboard.

The impact of this facility will reach far beyond the teams that utilize it. The ability to host night games creates an opportunity for the entire community to come together to support the Tigers, further building a culture of school spirit. Each game will be an event ... a celebration that honors the storied legacy of Thayer athletics.

We can’t wait for the first game.

Greg Lally on the Thayer lacrosse team in 1992.

BUILDING UPON OUR LEGACY A Note From the Board of Trustees

Athletics were at the core of my experience as a Thayer Academy student. Some of my favorite Thayer memories are tied directly to those late afternoons on the athletic fields — the grind of a long practice, the thrill of game day, and the unmatched camaraderie of being part of a team. Those formative experiences did so much more than teach me how to compete; they anchored me in values of discipline and teamwork that have stayed with me long after leaving the Thayer campus.

Greg Lally ’92 P ’22, ’25, ’26, ’28

The new Multisport Athletics Complex is the next step forward in the incredible history of Thayer athletics. Over the years, Thayer has produced Olympians and professional athletes, and it has placed hundreds of young women and men on college rosters at all levels.

While our facilities have served us incredibly well, acting as the backdrop for some of the defining moments of our youth, we now have a unique opportunity to pay that experience forward and ensure the next generation of

Thayer student-athletes have those same lifechanging opportunities.

Love of sports has always been at the heart of the school, and this new complex will provide our current and future athletes with the modern spaces they need to train safely, compete at the highest levels, and continue the proud tradition of Thayer athletics in an environment that matches their dedication.

Our goal isn’t just to update our facilities but to completely elevate the student experience.

I can’t express how excited I am to see this work coming together. As you look through this publication and read the words of our coaches and alumni about the importance of Thayer athletics in their lives, I hope you will join me in supporting this project by making a gift of any size. And then I hope you will join us this fall to watch the next generation of Thayer athletes represent our school with determination, pride, and passion.

Gr eg La lly

THAYER ATHLETICS By the Numbers

86,000 THAYER SPORTS CENTER

32

ALUMNI TURNED PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES

7

99

ISL CHAMPIONSHIPS

SQ FT

0

23

OLYMPIANS

72

TEAMS

VARSITY TEAMS

POINTS SCORED AGAINST THE UNDEFEATED AND UNTIED 1964 FOOTBALL TEAM

1991 THAYER HALL OF FAME ESTABLISHED

24

CONSECUTIVE NEPSAC CHAMPIONSHIPS EARNED

BY GIRLS VARSITY TRACK & FIELD 1998–2023 Championships not held in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

COACH RICHARD SAWYER

David Hemery ’62 won a gold medal for Great Britain in the 400m hurdles at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics, setting the

DAVID HEMERY

RANDY REPASS

BUILDING THE PERSON

The Impact of a Coach

Randy Repass ’62

Founder and former chairman of West Marine

I was a proud member of Thayer’s track team from 1959 to 1962. I specialized in distance events: the mile, half-mile, two-mile, and cross country. During those years, Coach Richard Sawyer P ’68, ’71 played a key role in my development and was a very important mentor. He advised and coached us on technique, and he had great insight about his athletes’ abilities. I remember spending lots of time each afternoon at the track with Coach and my teammates, repeating quarter-mile sprints to long-distance runs, each of us trying to outdo the others.

The standout on those teams was Dave Hemery ’62. Dave was a very talented and driven teammate who would go on to great success as a record-setting Olympian, earning gold, silver, and bronze medals. During our senior year, after Dave was nominated as captain, Coach suggested to the team that there be co-captains, which resulted in me being named a captain as well. My academic

performance at Thayer was not stellar, and my role as co-captain of Thayer track was a key reason for my acceptance at Duke University.

That Duke experience, in turn, led to major future opportunities for which I am grateful.

Distance running events, in addition to requiring skill, require dedication, serious training, putting up with pain, hanging in there, not giving up, and pushing yourself.

These are immensely important life attributes and the secrets of success. And along with a little luck — being at the right place at the right time — they played a major role in my personal and business success.

Thayer’s track is where I was able to come into my own, to show what I could do. Dave and I are two of so many Thayer alumni whose lives were heavily influenced by Coach Sawyer.

