Blue Wave Field Hockey Defeats Ridgefield in State Semifinal

Lily Genovese

The Blue Wave Varsity Field Hockey Team defeated Ridgefield in the state semifinals on Tuesday, November 19th at 4pm on our home turf. 

Credit: David Stewart :BWFH celebrates after a goal at Weston High School on Tuesday

The final score was 4-1. 

Freshman, Ryan Hapgood, undoubtedly earned herself an MVP title for the game. After being pulled up to varsity just two weeks ago, she scored a hat trick and led the team to victory. Molly Hellman, senior co-captain, also scored a goal and aided in two assists. They connected both halves of the game with their speedy movements. 

“Ryan Hapgood is a very athletic freshman. We pulled her up from JV and it was just a matter of time for her to get adjusted to our level of play. She kept things simple and was in the right place at the right time and she finished,” said Coach Mo Minicus to Game Time CT reporters. 

The Varsity bench was loud as always with team members that encourage each other. BWFH continues to carry themselves with pride that empowers every team member, whether they be recently joined freshman or veteran seniors. “We are so excited,” said Senior Co-Captain Catie Duggan. “We can’t wait to see where we go next.”

Darien will face Staples next in the State Championship this Saturday November 23. 

Girl’s Field Hockey Plays the Field to Success

Eva Criscuolo

Another epic win for Darien High School’s Girl’s Field Hockey Team

DHS player gets ready to face off in what is to be a triumph game  [Credit: CIAC]

On Friday, November 15th at 4 pm, Darien High School’s Varsity Girl’s Field Hockey team faced off against Amity Regional in the state quarterfinals at home. On the DHS stadium field, the team played strongly, achieving an incredible score of 5-0, helping to propel them forward to the semi-finals. 

According to senior player Tala Garcia, “the team has been working really hard this season, and I feel as if that’s really showing. Junior Lindsey Olsen really stood out, scoring a number of goals for the team. Senior Molly Hellman also played a strong game”. 

The team as a whole put a lot of genuine effort into the game. It is no secret that DHS Field Hockey has a history of excellence, and this game was by no means an exception. The game marked the second major win this state post-season, seeing as the team previously triumphed over Chesire on the 13th with a score of 6-0.

The girls are all ecstatic about their success thus far. Senior player, Monisha Akula, stated that “the team is really looking forward to [their] next game”. 

The team will be facing off in a home game against Ridgefield High School for the state semi-finals on Tuesday, November 19th. 

Diving into Open: The Darien High School Varsity Dive Team Score Big at FCIAC’s

Brianna Lyons

The Darien High School Swim and Dive team competed Thursday at 6:30 at Middletown High School for the FCIAC’s. Four girls competed in the competition last night. Seniors Lana Schmidt, Emma Hunter, Kerry McDermott and freshmen Lily Wurm.

The Darien Varsity Swim and Dive team scored high during their competition ranking in the top 20. Schmidt got 8th place and qualified for the state opens. Hunter scored 11th, McDermott scored 14th and Wurm scored 10th. Overall, a stellar performance by each of the competitors.

Diving is a difficult sport. It requires competitors to combine gymnastics, swimming as well as flexibility if they want to score high in any diving competition. Diving is one of the most viewed sports in Olympic History. Spectators enjoy watching people do insane tricks in the air and still hit the water with perfect form. Darien Scoring so high in the FCIAC is a feat that is incredibly impressive due to the talent of the competitors.

“I always look forward to diving in the larger meets with my teammates and this one was even more special because it was the last time I would be competing with them. I wanted to do well and hopefully place in the top 16 again not only for myself but for my team. I was able to achieve this goal which I consider a great end to my season. I cannot wait to continue diving on the collegiate level.” Senior Emma Hunter said. The next competition for the Dive team is Saturday November 16, at the Cornerstone Aquatics Center at 3:15. This will be a state qualifying meet and whoever qualifies will move on to the next round of states on Wednesday November 20 at Wesleyan University.

