Boys Tennis – Keeps its Crown
HVAL All-League selections Brent Feldman and Alec Roslin led their team to an 11-3 season that saw the Cavaliers come out on top of the HVAL by defeating The Forman School.
For Feldman, Harvey’s #1 singles player since his freshman year, the championship game was his final match for the Cavaliers. He began playing varsity tennis as an 8th grader as the team’s #2 varsity player. In the five years as a varsity player for The Harvey School, Feldman lost only one match. He was involved in three conference championships and one runner up finish. It was the pairing of Feldman and his doubles partner Bradley Rothschild that pulled out a thrilling 7-5 tie-breaker to clinch their team’s second consecutive league title.
Another key clog in the Harvey tennis machine and heir apparent to Brent Feldman is freshman all league selection Alec Roslin who finished the year with a 7-1 record playing at #2/3. Playing most of the season at 3/4, Harry Solomon put up a great 9-2 record on the year. Bryan Krosser at #5 singles finished up 5-4 and Jordan Fox at #6 singles had a 5-5 record. Coming on strong at the end of the year and filling in when players were absent or injured were junior Zach Schwartz 5-1 and 7th grader David Wiener 3-1. Freshman George Voller won one of the two singles matches he played.
Coach Tim Cornell said the key to the success of the season was consistency. “We simply returned the ball, and patiently waited for the other team to make mistakes. This self-discipline and focus really set us apart and allowed us to win the close matches.” Coach Cornell and his co-coach Marty Bernstein chose the following players for team awards:
Most Valuable Player - Brent Feldman
Coaches Award - Brad Rothschild
Best Attitude - Bryan Krosser
Most Improved Player - Jordan Fox
Girls Tennis Fares Well in Inaugural Season
Coaches Paula Roslin and Christine Cahill guided their team to a 4-4 first season and an appearance in the HVAL semifinals. Junior captain Helena Belloff, the team’s #1 singles player, and #2 singles player, freshman Ava Gurman were HVAL All-Conference selections. Coach Cahill said 2014 looks very promising. “I am so excited for the future of Harvey girls tennis and extremely proud of where our girls led us to this year,” said the coach.
Coaches Roslin and Cahill selected the following as winners of the team awards:
Most Valuable Player- Ava Gurman
Most Improved Player- Kiera Fahy
Most Team Spirit/Sportsmanship - Baily Hersh
Coaches Award - Deyanne Charles and Carly Kaplan
Girls Lacrosse Goes to HVAL Title Game
First-year head coach Greg Janos and his assistant Jeff Seymour guided their girls lacrosse team (9-6) to a successful season that ended with a loss in the HVAL title game.
Juniors Abby Hassett, Audrey Rowe, and Brittany Smith, along with sophomore goalie Ariana Weaver were named HVAL All-Conference players. Rowe was the team’s leading scorer with 44 goals. Hassett, a co-captain, was second on the team with 36 goals followed by Smith with 32. Weaver made 126 saves in front of the net. Rowe was also selected as a New England Prep School Women’s Lacrosse Association (NEPSWLA) All-Star. She scored a goal and earned one assist in the NEPSWLA All-Star game. Her teammate, junior Samantha Aloi, a standout on defense, caused three turnovers in the all-star match. Named to the Western New England Prep School Women’s Lacrosse Association (WNEPSWLA) All-Star team were Hassett and junior Julia Peraglia, who scored 14 goals, 4 assists, and played solid defense.
Coach Janos gave credit for the girls’ overall success to their level of commitment from day one. “This team didn’t want to lose, and they proved it by working as hard as they did. The girls had a no quit attitude and just outworked other teams.” Coaches Janos and Seymour named the following players as winners of the team awards:
MVP - Abby Hassett
Most Improved - Channa Ennis
Unsung Hero - Natasha Stein
Coaches Award - Brittany Smith
Players' Player Award - Brittany Smith
Boys Varsity Lacrosse Goes to HVAL Quarterfinals
Coaches Jason Hill and Michael Barefield guided a team short on senior members but long on grit and determination, and it was that will to succeed that produced a 7-7 season and an HVAL playoff spot. Harvey lost to Forman in the opening round.
