Hotchkiss Crushes Girls' Lax

-By: Shelby Penfield-

The Darien Girls' lacrosse team lost in a scrimmage against Hotchkiss on the DHS Stadium Turf on Wednesday. (3/31) The game started off with a goal from player #4 from Hotchkiss. The first few attempted goals were made by players from Hotchkiss as well. Around 10 minutes into the first half, senior Paige Gasparino made the first attemped goal for Darien on Hotchkiss. For the beginning of the first half, Hotchkiss was winning 0-2.

It wasn't until senior captain Cali Ceglarsky made a shot on Hotchkiss did Darien begin to shoot back with strength. Ceglarsky took the ball at about the half line and went all the way through the defense with poise and skill. However, shortly after Ceglarsky made the first goal for Darien, Hotchkiss came back with two more goals within five minutes. Senior captain Liz Calby brought Darien up another goal after she scored a corner shot, bringing the score to 2-4, Hotchkiss still leading. The goals began to flip-flop, Hotchkiss scoring one followed by a goal by senior Lanning McDonald for Darien. Hotchkiss scored three more goals before senior Ann Fucigna for Darien ran down the field and fired a shot leaving the score 4-8 for the first half. Many times shooting space was called on Hotchkiss, allowing for Darien to practice their offensive plays and get a chance to try for a shot on goal.

After half time, the first shot made was by senior Corinne Sommi thus allowing for Darien to begin catching up to Hotchkiss. Once again, the score flip-flopped as Hotchkiss scored another goal from player #6 while Ceglarsky scored another one for Darien. Hotchkiss scored another goal and once again Ceglarsky fired back with another shot. Hotchkiss then shot another goal leading Darien 7-11. Calby made the last shot for Darien following three more goals made by Hotchkiss. 8-14.

Be sure to check out the team's next scrimmage on Saturday, April 3rd at 11am. They will be playing against Loomis Chaffee away in Windsor. Go Blue Wave!

Pictured: Coach Lisa Lindley with the team after a lack luster performance

Wave Falls to Hamden‘s Hockey Powerhouse

-By Christian Nielsen-

With an 0-6 start to their season, few thought the Darien Blue Wave Hockey team would make it to the semi-final CIAC championship game at Yale, but sadly their season ended there on Thursday. (3/18) Up against Hamden, the defending champs from last year's CIAC playoffs; it was another underdog game much like the West Haven victory Darien scored on March 10. The Wave struck first, with junior Richard Gregory scoring unassisted at 7:33. The first period ended with Darien up 1-0, although senior William Love felt the heat in net stopping 15 shots. Hamden came out flying in the second, with goals scored at 2:10, 6:08, and 10:08. Not wanting to go out without a fight, the Wave fought back in the third, when sophomore Nick Bruno scored unassisted at 6:32. Even with a pulled goalie in the end of the game, Darien couldn't tie the game up, and Hamden moves on to face Fairfield Prep in the CIAC Finals.

Boys' Swimming Takes 3rd in State Championship

-By Katherine Minion-

Boys' varsity swim team landed the number three spot at the State Championships at Wesleyan University in Middletown on Thursday. (3/18) Darien faced teams in the Class M Division ending up with 428 points, close behind New Canaan who came in second place with 429.5 points, and Brookfield in first place with 464.5 points. Outstanding performances were junior Chris Weihs who won first place in the 200-yard freestyle, freshman James Baker and junior Jake Greene who took the fourth and fifth places respectively in the 500-yard freestyle, and senior Sam Jackson who had a great swim in the 100-yard butterfly “I am really proud of what our team has done. It was such a successful season and seeing almost the entire team swim best times today, and being place third overall, was really exciting,” Senior team captain Wesley Dean said.
Be sure to congratulate the boys on their outstanding season and stay tuned for the results of the diving championship meet at Yale University on Saturday. (3/20) Photo: senior Sam Jackson courtesy of the Darien Times.

Morgan & Whitehead Take Top 6 Place

-By: Laura Durham-

Blue Wave junior gymansts Charlotte Morgan and Morgan Whitehead competed in New Englands on Saturday (3/13) at Jonathan Law High School in Milford. Morgan competed on beam, while Whitehead competed on all four events. Both gymnasts qualified by placing in the top six places at State Opens. Morgan had a season high on beam, scoring a 9.15 and placed 9th, but after ties she was 12th. Whitehead placed second on the bars with a 9.55. This was a great conclusion to a successful season for the Blue Wave Gymnastics program, who were also the state champions this season.