Breathing for Victory (Courtesy of DAF Media)

Wave wins decisive Victory against Hall

Eva Larino

The joy of the win: Juniors Katie Chandler, Kate Bellissimo, and Nelle Kniffin celebrate with senior goalie Olivia Maniscalco. Credit: DAF Media

On Tuesday November 12th, the Darien Varsity Girls Soccer Team emerged with a decisive victory against Hall. Darien, the 14th seed, overcame 19th seed Hall in the opening round of the CIAC Class LL tournament. 

The wave trailed 1-0 for the first 40 minutes of the game, but pulled it together for the win. “Once we went down a goal I saw the heart in my teammates” said senior captain Olivia Maniscalco. “Everyone wanted to win so badly, we were immediately fighting back and playing so well,” she continued. 

Freshman Colette Quinn managed to tie the game with a free kick from the right corner in the 60th minute of the game. The perfectly placed over-head kick gave Darien a glimpse at victory. 

With 2:47 left in overtime, senior Kaitlyn Popson scored the game-winning goal. “Once Katitlyn scored I saw it as proof that we wanted it more and deserved to win” Maniscalco states. “I am so proud of my team,” she said. 

The Wave will move on to take on No. 3 seed Glastonbury at 2.p.m on Thursday, November 14th, the same team that knocked the our boys team out of the tournament just days prior. 

Birds of a Feather F(l)hock Together

Tyler Roland

DHS Varsity Field Hockey tie at 0-0 to become co-FCIAC champs

Molly Hellman has the ball in her control against Staples.  Photo by Dave Stewart, Hearst

Last Thursday, despite two overtimes, Darien Varsity Girls Field Hockey was unable to overpower their Staples opponents, resulting in a tie with no points scored and a sharing of the FCIAC crown. 

“Staples is a really good team,” forward Catie Duggan said. “Strong opponent, with equal skills.  It was definitely hard after 80 minutes of play to settle with a tie because we know we’re better. But we are very excited about the co-championship title.”

Center defender, senior, Charlotte Domittner had some thoughts on the game as well: “Going into the game I can say that every single one of us was nervous because we wanted to win so badly, to prove that we were the better team. The game was not like any other, it was the biggest game of every seniors high school career so far. It was our year to win. The game was hard fought on both sides. Both teams had opportunities to score, but neither capitalized on those opportunities. When the game went into overtime, and then double overtime it was more than stressful, especially for the 14 players on the field knowing that one missed trap, or one bad pass could cost us the game.” 

After their home game against Cheshire in the state tournament on 11/13, the team will tentatively move on to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and hopefully the championship.

DARIEN HIGH SCHOOL SWIM AND DIVE TEAM NAMED 2019 FCIAC CHAMPIONS

Flynn Woodring

Darien Girls Swim and Dive made a splash at the FCIAC Championships.

On Tuesday, November 5, at the FCIAC Girls Swimming Championships, DHS swimmers and divers captured a title that has eluded the team since 2014 – FCIAC Champions. 2019 marks only the fifth time that DHS has earned the top spot in Fairfield County (2009, 2012, 2013, and 2014).

The Blue Wave (335 points) beat its closest competitors – Greenwich (303) and Staples (288) - by a large margin and the victory was truly a team effort. Senior Lexi Punishill led her team with a first-place finish in the 100 freestyle. Punishill also delivered for the Blue Wave as a member of the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. DHS finished first in both events.

Following the competition, six Blue Wave swimmers were named to the All-FCIAC Team including freshman Lily Bradbury, freshman Natalia Ferranto, junior Olivia Golden, junior Kendall Luecke, senior Lexi Punishill and sophomore Maggie Sedlak. Darien also received the award for FCIAC East Division champion in recognition of an undefeated regular season. 

The Post-season continues for the Blue Wave Team at the Class L Diving Championships (Nov. 14, Middletown, 5:30pm); the Class L Swimming Trials (Nov. 16, West Hartford, 3:15pm) and at the Class L Swimming Championships (Nov. 20, Wesleyan, 7pm). The season concludes with the State Open Diving Championships (Nov. 21, Middletown, 5:30pm) and the State Open Swimming Championships (Nov. 24, Yale, 2pm).

