Hotchkiss winter athletes earned a variety of awards and honors at a ceremony held on April 21. 

Athletic Director Danny Smith P'18,'20,'24—with the help of Girls Varsity Hockey Coach Kelsie Fralick '11 and Athletic Office Administrator and Squash Program Director Bobby Burns '08—presented the awards at an All-School meeting held in Walker Auditorium. View the full photo album.

The tradition of Smith’s top five moments of the athletic season (known as “High Fives”) did not disappoint.

5. In boys swimming, Senior captain Alex Tolis '23 set a new Hotchkiss record in the 100m breaststroke with a 58.38 time at the New England Championships in March. The previous record had stood for 21 years. Alex also won the Founders League Championship earlier in the season. Senior co-captain James Yae '23 performed well in the same race. His 59.57 is the third fastest time ever for a Hotchkiss swimmer.

4. Congratulations to our New England Diving Champion Nolan Jennings ’24. He won the NEPSAC title with a combined score of 378.70 and is now the second Hotchkiss diver to ever win a New England championship. 

3. Our wrestling team finished the season with a stellar 11-1 record, good for the Founders League co-championship. Vlad Gras '24 and senior captain Sean Donovan '23 placed at the New England tournament and then represented Hotchkiss at the national tournament. 

2. For the second consecutive season the girls varsity squash team brought home the Founders League Championship, the program’s 13th title overall. The team also finished second at the New England tournament. A special shout out to the JV team for their impressive 8-1 record this winter.

1. The girls basketball team enjoyed a magical season. In December they won the Ethel Walker School Holiday Tournament. They finished the season with a school record 18 wins. They saved their best performances for the biggest stage as they went on an epic tournament run to the New England Championship game. Kaila Richards '25 scored an amazing 32 points in the championship game. Congratulations to the entire team.

Head of School Craig Bradley shared his sentiments about athletics at Hotchkiss during his opening remarks. “Across every team and every sport, individual athletes achieved personal victories in athleticism, team work, and good sportsmanship," he said. "Thank you all for your dedication, your team spirit, and your love of competition. You are a credit to Hotchkiss!”

 

2023 Winter Athletic Award Recipients

*Already received a blanket in a previous season

BOYS AND GIRLS BASKETBALL

Boys captains: Will Groot ’23, Dean Hogans ’25 and Brandon McCreesh ’23
Girls captains: Leanna Wells ’23, Biz Watson ’23, and Amber Bretz ’23*

THE BASKETBALL PRIZE, presented to the boy and girl who has contributed the most to the basketball team.

Awarded to BRANDON McCREESH ’23 and AMBER BRETZ ’23

THE BASKETBALL AWARD, presented to that member of the boys basketball team who has shown the most improvement during the season.

Awarded to WILL GROOT ’23

THE BASKETBALL AWARD, presented to that member of the girls basketball team who has shown the most improvement during the season.

Awarded to LEANNA WELLS ’23 and BIZ WATSON ’23

 

BOYS AND GIRLS HOCKEY

Boys captain: Shayne Bjorn ’23
Girls captains: Caroline Bergin ’23, Luna Lu ’23, and Sophia Marcktell ’23*

THE EDWARD F. III '41 AND PHELPS H. SWIFT '44 AWARD, presented to the boy who by loyalty, leadership, and fine spirit makes the greatest contribution to the hockey team.

Awarded to SHAYNE BJORN ’23

THE MARTIN DWYER III '65 MEMORIAL HOCKEY AWARD, awarded annually in memory of Marty Dwyer '65 to that member of the hockey team who by his effort and determination has shown the greatest improvement.

Awarded to BRENDAN BULLOCK ’23

THE MELISSA GOSS SIMONDS '79 HOCKEY AWARD, established in honor of the first team, whose spirit and perseverance served as an inspiration for future teams. It is awarded to that player who through her ability, enthusiasm, dedication and sportsmanship has contributed the most to the team.

Awarded to CAROLINE BERGIN ’23, LUNA LU ’23, and SOFIA MARCKTELL ’23

THE JOHN W. COOPER HOCKEY AWARD, named in honor of John W. Cooper, P’08,’11, longtime head girls hockey coach and advocate for all Hotchkiss student-athletes, is presented to that member of the girls varsity hockey team who best demonstrates a love of the game and all that it means to be a part of a team. Just as was true for Coach Cooper, this player has shown endless curiosity about the beauty and wonder of this game played on ice, always striving to do better, and never tiring of the chance to tie up her laces and share with teammates her love for hockey and for them. Ever humble and unceasingly loyal, she always puts her teammates first as she lifts them up with the laughter and joy that comes with selfless dedication to the team.

