Another Phillips Academy Winter is coming to a close. Soon, most of us will retreat back to where we came from, pack up our mittens and down jackets, and say good riddance to the infamous second trimester. I, for one, will not. It is not only because my only spring break retreat is four miles from Academy Hill, or that I have Upper spring staring me in the face. Instead, it will be very tough to part with this term for what transpired in the name of sport at this school. From the highs, and there were many, to the lows, there may have been more, the past few months have been nothing short of spectacular for the Andover sports fan in me. The moments of this winter’s sports season may have been heartbreaking, indescribable, amazing, uncanny or overwhelming, but they were anything but boring. Dlesk Goes 57.2 Captain Katie Dlesk ’03 has been something special for the Girls Track team all season, and during her entire four-year career. Records have fallen by the wayside as Katie has sprinted her way into the annals of Andover Athletic History. Like all great champions, Dlesk has never been satisfied with what she has done. After an unbelievable 57.2 clocking at the Harvard USATF Invitational a few weekends ago, Dlesk finally hit a time that would qualify her for the National Scholastic Indoor Track and Field Championships. By the time March 15th rolls around, D-Train will be ready to blast past another record. Girls Hockey Crushes Exeter Andover seasons are made and broken on one day, in one great, epic battle of a game. Andover-Exeter is the measure of all seasons on Academy Hill. The Girls Hockey squad roared into Exeter ready for the fiercest competition of the season. The girls stormed Exeter and left with a dominating team victory, 7-1. The win was made all the more impressive by the fact each of the seven goals were tallied by different skaters. Boys Basketball’s Streak With a 2-10 record a mere twelve games into the season, the Boys Basketball team did not look like the championship outfit Andover fans had hoped for. Despite solid play from a number of players, the boys were limping along. Then, all of the sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, everything came together. Shots started falling, foul calls went their way and the Blue went on a roll. After a 78-35 drubbing of Tilton, and squeaking by Thayer 98-96, the Boys would not lose for another week and a half. By the time the streak did come to an end, the Boys sat with a 7-10 record. Girls Basketball in Finals The Girls Basketball team lit up DiClemente Court all season, outplaying nearly every opponent who dared step in its way. The regular season was only the beginning for the girls, as tournament time arrived. The girls took down the Wild Boars of Choate in the first round, and knocked off top ranked and previously undefeated Suffield in the semi-finals. Captain Danielle Vardaro ’03 invited the entire school to travel down to Worcester Academy to watch the girls face off against the Tabor Seawolves. Twice already in the season, Tabor had beaten the Blue. Despite their best efforts, the girls had to settle for second overall in New England, losing the game by a final score of 52-37. Chang Shatters Record Hee-jin Chang ’05 shattered Anne Hardy’s 1987 200 freestyle record, finishing with a time of 1:51.82, almost two seconds faster than the previous record. Chang received a standing ovation from the spirited Andover fans for her achievement. Wall First Girl to Win Wreslting Match Though the team suffered a 48-26 loss at the hands of NMH, the Wrestling squad did have reason to celebrate after the meet. Jardine Wall ’04, in her second year on the team, beat her Hogger rival. Wall’s win, though unable to push the team past NMH, did mark the first win by a female wrestler in Andover history. O’Brien and Simonton Both Take Trophies at ‘Schols Squash Captains Emily O’Brien ’03 and Will Simonton ’03 both had performances to be remembered in their final PA outings. O’Brien found herself on the podium with a golden trophy in hand after winning the consolation bracket. Simonton, who lead the Boys Squash team to a remarkable 12-1 record on the season, did not lose a match on the season. Simonton dashed through his opponents and, despite falling in the championship match, validated his legendary status on the squash courts. Scanlon Breaks Diving Record Diving Captain Janis Scanlon ’03 turned in the performance of her Andover career in the last home meet of her Andover career. Scanlon beat 2002 and 2003 New England Champion, Exeter Senior Emily Kennedy. In the process, Scanlon bettered the pool diving record, a goal she had held for the past two years. Boys Track Comes Through Against Lowell Winning streaks are noteworthy. Championships are impressive. What the Boys Track team has done the past three years is just stupefying. The boys have not lost a meet in three years, neither indoors nor outdoors. All of that was on the line as the boys hosted Lowell and Chelmsford at the Case Memorial Cage on a blustery Wednesday this winter. With the season, and so much more, on their shoulders, the team of Lee Rattigan ’03, Gordon Hoople ’04, Chimaobi Izeogu ’03 and Adam Kapor ’04 did just what they had to, winning the race and saving the team.