Wave Advances in Dominating Performance

-By Ryan Barthold-

Without much trouble, the Darien Boys’ Hockey Team advanced to the CIAC Division I semifinals on Saturday night (3/13) with a 6-0 thrashing of Tri-Town at Northford Ice Pavilion in Northford, Conn. The 16th-seeded Wave continued an improbable run towards the state championship that includes a win over #1 ranked West Haven on March 10. The Wave got off to an early start, with a goal by sophomore John Baker less than two minutes into the game. Junior Garren Fritts continued the Wave’s momentum, with a goal four minutes later. Sophomore Nick Bruno then contributed a pair of goals, freshman Dom Luongo threw in one, with junior Christian Nielson sealing the deal with a goal with 1:01 left in the 3rd period. Senior captain Will Love provided perfect defense in front of the goal, with 20 saves on the night, continuing his extraordinary run throughout the state tournament. Next up for the Blue Wave is No. 4 Hamden at 7:30 pm on Thursday (3/18) at Ingalls Rink in New Haven.

Track Team Goes to Nationals

-By Meg Murphy-

Both members

of the boys’ and girls’ indoor track teams went to National Scholastic Invitational Championship indoor track meet at the New York City Armory on Friday. (3/12) The boys’ 4x200 relay team of senior Brent Eppley, juniors Stockton McMullin, Peter McDonough and Kevin Keller placed 29th. With a time of 1:33.57, the boys broke their previous record of 1:34.03 set at the Class L Championships this year.
The boys’ team also succeeded in the long jump with Keller placing 20th with a jump of 21-3.5, McMullin 23rd jumping 20-9.25 and Eppley finishing 35th with a jump of 18-11.5. The girls’ team also did very well. Sophomore Robin Bone took 10th with a height of 11-9.5. Senior Hannah Lyons placed 24th in the 5000 with a time of 20:25.7.
The 1200, 400, 800, 1600 relay run by junior Megan Keane, senior Sam Simon, sophomore Katie Donovan and senior Kelly Brophy came in 25th with a time of 13:28.59.
Senior star Christy Gasparino (pictured) competed in the National Scholastic Invitational pentathlon on Saturday (3/13) at the New York City Armory. Scoring a total of 3,129 points, Gasparino finished in 4th place. She ran the 60-meter hurdles in 9.36, jumped 5-3.25 in the high jump, tossed the shot put 26-7, completed a long jump of 15-11.5 and finished the 800 in 2:36.15. Last year, she scored 2,947 and took 8th place. Congratulations to both the boys’ and girls’ indoor track teams for having very successful seasons. Some of these athletes will go on to compete in the 2010 outdoor season and we wish them the best! Photo courtesy of Sam Simon.

DHS Rugby Opens Season with Tie

-By Daniel Campbell-

The rugby team faced Staples High Sch

ool from Westport in a wet and windy match that ended in a scoreless tie on Saturday. (3/14) The game was moved from up from 1p to 11a on the turf due to the weather, but it didn’t help much. Darien had most of its chances in the first half, getting close to Staples’ try line but never quite being able to score. In the second half a Staples player touched the ball down in the try zone for what should have been a score, except junior Kevin Keller snuck his feet under the ball, negating the try. Overall the home side’s forwards dominated the scrums, led by its pack leader, senior TJ Ganser, helping the team gain ground. “Overall I think we played well, especially considering it was our first game of the season and we lost to this team last year,” senior captain Connor McCarthy said. The team’s next game is 4:30pm at Royle Elementary School against Fairfield Prep on Wednesday. (3/17) Let’s hope the luck of the Irish is with them on this St Patrick's Day match up! (Pictured: senior Andy Brewer reaches for the ball on a line-out)

Boys get the Upset Against West Haven

-By: Charles Spivey-

Darien boys Hockey beat #1 rank West Haven in a 4-3 victory at Edward Bennett Arena in West Haven on Wednesday. (3/10) This win was a huge upset. The Blue Wave was the #16 seed in the tournament, and suffered an 8-1 loss to West Haven earlier in the season. In the first period, sophomore Nick Bruno started off with a bang scoring a quick goal. Later, sophomore John Baker put in another goal. The real magic happened late in the 3rd period. Junior Richard Gregory put in a goal with three minutes on the clock. This tied up the game 3-3. Gregory was able to put in yet another goal with only five seconds remaining to give the Wave a 4-3 victory. Darien moves on to the FCIAC semifinals against Tri-Town from Ellington at 4pm at the Northford Ice Pavilion on Saturday. (3/13)

Boys' Baseball Gears Up for a New Season

-By: Sam Nelson-

Varsity baseball season will hold its tryouts on March 22-23. Pitchers and catchers report on March 15. This year’s captains are seniors Matt Anderson and David Hickey, who hope to have the same success as last season. “I think that the team will hopefully be just as strong as we were last year. We made it to the semifinals of the FCIACs and the semifinals of States last year and I hope we can repeat and do even better this year,” Hickey said.
Last year, nine seniors graduated with most starting to play varsity when they were underclassmen. The team will be missing these seniors, and hopes that younger players will be able to step in to get the job done. The Blue Wave finished last year with a regular season record of 16-6 and a 13-5 FCIAC record, which was good enough to win the FCIAC East title. Unfortunately, they lost in the second round of the FCIAC tournament to Westhill. The Blue Wave will have its first game at 4pm against New Fairfield on the DHS turf field on April 7. Hopefully they can start off the season with a win.