Darien Field hockey wins 2-3 on the 4th

Grace Carlo

On Monday November 4th, the field hockey team faced the Rams in the FCIAC semi-finals at Brian McMahon. The Wave went into the game with a record of 16-1 for the regular season, the only loss being to New Canaan, a classic rival.

Freshman Raina Johns scored the first goal of the game on a penalty stroke 12 minutes into the game. The rams answered back making the score 1-1. Sophomore Molly McGuckin gave the Wave a 2-1 lead with 9:42 left in the game. Rams yet again answered quickly, with many in fear that the game would have to go into overtime.

Johns scored again on another penalty stroke scoring the winning goal to make it a 3-2 win for the Wave.

Johns said "I was really nervous but also excited because I knew if I scored, we would be winning the game." Her goal is the reason the Wave took the win. "We were all so happy to know we were going to the championship" Johns said.

Freshman Raina Johns during the semi-final game (Courtesy David Stewart)

The Wave will face Staples for the FCIAC championship on Thursday the 7th, 6pm at McMahon. Come support the girls!

Wave Varsity Boys Soccer’s 10th Season Game on 10/10 was a 10/10

Tyler Roland

 

 Seniors (from left to right) Jack Holly, Will Henry Harmon, and Charlie Sears rejoice as victory is had. (Photo courtesy of Danny Gordillo)

A 2-0 victory against Westhill on Tuesday October 10th, locked in a noteworthy win for the team. 

The Wave’s Varsity Boys Soccer game against Westill was, true to the date it was played on, a 10/10. Unsurprisingly, the match was another W for the boys in blue, a 2-0 victory to be precise.  Varsity Captain and senior Elias Vetter considered the game a success in more ways than one. “This game was for the boys,” Vetter stated first and foremost. “Our coach’s 150th win was riding on that game--I think this drove our desire to win and we got it done.” 

Senior Will Henry Harmon also felt empowered by the team’s success. “They had some solid players,” Harmon said, “but we felt that we had the advantage of play for the entire game--we were just waiting on a goal.  Once the first goal came, it was just domination from there on out.” With the 150th victory for coach Jon Bradley coming in on a 10/10 day, it seemed like a climactic movie scene being played out in real time, even by Darien’s peerless athletic standards.  

The next Varsity Boys Soccer games will be played on Darien’s home turf, on Thursday the 17th against Staples and on Saturday the 19th for their Homecoming game against Norwalk.

Wave Girl's Swim and Dive Glides to 6-0 Defeating Trumbull

Flynn Woodring

On Monday October 7th, the Blue Wave Girl's Swim and Dive Team raced to victory in their dual meet versus Trumbull. Making them undefeated at this point of the season with an impressive record of 6-0. They will face off against Fairfield Ludlowe on October 10th (diving) and October 11th (swimming) in one of their final meets before the post-season begins.

             Lana Schmidt placed first (225.45) in the 1-meter diving competition against Trumbull (credit: Louise Schmidt)

Darien dominated the competition having top finishes in 12 events, including the 200-yard medley relay, where juniors Olivia Golden, Kelsey Olvany, senior Sloane Latimer, and freshman Emily Kalvaitis placed second with a time of 2:00.76. Darien also took second in the 200-free with sophomore Gracie Spataro finishing in 2:03.8.

Overall there were seven first place finishes, including senior Lana Schmidt who won the 1-meter diving event with a 225.45 and senior Lexi Punishill in the 100 free finishing with a time of 0:56.52.

This afternoon Wave Swim will face off against Fairfield Ludlowe at home, while the diving team was unopposed yesterday with Ludlowe not in attendance. However, the wave still competed against one another.