Awarded to CHARLOTTE MOODY ’23 and KRISTEN PARISEAU ’23

BOYS AND GIRLS SQUASH

Boys captains: Christian Waldron ’23 and Callan Venkatesan ’23
Girls captains: Mary Wood ’23* and Lauren Sonneborn ’23*

THE BOYS SQUASH PRIZE, presented to the boy who through his unselfish loyalty makes an outstanding contribution to the squash team with his all around fine play.

Awarded to CHRISTIAN WALDRON ’23

JOHN C. VIRDEN III ’64 AWARD, this award, in honor of John C. Virden III ’64, first head coach of the girls squash team, is presented to that player who by her loyalty, ability and leadership makes an outstanding contribution to the squash team with her all-around fine play.

Awarded to ELISE HYUN-JI KANG ’25

BOYS AND GIRLS SWIMMING

Boys captains: Alex Tolis ’23, Ryan Tse ’23, and James Yae ’23
Girls captains: Ella Mohanram ’23, Abbie Renger ’23, and Amelie Zhang ’23

THE WILLIAM N. STAKELEY SWIMMING AWARD, named in honor of William N. Stakeley, teacher at Hotchkiss in Chemistry and swim coach from 1938-1966, presented to that member of the Senior or Upper Middle class who in the opinion of the coaches has been most valuable to the swimming team by his effort, performance and spirit.

Awarded to NOLAN JENNINGS ’24, ALEX TOLIS ’23, RYAN TSE ’23, and JAMES YAE ’23

THE NELSON S. TALBOTT '11 CUP, established by the late Nelson S. Talbott '11, of Dayton, Ohio, to that swimmer in the junior or lower-mid class who in the opinion of the team members and coaches has been the most valuable to the swimming squad by his efforts, performance, and spirit.

Awarded to OLIVER JOHNSON ’25 and BRAYDEN KAVANAGH ’25

THE CLASS OF 1989 SWIMMING AWARD, presented to that member of the upper-mid, lower-mid, or junior classes who, through her determination, effort, and positive attitude, contributes the most to the swim team.

Awarded to KIERA DWAN ’24 and TORY DANA ’24

THE W. DAVID COUGHLIN SWIMMING AWARD, presented to the girl who has contributed the most to the success of the swim team through her attitude, effort, and achievement.

Awarded to SYDNEY BERGER ’25 and SOPHIE PERKEL ’24

 

WRESTLING

Captains: Sean Donovan '23* and Peter Barkley '23

THE WRESTLING AWARD, awarded to the wrestler who makes the greatest contribution to the team through unselfish loyalty and outstanding performance during the current season.

Awarded to PETER BARKLEY ’23

THE GEORGE A. GOSS, JR. '38 WRESTLING AWARD, given to a senior who has been with Hotchkiss wrestling for at least two years and who, because of a high level of dedication to the team, exemplary tenacity in the face of adversity and selfless contribution to the improvement of others, has earned the respect and admiration of coaches and teammates.

Awarded to SEAN DONOVAN ’23

THE CHARLES H. WHITTEMORE '77 MEMORIAL WRESTLING AWARD, presented by friends in memory of Charlie Whittemore '77 to that member of the varsity wrestling team who, during the past season, has been a positive model of sportsmanship, selflessness, and dedication in and out of the wrestling room.

Awarded to DANIEL HALE ’23 

 

FOUNDERS ALL-LEAGUE AWARD

The Founders All League Award is given in recognition of that student athlete who best exemplifies the league ideals of sportsmanship, hard work and character in the spirit of competition and fair play at the varsity level. 

Boys Varsity Basketball
Will Groot ’23 and Brandon McCreesh ’23

Girls Varsity Basketball
Maya Bateau ’24 and Eleanor Helm ’25

Boys Varsity Hockey
Brendan Bullock ’23

Girls Varsity Hockey
Luna Lu ’23 and Stephanie Ionescu ’24

Boys Varsity Squash
Rohan Gupta ’26 and Oscar Okonkwo ’25

Girls Varsity Squash
Mary Wood ’23 and Lauren Sonneborn ’23

Boys Varsity Swimming and Diving
Daniel Li ’24 and Gunn Pongsivapai ’24

Girls Varsity Swimming and Diving
Julia Cheston ’23 and Gibson Werner ’24

Varsity Wrestling
Ian Marshall ’23

 

THE COACHES AWARD

The Coaches Award is given to that member of the JV or 3rds team who has made a significant contribution throughout the season.