(Senior David Hickey pictured)

Girls' Track Welcomes New Recruits

-By: Dan Pidgeon-

Girls varsity track & field looks to have a solid upcoming spring season. With senior captains Kelly Brophy, Christy Gasparino (pictured), Meredith Jordan, Sam Simon, and Aimee Rich, the competitive and deep senior class looks to make a splash in both the FCIAC and State Tournaments. The team is still looking for fresh talent. Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to attend a meeting at 2:30pm in the North Gym on March 11. At this meeting, Coach Steve Norris (Norrie) will provide information on the season and show team clothes available for purchase. The first practice is March 22 and the first meet is right around the corner on April 8 at DHS. This season is the first time the girls track participating in the upgraded Class L State Tournament. Hopefully the girls can have a good showing in their inaugural Class L season.

NC Drops Girls' Basketball in First Round of State Tourney

-By: McKinley Stauffer & Jack Bushell-

Girls' Basketball was unable to come away with a win in the first round of the state tournament against Darien's arch enemy, New Canaan, at New Canaan High School on Monday (3/1). Senior AnnaRae Anderson answerd after NC put a quick score on the board, with a jump shot on the foul line. Senior captain Liz Calby hit a couple big threes to keep the game close, scoring a total of 12 points, not a high total for Calby. Darien may have lost on the score board, but they remained resolute throughout the game. New Canaan's offense was led by sophomore Sarah Manley showing poise for a sophomore. The rest of the Ram's players were thwarted by Darien's frantic defense. By the end of the game Darien had a total of 16 fouls which hurt their chances because NC is great at putting in foul shots for easy points especially when Darien was down 35-21 by the end of the first half. Freshman Meg Marren had a good start to the second half with great defense around the three point line with a couple steals and bad forced passes by the Rams. Marren also had a great night from the free throw line sinking all of her free throws. Calby fouled out in the fourth quarter with a questionable call by the ref. Junior Nicole Buch (pictured) had 26 points by the end of the game but it wasn't enough as they lost the game 59-51.

Sophomore Susan Biggart, who has been unable to play much this season due to an ACL injury, has been recording the team's stats while cheering for them on the sidelines. Biggart commented on the team's season by saying, "Overall this season we've worked so hard and come so far. I think this season was great success for us." Susan is right because last year the girls only had 3 wins during the regular season while haveing 10 wins this season. The seniors will surely be missed as Liz Calby, Leanne Stone, Taylor Wells and AnnaRae Anderson will not be playing for the team next year. Other players need to step up to replace what surely is one of the best set of seniors that this team has seen.

Wave Skates Tough, but Falls to NC 3-0

-By: Jack Bushell-

Girls' hockey team did not come to play on Saturday(2/27) when they faced off against New Canaan for the FCIAC title. New Canaan was led by junior forward Jana Persky and freshman forward Olivia Hompe, both skating on the first line. Darien could not stop the duo as the Rams won easily 3-0. The first goal came early in the first period of action and New Canaan never looked back.
Surprisingly, there were a total of 17 penalties in total during the game, marking a very tough game for both teams. Although there were three goals for New Canaan, DHS senior captain Katharine Macomber made some tremendous key saves to attempt to keep her team in contention for the win. The Wave finished the FCIAC season 15-5-1. The team is looking forward to States which starts on Monday (3/1) @ Hamden at 4pm.

Girls' Hockey Goes to Play NC in Final

-By: Shelby Penfield-

With just minutes remaining, the Darien Girls Varsity Hockey beat Greenwich in the FCIAC semi-finals at the Darien Ice Rink on Wednesday. (2/24)
The game started off with freshman Lexi Perticone making an attempt on the Greenwich goal. Darien had the first few shot attempts thus making Greenwich look like the underdog in the beginning. However, the end of the period finished with the score at 0-0. After the first period, the second period started off with an attempted goal by Greenwich player number 8. Not until the end of period two did Greenwich player number 3 score a goal, leaving Darien behind.
The third period began with Greenwich going strong; the first goal attempt was made by Greenwich player number 3. However things turned around when DHS Senior Aimee Rich scored a goal with only 2 minutes and 27 seconds left in the third period. The two teams were now tied 1-1.
As tensions grew, the first attempted goal was made by Greenwich player number 17 in the fourth period. Although Darien had many attempted shots by senior Aimee Rich, sophomore Emily Tropsa, junior Lauren Perkins, freshman Lily Christensen and junior Emma Tuzinkiewicz, no goals were scored until the four-on-four double overtime where the final goal was made by Rich. The girls now move on to the FCIAC finals versus New Canaan at 4 p.m. on Saturday. (2/27) The game will be away at Terry Corners Rink in Stamford. Go Blue Wave!

(Sara Shaker pictured)