Sophomore Superstar Strikes Again

Grace Carlo

Mairead Clas crowing second place (Courtesty of MSN)

Monday October 7th the girls cross country team raced at St. Joes high school. Sophomore Mairead Clas comes in clutch yet again earning second place in the varsity three mile. Other DHS athletes placing in the top ten were freshmen Charlotte Moody coming in eighth place and sophomore Julianne Tietler finishing in tenth place.

For the JV race, the wave had four place in the top ten. Sophomore Charly Covello coming in fifth place, freshmen Katie Pombar in sixth place, sophomore Charlotte Reid in seventh place, and freshmen Mia Langeveld coming in tenth.

Senior runner Brianna Lyons stated "overall we did really well and we are keeping our heads high going into FCIACs".

The next race is the FCIAC Championship on October 15th at Waveny Park in New Canaan.

Blue Wave Blown out Eagles: Darien Wins Favorably Against Trumbull Behind Kirby’s Three Touchdowns

Nolan Burke

Senior Captain Will Kirby breaks loose for a huge run (Courtesy of David G. Whitman)

On Friday, October 4th the Varsity Football team traveled to Trumbull. In last year’s matchup versus the Eagles, the Blue Wave struggled to pull away from an inferior Trumbull team and was tied at halftime. However, this time around that was not the case as the Wave led 27-6 after two quarters and finished the game strong with a 41-13 victory. Because of the victory, Darien is 4-0 and is ranked fourth in the state according to GameTimeCT.

The Blue Wave benefited from two touchdowns in the first half by senior captain Will Kirby. Senior quarterback Peter Graham continued his stellar campaign as the starter for the Blue Wave as he completed 20 of his 32 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns. The defense continued their string of impressive games as well. Led by senior defensive end Will Bothwell who had two sacks and four solo tackles against Trumbull, the defense has dominated league play all season long. From three games against teams in the FCIAC the stout Blue Wave defense has let up just 13 points.

The player of the game was running back Will Kirby who had his best game of the season totaling an outstanding 172 total yards (139 rushing, 33 receiving) with three touchdowns. When asked about his success on the field Kirby was hesitant to take all the glory saying, “My success in the game came from the entire work of the offense. The O-line played their best game yet, Peter threw me some nice throws, all I had to do was my part and they allowed me to do that well”.

The Blue Wave are on a bye this week and the next matchup will be against winless Trinity Catholic High School on October 19th at 1:30pm at the Stadium Field.

3 Mile Success: Girls Cross Country Runs Straight into Another Success

Eva Criscuolo

On Tuesday, October 1st, the Girls Cross Country team traveled to Greenwich for a three-mile race, one of the final races of the season. According to senior varsity runner Brianna Lyons, “The meet was a bit of a challenge for some, but I feel that overall our team did very well!”

Thankfully, the Blue Wave Girls Cross Country team was able to rank highly, with sophomore varsity runner Mairead Clas placing second overall. Clas performed exceptionally well, running one of her fastest times this season. Additionally, each member of the team put a lot of genuine effort into all of their races and managed to continue the great season they have been enjoying thenceforth.

Considering the DHS Girls Cross Country team’s long and fruitful history of success and top-placing runners, the team’s prosperity was not too much of a surprise. Nonetheless, the girls were all ecstatic returning home, making sure to congratulate Clas. Lyons conveyed, “everyone was super excited to have performed so well against numerous talented teams. Mairead ran an exceptional race, and I have confidence that the team will continue to perform highly in the rest of our races”.

The team looks forward to future races like their upcoming, October 6th meet facing off Danbury High School, and Trumbull High School, in hopes of triumphing once again.

Mairead Clas running the 3-mile race (Courtesy of Gametime CT)

Catholic School Boys Sent to Church by Blue Wave Boys Cross Country

Jack Saucedo

Darien finishes second at St. Joe’s meet, beating out the home team 

Cormac Brown races to the finish line, as spectators cheer him on.