Several players were recognized by the league for their talent and quality of play. Making the HVAL All-League team were senior captain, defensive stalwart Andrew D’Alessandro, sophomore standout on offense Connor Wilson, and freshman Javen Stepp-Davis. Wilson at the Attack position led his team his scoring with 58 points on 36 goals and 22 assists. He was also selected to play in the Division 3 All-Star Game where he was spectacular, scoring 8 goals. D’Alessandro, Stepp-Davis, Rob VanRaamsdonk, and goalie Tyler Gadigian also made the Division 3 All-Star team. Gadigian, a junior goalie, averaged 11 saves per game and saved a total of 184 on the season.
Head coach Jason Hill said he was proud of his young squad. “They had an extremely mixed schedule of strong Division 2 teams and mid-level Division 3 teams and played at an extremely high level throughout the season.” The coaches named the following players as winners of the team awards:
Most Improved - Harry Albert
MVP Offense - Connor Wilson
MVP Defense - Andrew D'Alessandro
Coaches Award - Armando Vazquez
Sportsmanship Award - Tyler Gadigian
Rugby Plays Well against Tough Competition
Harvey’s rugby team (3-7) came close to achieving a .500 record against tough teams, but two close losses denied the Cavaliers a chance to even their won-loss ledger. There was a big comeback in an upset win over Long Island U-19, but two disheartening losses to Keio Academy, 11-8 and St. Anthony’s, 22-21. Co-captains Christian Artuso and Christian Harrington were named to the NYU-19 Rugby All-Star Select Team.
Head coach Phil Lazzaro said it was a season of solid improvement of play by the Cavaliers. “We began to play a more open and fluid brand of rugby and the work put in this season will allow us to launch a potent attack for next spring.” Coach Lazzaro and his assistants, Mark Brandon, Howard McManus, Luigi Loiola and Tom Feighery selected the following players for the annual team rugby awards:
Bravery -Michael Meehan and Kieran O'Connor
Discipline -Christian Harrington and Sharif Koonce
Jazz -Christian Artuso and Paul Stapleton (Pleasantville HS)
Ted O'Connor Alumni Award – Will Leon
Baseball: A Season with Special Moments
The baseball team (5-8-2) lost in the opening round of the HVAL playoffs, but special moments highlighted the season. First, there was the first ever spring training trip to Florida. Then came a combined no-hitter by senior captain Jesse Zubren and two relievers, and while they did not fare well in the game, Harvey batters got a chance to hit against a pitcher selected in the major league baseball draft.
Zubren was an HVAL All- League selection on the strength of his pitching record of 2-4 with a 4.20 ERA, and his hitting success, a .447 avg. with 12 RBI. He had 4 doubles, a triple and a homerun on the season. He also led the team with 12 stolen bases. Corey Eisenband, who batted .550 with 12 RBI and led the team with 13 runs scored, was Harvey’s other HVAL All-League selection.
Coach Mike Rubenfeld praised his team. “The character and morale of this team was outstanding and I’m very proud of their effort and commitment to working hard and improving every day,” the coach said. Coach Rubenfeld and his assistants, Tim Halewicz and Will Diano made their selections for this season’s team awards:
MVP- Jesse Zubren
Silver Slugger – Corey Eisenband
Gold Glove – Austin Forman
Most Improved Player – Anthony Rusciano
Coaches Award – Curtis Rattner and McKie Perry
Softball – No-Hitter Highlights the Season
Though there were no league playoffs this season, Harvey’s softball team (5-6) went up against some tough competition. The team, made up of a young roster with nearly a half who had not played softball before, struggled for consistency in pitching, defense and offense, but on one memorable day with Samantha Panoff on the mound, the team had its highlighted moment as the sophomore hurler tossed a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts in an errorless game against NYMA.
Brittany Sullivan, Erica Cheyne and Jasmine Brouwer led the team with RBIs this season. Tessa Knorr had the only homerun of the season against The Montfort Academy.