Coach’s caring work is a great example of the influence school mentors can have, and it is only fitting that Thayer’s new track is named

Ra nd y Re pas s

BUILDING THE TEAM

Support, Accountability, and Growth When I came to Thayer’s Middle School as a sixth grader, it was like a gift because it was at Thayer that I discovered my love of sport. I had the opportunity to play three seasons — field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse — from sixth grade through twelfth, and during those years there was an incredible energy around a group of girls who stuck together. I think of Kelly Amonte-Hiller ’92 in particular. She was two years older than I was and took me under her wing and is still, to this day, one of my very best friends.

Those teams meant everything to me. I was a kid from Dorchester, the youngest of five children, raised by two incredibly hard-working parents who rarely had the opportunity to make it to campus to watch our games. My Thayer team was my second family. I fell in love with sports through my teammates and through this incredible collection of talent, and through great coaches

and mentors like Karen Geromini and Karen Jodoin P ’22. I can remember the moment I knew, even as a teenager, who I wanted to be, and I knew that I wanted to eventually be a teacher and a coach, and I knew I needed to be involved in sports for the rest of my life.

Being a part of a team like that is something I now try to recreate as a coach. I want to give my players that same experience. There is nothing comparable to being on a team where everyone is supporting each other and holding each other accountable. You show up for each other and you work hard for each other. It’s such a privilege to be a part of something like that.

This new athletics complex is going to advance that and elevate every aspect of our athletics program. This is going to be a differencemaker as we look to build on Thayer’s athletics legacy.

An ni Zu kau ska s

Anni Zukauskas ’94 P ’28, ’29 Head Coach, Girls Varsity Lacrosse

Kelly Amonte-Hiller ’92 led the Northwestern women’s lacrosse team to the 2026 NCAA Division I Championship — her ninth as head

BUILDING THE CULTURE

Investing in Community

Bobbi Moran

There is something electric about playing a night game under the lights with the Thayer community turned out in black and orange.

The glow of the field against a backdrop of darkness, the banter of families filling the sidelines, and the sound of student voices singing the national anthem carrying across a sea of fans. I see athletics as the front porch of an institution. This complex, and the games played on it, are the front steps to that porch — a place to welcome new people in, to bring friends and families back, and to establish a tradition built on cultural experiences that stay long after the final whistle.

Thayer’s new athletics complex is much more than a facilities upgrade; it is a statement about who we are as a community and how we invest in our athletic programs: expansive bleachers designed to hold a crowd; a stateof-the-art video scoreboard to highlight the games and student-athletes; a six-lane track to support our ISL and NEPSAC championship track & field teams; lighting that electrifies and

transforms the environment into something worth showing up for. The new athletics complex is an invitation to students, families, and alumni to gather, cheer, belong, and — most importantly — come home.

Athletics offer the opportunity to teach valuable lessons about resilience, teamwork, and respect. Sports amplify our core values as a member of the Independent School League (ISL): “Striving together through athletic competition to achieve the highest degree of integrity, sportsmanship, fair play, and mutual respect in preparation for good citizenship and leadership in society.”

Beyond the infrastructure, what we are truly building is culture — a culture where studentathletes are cheered loudly and respected deeply, and where good sportsmanship is celebrated.

Bo bb i Mo ra n

YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS Donate Today

We hope you will join the growing community of donors who are making Thayer’s new Multisport Athletics Complex possible. Every gift helps create a space where our students will compete, grow, build character, and create lasting memories for generations to come.

Donors who contribute $10,000 or more will be permanently recognized on the donor wall located in the tunnel that our student-athletes will run through as they take the field.

Each time they pass through that tunnel, they will be reminded that they are supported by a community of alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and friends who believe in them and in the transformative power of a Thayer education. Your recognition will stand as a lasting testament to your commitment to Thayer and the students whose lives will be shaped by this remarkable facility for years to come.

Me liss a Tut hil l For ger Melissa Tuthill Forger ’92 P ’25, ’28, ’29

For more information about supporting this project, please contact:

Donate securely at THAYER.org

Melissa Tuthill Forger ’92 P ’25, ’28, ’29 Chief Advancement & Engagement Officer mforger@thayer.org 781.664.2501 Rachael Rouvales Vassalotti ’79 P ’07, ’11, ’12 Director of Major and Planned Giving rvassalotti@thayer.org 781.664.2504

or donate by mail with the enclosed card

YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

Donate Online

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Thayer Academy

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02184