Credit: Coach Tyson Kaczmarek

On Monday, October 7th, the Blue Wave Boys Cross Country Team participated in the 2,000 and 5,000 meter races at St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, CT. Senior Cormac Brown glided into first place in the 5,000 meter, coming in with an impressive time of 18:03. All in all, the varsity team had two finishers in the top ten, Brown and senior Evan O’Rourke, landing Darien second place in the overall race, putting them right under Ridgefield.

In the JV division, freshman Dylan Deriso finished in ninth place, the only to finish in the top ten. Other commendable finishes were freshman Tate Haganey, who finished in 12th, and freshman Anders Mueller, who finished in 17th. 

Freshman Aidan Muller said, “I think this gives us a confidence boost for the FCIACs, placings and all.” 

The next race is the FCIAC Championship on October 15th at Waveny Park in New Canaan.

Tigers Tramp the Wave: Darien Girls Soccer defeated by Ridgefield

Eva Larino

Team huddle before the game (Courtesy of DAF)

On Friday, October 4th, the Darien Girls Soccer team was defeated by Ridgefield on its home turf. The Ridgefield Tigers emerged with a 2-1 lead, allowing them to claim their victory and break the Wave’s three-game winning streak.

Junior Nelle Kniffin gave the Wave a chance at victory after scoring a penalty kick inside the box, yet Ridgefield’s powerful offense outdid the team. Kniffin scored the first goal against Ridgefield this season.

Captain, senior Olivia Maniscalco states that the team played a “hard fought game” against a team known for being very good. “I’m proud of us for scoring on them,” Maniscalco said. She is confident that the team has the skills to have at least tied, and is confident that the girls could defeat Ridgefield if the two teams faced off in the postseason.

The team will play its next game on Friday, October 11th against Westhill High School at 4pm on the center oval turf field.

Unexpected Win for the Wave

Grace Carlo

Diving coach Kyle O’Donnell, Lana Schmidt, Kerry McDermott, Emma Hunter, Pai Easterbrook, Lilly Wurm, Megan Gianunzio, Julia Servas (Courtesy of Claire Hunter)

On Friday, September 20, the Darien Girls Swim and Dive team opened its season with a decisive victory over Wilton High School. The Blue Wave placed first in 10 out of 12 events and swept the diving competition, which was held on Tuesday, September 17. The 111 – 75 win was especially sweet for the team’s fourteen seniors as they haven’t beaten the Warriors in a dual meet competition since they were freshmen.

Darien jumped out with an early lead with first-place finishes in the 200 medley relay, 200 free, and 200 IM. The relay team including freshmen Meg Erickson, senior Emma Mansourian, junior Hope Murray and freshmen Natalia Ferranto placed first at 153.55.

The Blue Wave swept the diving competition as senior Julia Servas placed first (259.35), senior Lana Schmidt second (224.70) and freshmen Lilly Wurmthird (194.90).

Darien built its lead to 91 – 49 prior to the final three events. Junior Olivia Golden (102.24) and Mansourian (113.25) both placed second in the 100 back and 100 breast events, respectively.

Come support the team at the YMCA on Oct 11th as they face Fairfield Ludlowe.

Wave Defeats Stamford/Westhill in a Near Clean Sweep

Eva Larino

Girls Swimming boasts an impressive victory over Westhill/Stamford co-op 

The team poses for a post-meet photo as they celebrates their victory. 

Credit: Lauren Sparato

The Darien High School Girls Swim/Dive Team (5-0) is enjoying a perfect season after defeating the Westhill/Stamford Co-op 102-76 on October 3rd 

Against the Westhill/Stamford Co-op, the Wave captured first place in 11 out of 12 events and swept the 100 free race. In that race, juniors Kendall Leuke and Olivia Golden claimed first and second place finished with impressive times of :56.80 and :57.72 respectively. 

 

 

The Wave will face Fairfield Ludlowe, Ridgefield and Fairfield Warde before post-season begins. The team heads into its final three dual meets of the season including match-ups against Fairfield Ludlowe on October 11th, Ridgefield on October 17th, and Fairfield Warde on October 22nd and 23rd

Running Like the Wind

Brianna Lyons

Running like the wind with Mairead Clas 

“Over the rivers and through the woods . . . and hills and more woods and another river”

 This past weekend 16 girls cross country runners raced this type of extensive course the Ocean State Individual at Goddard Park, Rhode “Island”.

