Bearcats ROAR at Inaugural St. Paul’s Day!

By Eliott Hu25
Student Writer, Bearcat Sports Media

📸✨ St.Paul's School

(view more photos on Flickr)

Six varsity teams traveled to Concord, NH, to compete in the inaugural St. Paul’s Day on Jan. 11. Hotchkiss faced this typically unfamiliar opposition in three sports: squash, basketball, and ice hockey. The community was enthusiastic about how this day would turn out.

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Squash

The day began with decisive victories from Bearcat boys and girls varsity squash teams, as six out of seven athletes on each squad swept their St. Paul’s counterparts in straight sets. Luke Velasco ’27 noted that although Hotchkiss doesn’t traditionally play St. Paul’s during the regular season, many Hotchkiss athletes were familiar with their opponents through squash clubs, the outside competitive circuit, the New England tournament, and nationals.

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Rohan Gupta ’27 expressed his gratitude for the chance to foster “great school spirit” and build “a positive and competitive relationship.” He applauded St. Paul’s for being “great hosts” and looked forward to Hotchkiss returning the favor in the future. Reflecting on the squash team’s outlook, Rohan added, “BVS is really looking to continue our momentum from this win, and we’re super excited for the rest of the season with this tight-knit team.”

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Girls Coach Maja Clark looks forward to bringing the St. Paul’s day momentum into matchups later into the season, also thanking her team for their excellent play and sportsmanship.

Basketball

Up next was basketball, where Hotchkiss secured two more convincing victories. The boys team, coming off a 2-3 record in New Class A, looked to rectify their losing streak by beating #5 St. Paul’s. Despite trailing 20-30 at halftime, the Bearcats quickly rallied in the second half, tying the game within three minutes by holding St. Paul’s scoreless for nearly four minutes with unyielding defensive schemes. After taking the lead with 12 minutes left, Hotchkiss never gave it up again.

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Having faced challenges with offensive rebounding earlier in the season, Coach Joseph Busacca adjusted the team’s practice regimen to include the “War Drill,” a four-versus-four rebounding exercise designed to help the players dominate the boards against St. Paul’s. The positive results showed as the boys won their game 61-52.

On the girls side, GVB added a another commanding showing to their strong 5-1 record this season. Always in the lead, they were nearly able to double St. Paul’s points total in a 47-24 victory. This result is no surprise given the team’s post-season success in recent seasons, making the New England Class A tournament championship in 2022-23. Coach Langston Ross thanks his seniors—Kalia Richards ’25, Morgan Jenkins ’25, Eleanor Healm ’25, Grace Backus ’25, Zinachino Odenigbo ’25, and Darcy Dwyer ’25—for their “exceptional leadership throughout this long day of competition.”

Ice Hockey

The day concluded with two fiercely contested ice hockey games. The boys secured a commanding 6-2 victory, headlined by Jack McGregor ’25’s standout performance of two goals and one assist. Thomas Malawski ‘25 commends the boys team for their determination and grit, thanking his coaches and teammates for making his senior season so special.

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For the girls, AnnaBelle Wang ’28 earned the team’s coveted “Golden Goggles,” Caroline Bliss ’25 scored the team’s lone goal, and Nikki Ferraro delivered an expectedly impressive performance in goal. Bearcats fought hard in a game that was ultimately won by St. Paul’s.

Athletes returned to Lakeville valuing the competitive experience. In fact, girls hockey Coach Kelsie Fralick ’11 mentioned that the day offered her athletes an experience that would be similar to that of college athletes: “there are no travel limits in college. You can get on a plane and fly to an opponent or get on a bus to an opponent just down the highway. As a prep school, our job is to prepare, and this is a great moment to truly prepare our student-athletes for college athletics.” Having previously worked at St. Paul’s, Fralick was especially excited for to catch up with some old friends and colleagues.

Josh Cevera ’28, a forward on the boys hockey team, sees this event being “carried on for a long time,” adding that he is proud to play a small part in the historic first. As a prep, he thanked his teammates for their support, encouragement and advice, calling them a “family.”

We look forward to future iterations of this newly established Hotchkiss-St. Paul’s rivalry. See you at St. Paul’s Day 2026.

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