Coach Amie Phillips said the team may have been short on experience, but the girls “practiced hard and put a lot of time into learning the game.” Erica Cheyne was selected as Western New England All-League. Coach Phillips and her assistants Lesley Boltz and Jackie Helm chose the following players for team awards:
MVP - Erica Cheyne
Slugger - Andersen Greenwood
Golden Glove - Jasmine Brouwer
Coaches Award - Brittany Sullivan & Silvana Alarcon
Sportsmanship - Emily Hsu & Tessa Knorr
Most Improved - Taylor Williams
Golf Returns as Spring Sport
Golf returned as a spring sport after more than a decade without any Harvey players hitting the links. Coached by Chris Kelly and Douglas Plaskett, the 2013 team was comprised of six golfers: the two captains, Harrison Ross and Sam Moise-Silverman, and Karina Lambert, Gabi Kahn, Turner Eifert, and Emily Sirota.
The team, which finished the season with a 2-2 record, featured members whose experience levels ran the gamut from seasoned players to fledgling golfers. Coach Kelly said, “The team’s goal was to have fun and enjoy the sport, and our season was a great success by that metric.” The squad played four scored matches over the course of the season in league play and finished the season with wins over NYMA and Wooster Academy.
Coach Kelly said the coaches had a great time working with the players and helping them develop. “Gabi Kahn and Karina Lambert, both beginners, learned the game from the ground-up and by the first match were hitting good shots and getting around the course. Turner and Sam, as experienced players, shouldered the burden of turning in low scores, but more importantly served as role models and teachers for their teammates.”
Senior Harrison Ross was a steady competitor and a favorite playing partner of the coaches at practice. Coach Kelly said, “Harrison’s philosophy of ‘forget the last shot and concentrate on the next one’ should be emulated by all players.” Emily Sirota made giant strides all season. “Coach Plaskett and I are extremely impressed by her game,” said Coach Kelly. The freshman came in 6th out of all 24 players at the HVAL tournament held at Waterbury Country Club, earning her league honors.
Middle School Sports
Harvey’s middle school lacrosse team (6-6) ended its season on a three-game winning streak. Coach Kyle Delaney said the eighth grade players and the four captains, Will Shaffer, Rafael Tapia, Hunter Hoffman, and Justin Gelwicks, did a fine job of leadership. Gelwicks led the team in goals, Tapia and Shaffer were tops on scooping ground balls, 6th graders Max Kesicki and Tyler Cox provided exceptional chemistry and playmaking ability from the attack positions, and the defensive core of 7th graders Connor Phillips, John Sullivan, and Eric Maus were lock down defenders who set the tone every single game with their ability to play the body.
The .500 record was not indicative of the team’s success as four losses were within one to two goals. Coach Delaney said, “Our players should be commended for their no quit mentality and putting forth such a solid effort the entire season.” At the middle school spring sports awards event, Coach Delaney and his assistant Stephen Saldutti announced this year’s winners of the team awards:
MVP Offense - Rafael Tapia
MVP Defense - Connor Phillips
Coaches Award - Will Shaffer and Justin Gelwicks
Most Improved - John Sullivan
Sportsmanship - Hunter Hoffman
Middle School Baseball – A Successful Season
Middle School Baseball had an excellent season this year, finishing with an overall record of 8 wins, and two losses. Coach Sam Schursky said the starting pitchers, Jacob Reber, Curtis Grellier and Zach Leff gave “a really remarkable effort.” The team’s offense enjoyed a lot of success as well. Production came from every position on the field especially from Jordan Paley who led the team in doubles, triples and RBIs and was awarded the team’s batting title. As the leadoff batter, Matt Drude ignited the offense and led the team in stolen bases with 21. Anzel Vazquez anchored a strong team defense. His stellar glove work at first base contributed to a solid infield. Also making noteworthy contributions on defense were Charlie Hildick-Smith, Brian Alvarado, Nick Henry, Ryan Park and Noel Chance.
Coach Schursky said his players gave “a team effort on the field and worked very well together.” Coach Schursky and Coach Rob Griffin selected the following players for the team awards:
Most Improved – Noel Chance
Cy Young Award – Jacob Reber
Gold Glove Award – Curtis Grellier
Batting Champion – Jordan Paley