On Friday Afternoon seniors Bella Swan, Noelle Kennedy, Quincy Balanoff, Suzanna Alliegro, Lily Johnston and Brianna Lyons, juniors Georgia Sheehan and Sally Boucher, sophomores Mairead Class, Lauren Blake, Leighton Gajawani, Julianne Teitler, Lila DeGennaro and Hope Johnson, as well as freshman Charlotte Moody and Avery Johnson all travelled to Rhode Island.

Over 100 teams competed at the Ocean State Invitational. Darien was one of only five Fairfield County teams to compete on Saturday. Darien raced in three out of the four cross country races provided for girls. The course consisted of 3 miles worth of hills, mud and lots of rocks.

“It was definitely a very tricky course, but fun” freshman Avery Johnson, said.

Seven Darien girls competed in the Junior Varsity race. With Hope Johnson coming in 35th and Lily Johnston coming in 37, Darien ended by placing 8th out of 26 teams in the Girls Cross Country JV race.

“We all worked pretty hard” freshman Charlotte Moody, said. Charlotte Moody placing 26th and Julianne Teitler placing 48th.

Darien ended by placing 10th out of 26 teams that competed. However, Darien had only one runner compete in the championship race and that was Mairead Class. With a time of 19.03 minutes, Mairead placed 14th in the race.

 However, since the team only had one girl running the race, the Wave were not ranked. After a successful weekend at Rhode Island, the Darien Girls Cross Country team is ready to take on New Canaan on Wednesday October 2, at Norwalk High School.

Boys Tennis wins FCIAC and State Championship

Grace Carlo 

2019 FCIAC Champions. Courtesy of David Fierro.

The boys tennis team won their first FCIAC Championship since 1989 on May 22nd. A week later, the team also won states. The varsity team is composed of 2 freshmen, 4 sophomores, 3 juniors, and 5 seniors who are all extremely motivated and dedicated. Senior Sergei Doroshin says "This feels really great and humbling that we finally won in 30 years". The Wave dominated this season and have high hopes for the 2020 season. 

Wave gets Revenge on the Warriors

Grace Carlo 

The Wave after defeating the Warriors. Courtesy of Erik Trautmann.

On Saturday June 8th, the boys lacrosse team stepped foot on Jack Casagrande Field ready to dominate the Warriors. The Warriors previously beat the Wave on May 21st in a close 4-3 game allowing them to advance to the FCIAC finals. Senior Captain Tommy Hellman stated that after the loss to Wilton the team was "Trying to learn from that game and trying to get better". The hardworking and dedication payed off as the Wave crushed Wilton with a score of 13-3.  

The Wave ended their season with a record of 17-5. The team is composed of athletes from all grades which helps the team stay stacked in the next coming years. Tommy's advice to the underclassmen is to "Keep working. Right after this we start again". 

Varsity Girls Lacrosse Crushes New Canaan at State Finals

By Natalie Vasileff

The team cheers as senior Charlotte Wittstock scores a goal. Courtesy of the Darien Times.

On Saturday, June the 8th, the Darien High School Girls Varsity lacrosse team would have toface the New Canaan Rams in a fight to the Finish at the state finals. Darien ended up winning with a s core of 12-3, but it took a lot of effort and hard work to get there.
  The DHS girls started off strong by scoring the first point in the first half. New Canaan
decided that they had to step it up, and so they scored their first point five minutes later. Darien was on a brilliant defensive streak, making sure that New Canaan could not penetrate the defensive line. During that same period, the offense went on a streak
to score four goals which ended the first half with a score of 6-2.
  The first half was just the beginning for the Blue Wave team - it was the second half where things really began to heat up. New Canaan was only able to score one point during the second half, and the game ended in a 12-3 score.
  “Our defense was solid throughout the game, keeping New Canaan from being able to penetrate our goal,” junior Brianna Lyons said. “But when they did penetrate, Shea Dulce, our goalie, made many great saves and clears throughout our game.”