Boys JV Basketball
Alex Forero (assistant coach)

Boys 3rds Basketball
Anish Reid ’23 and Sahil Annamaneni ’24

Girls JV Basketball
The entire team

Girls 3rds Basketball
Solbee Kang ’23

Boys JV Hockey
George Weinstein ’24, Preston Leung ’23, and Trevor Neeb ’23

Girls JV Hockey
Charlotte deVillier ’26

Boys JV Squash
Jackson Watson ’23 and Harry Morelli ’23

Girls JV Squash
Kayla Rosenblum ’24

JV Wrestling
Sam Mao ’24

 

ALL-STAR RECOGNITIONS

Boys Varsity Basketball                                          
NEPSAC CLASS A All-Star: Brandon McCreesh ’23
NEPSAC CLASS A Honorable Mention: Dean Hogans ’25

Girls Varsity Basketball
NEPSAC All-Star: Kaila Richards ’25, Morgan Jenkins ’25, and Biz Watson ’23
NEPSAC CLASS A Honorable Mention: Leanna Wells ’23, Amber Bretz ’23, and Angel Allen ’24

Girls Varsity Hockey
ALL-NEPSAC Honorable Mention: Luna Lu ’23

Boys Varsity Hockey
ALL-NEPSAC Honorable Mention: Brennan Cail ’24, Jake Owens ’24, and James Mackey ’24 

Boys Varsity Squash
ALL-NEPSAC Class A First Team: Oscar Okonkwo ’25 and Christian Waldron ’23
ALL-NEPSAC Class A Honorable Mention: Callan Venkatesan ’23 and Arvaan Motwane ’26

Girls Varsity Squash
ALL-NEPSAC Class A First Team: Elise Kang ’25, Makeda Moshi ’26, and Ellis Chung ’25
ALL-NEPSAC Class A Honorable Mention: Mary Wood ’23 and Virginia Wood ’25

Boys Varsity Swimming & Diving
New England Diving Champion (Division 1): Nolan Jennings '24
New School Record: Alex Tolis ’23 set a new school record in the 100 breaststroke on March 4, 2023. The previous record was set by Geoff Rathgeber in 2002.
All-NEPSAC: Alex Tolis '23 (100 yard Breaststroke), Oliver Johnson '25 (500 Freestyle), and Nolan Jennings '24 (Diving)

Girls Varsity Swimming and Diving
ALL-NEPSAC TEAM: Sydney Berger ’25 (200 IM, 100 Butterfly), Kiera Dwan ’24 (100 Breaststroke)
Seventh at the New England Diving Championship (Division 1): Tory Dana '24
Founders Winners: Amelie Zhang ’23, Quisha Lee ’24, Sophia Perkel ’24, and Sydney Berger ’25 (200 Freestyle Relay)

 

WINTER SEASON WRAP-UP

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL: 14-10

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL: 18-6
NEW ENGLAND CLASS A FINALISTS
Ethel Walker’s Holiday Tournament Champions

• New England Tournament Scores:
  • Quarterfinals: #3 Hotchkiss 61, #6 Sacred Heart 42
  • Semifinals:  #3 Hotchkiss 55, #2 Thayer 51
  • Finals: #3 Hotchkiss 60, #1 Loomis 64

BOYS VARSITY HOCKEY: 8-14-2
Kent Cup Winners

GIRLS VARSITY HOCKEY: 5-13-4

BOYS VARSITY SQUASH: 11-4
6th at NEPSAC Championship, 9th at Nationals in Top Division

GIRLS VARSITY SQUASH: 11-1
FOUNDERS LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
2nd at NEPSAC Championship, 7th Nationals in Top Division

BOYS VARSITY SWIMMING: 5-3
3rd at Founders League Championship, 8th at NEPSSA

GIRLS VARSITY SWIMMING: 5-3
3rd at Founders League Championship, 10th at NEPSSA

VARSITY WRESTLING: 11-1
FOUNDERS LEAGUE CO-CHAMPIONS
4th at Western New England Championship
11th at New England Championship

JV and 3rds Teams
Boys JV Basketball: 8-5
Boys 3rds Basketball: 7-2
Girls JV Basketball: 12-3
Girls 3rds Basketball: 1-5
Boys JV Hockey: 5-8-1
Girls JV Hockey: 6-4-2
Boys JV Squash: 9-4
Girls JV Squash: 8-1