Boys and Girls Lacrosse State Finals

Grace Carlo

Come support the boys and girls lacrosse teams as they play in the Class L state championship this Saturday. The girls play New Canaan at 12pm at Jonathan Law and the boys play at 3:30 up at McMahon against Wilton. 

The Wave celebrating the Win. Courtesy of Dave Stewart.

Darien Boys Golf Team Finish Second in the State Championship

By Hugh Hearns

The Darien Boys Golf Team finished runners up in the state Golf Championship this past Monday, with Greenwich winning the title.

The tournament took place at Timberlin Golf Course, in Berlin, Connecticut, an 18 hole course, which includes 62 bunkers. The Greenwich team shot a collective 301 to win the tournament, a great 18 holes for the team, as the runners up, Darien shot a 311, with third place Simsbury shooting a 316.

Junior Alex Gu was a bright point in Darien’s day, as he individually tied for second place with Alexander Aurora of Hamden, shooting a 73.

 While this may be little consolation to Darien, who had high expectations for the year, Gu and his a number of his teammates will be looking forward to the Open Championship in Old Lyme, Connecticut, at the Black Hall Club on Saturday, June 8th.

Darien Prevails Over Wilton Warriors in the Class L Semifinals of the State Tourney

by Sophia Bender

The day finally arriveD for Darien Blue Wave varsity girls lacrosse to compete against Wilton Warriors on Monday, May 3rd at 5pm at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk. The intensity to win the semifinals class L state tournament was running through the veins of each athlete from Darien High School. Wilton began with possession of the ball. Right away, Darien understood they needed to gain possession of the ball once again. However, after a quick turnover, Wilton possessed the ball once again. To prevent the Wilton Warriors from scoring a point on starting goalie Shea Dolce, Darien defense surrounded and collapsed on Wilton junior, #9 Sophia Sudano. Darien continued to do a nice job on defense as the first half continued. A turnover occurred, Darien had possession of the ball, with 21:44 left in the half. Freshman #1 Morgan Lebek, possessed the ball once again, shot, and scored against Dolce. After the Warriors scored, Darien was ready to score as well. The Blue Wave had the ability to even out the score with a free shot, but Wilton defense interferes. Finally junior #17 Sarah Jaques, took the ball to goal and scores, game tied 1-1 within minutes of the game commencing. Senior #2 Ashley Humphrey, scored an impressive two points within two minutes. With the score being 3-2, Darien began to have an advantage. Darien got another opportunity to score on the Warriors due to violation. With no success on scoring, Darien continued to stay ahead with a score 5-2 Darien's Coach Ms. Lisa Lindley called a time out with 6:32 remaining in the half. The half ended with Darien in the lead with a score of 6-3. The team credits its dedication with respect to Monday's win. Junior Brianna Lyons explained, “The only way to beat your opponent is with practice. We spend an average of two hours and 30 minutes practicing a day and that is the reason we are a strong team,” she said. Back to the draw control circle, senior Mason Maloney, went against the Warriors and succeeded at giving Darien possession of the ball. Darien's defense continued to be successful by pressing on Wilton's offense. With 14:26 remaining in the game, Darien definitely wanted to win, but Wilton senior Carly Sullivan scored on Dolce changing score 10-4. The final score was 16-9; the Blue Wave will be playing rival, the New Canaan Rams, for the third time this season on Saturday, May 8th at Johnathan Law High School.

Girl Lax Updates

Amelia Fordyce

Senior Captain Katie Elders.

The Darien girls lacrosse team beat the Wilton girls lacrosse team last Friday. Darien led the game with 6-4 at halftime and 8-4 in the second half. With two goals from Sarah Jacques, Darien secured its win. The score was 10-6. Darien is currently 10-0 in the league and 13-2 overall. Wilton is currently 10-5 overall and 6-3 in the league. With this win the Darien girls lacrosse team continues to have an undefeated FCIAC season.

Darien Girls Tennis Team Loses Semi-Finals to Wilton

Libby Markham

Senior Quin Wolters and Caroline Hojsgaard playing in the semi-finals.

This past Thursday, May 16th, the Darien Varsity Girls Tennis team played Wilton in the FCIAC semi-finals.

After a season of 16 wins and 1 loss, the team was the number one seed for FCIACs and dominated their competition. With one of their top players injured, the team had to shift around their lineup, making the match a difficult one for the team.

Senior Quin Wolters described her doubles match with her partner, Junior Caroline Hojsgaard. “Caroline and I put up a good fight,” Wolters said. “It’s unfortunate it didn’t turn out in our favor but I’m really proud of my team.”

The final score was 5-2. The team will not play in the FCIAC finals this year, but will compete in CIACs later this month.

Darien Girls Golf Victorious Over St. Joseph

Megumi Murao 

Junior Eliza Koorbusch. Courtesy of Koorbusch.

The varsity Darien Girls Golf Team traveled to Trumbull last Thursday (5/2) to take on St. Joseph High School at Tashua Knolls Course. Darien brought home a victory shooting 193, while St. Joseph shot 216. Darien High School junior and team captain Eliza Koorbusch shot an impressive 43. Her teammates followed with superb scores. Senior Ashley Amirsakis shot 46, sophomore Emily Fischer shot 57, junior Charlotte Keane shot 54, and junior Kerry McDermott shot 50. Although Darien ranks higher than St. Joseph, the win serves as a major confidence booster following the previous game. The Darien Girls Golf Team bounced back from a rough loss one game prior against Fairfield Warde. Koorbusch commented after the win: “It shows a lot of improvement for some of us compared to earlier scores in the season.” Darien will attempt to start a winning streak and finish the second half of the season strong as they welcome Trumbull High School on Monday (5/6). The home game will take place at Wee Burn Country Club at 3pm.

CBC Sweeps Founder’s Day Regatta

By Neirad Staff

This past Sunday, May 5th, the Connecticut Boat Club (CBC) attended the 60th annual Founder’s Day Regatta at Lake Waramaug State Park. 

CBC is an all girls crew team based in Norwalk that is not a Darien High School affiliated team but has many DHS students on its roster. This weekend the top 20 varsity athletes and 10 Novice athletes competed this weekend. Some of those athletes included DHS seniors Catherine Garrett and Vivi Van Ingen, juniors Julia Abbruzzese and Flynn Woodring, and sophomores Kaela Majamador and Isabelle Garrett. 

CBC lined up six boats across with a floating start against some of the top prep schools in the area including Kent, Greenwich Academy, Choate, and Deerfield. 

Founder’s Day is a 4+ only event; CBC raced fours from the 1V to 5V category and two fours in the Novice category. 

Heats were in the morning and the varsity boats raced down the 1500 meter course in the hopes of placing in the top three in order to move on to the grand finale in the afternoon. CBC went 5-5 in first place finishes in the morning races by extreme margins (some races were won by multiple boat lengths of open water!). 

Then came the Novice races after lunch. The CBC A boat won by almost a full minute (pretty much unheard of) and the B boat also won its final by a generous margin, moving the team into 7 for 7 on the day’s races.

Following the novices came the finals for the rest of the varsity team where every boat won its grand final making the club’s record 12-12. 

This was the first time ever CBC has won every single race they were entered in both heats and finals. 

This amazing performance also won the team the overall points trophy in the girls category. Junior Flynn Woodring said “It was a great day full of a lot of team support and excitement from seeing every boat do so well. The trophy and medal ceremony where we were able to hear our names called for each Gold medal and then our whole team called for the points trophy was really special”. 

Next week CBC will travel to both Lake Waramaug again for the Kent Invitational and Lowell in Massachusetts, and in two weeks they will have their Regional Championships in Lowell as well!