Hall and Conard Coaches Have High Expectations for Fall Seasons

The girls swim team, coming off an unbeaten dual meet season and a fifth-place finish in Class L, looms as the team to beat in the CCC West.

Coach John McClure enters his 29^th season with high expectations.

“We’re a young, deep, versatile team,” said McClure, who lost just two divers and one key swimmer from his 12-0 division champion contingent.

“Many swimmers can be moved around to different events and still do well. We have a good group of new swimmers, who further increase the depth of an already good team.”

Jessie Ustjanauskas, one of four senior captains, holds school records in five individual events and the three relays.

She was Class L and State Open champion in the 100-yard backstroke. In the 100 freestyle, she took second in Class L and third at the Open. She’s All-State in both events and received All-America consideration in the backstroke.

Ustjanauskas also contributed to top-five finishes in the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay.

Gabrielle Daigneault is just a sophomore but already has a Class L 200 individual medley title, a top-10 finish at the Open and equally lofty finishes in the 500 freestyle. She has three school records in individual events and two that she shares with relay units.

Sarah Mantz (freestyle sprints), Eliza Maciag (freestyle) and Hayley McClure all gained postseason experience last year. Brigid Wynn, Sarah McHale, Emma Coll and Lisa Shea are all being counted on to contribute.

Jesse DePaoli, Siena Moore and Maddy Shakun share the captaincy with Ustjanauskas.

McClure said that replacing his divers (coached by John Helm) and shoring up depth in the breaststroke are preseason concerns.

“This year’s team is potentially better than last year’s undefeated squad, but may have a worse won-lost record because the schedule is more difficult,” said McClure, citing dual meets against Wethersfield and Glastonbury, and an Oct. 1 invitational at Pomperaug as being crucial challenges.

“It’s still early, but there is a good group of freshmen with swimming experience including Quinn Mitchell, Annie Alquist, Maria DiBella and Kelly Mantz, who should help the team immediately.” …

The field hockey team graduated seven starters from a 7-8-2 season but have forward Michaela Celella (captain, along with Chatham Anastasi) and midfielder Madison Quirk among five experienced returnees.

First-year head coach Courtney Heuitson is impressed with the Chieftains’ mindset and work ethic.

“They are a positive group that works hard every day to improve,” said Heuitson, who has Tom Verrengia, coach of Conard’s state champion softball team, as her assistant. “They’ve put in a lot of time in the offseason and have continued to work hard throughout preseason to catch up to the more experienced teams.”

Melanie Newton scored the lone goal in the season-opening 1-0 win over Fermi Tuesday. Emma Christensen had the assist.

Junior forwards Julia Appicelli and Jamie Oriol, and junior defender Kara Hearn, are key players as Conard strives to compete against the CCC West elite like Glastonbury and Hall. …

The Hall field hockey team has the experience to contend for a division crown after going 8-8-1 last year.

Third-year coach Alison Rosenblat (15-17-2) welcomed 65 candidates, including captains Caroline Bye, Sam Mengual and Meaghan Melley.

“We have senior leadership and depth on the forward line. Our weakness is [inexperience] in the backfield,” Rosenblat said.

Bye, a senior forward/midfielder, begins her fourth season of varsity competition. She was the leading scorer and made second team All-CCC West a year ago. Melley is a senior defender.

Senior Dora Khonke and junior Erin Smyth join Bye up front. …

Conard cross country coach John Provencher has seven top runners vying for points among the boys and eight among the girls.

Ned Wilson, Kyle Hall, James Gustafson, Brian Francoeur, Teddy Monyak, Josh Florez and Neal Hambrecht should be leading the pack for the boys.

Randa Griffin, Lizzy Lagoy, Shea Williams, Nicole Edlund, Emi Bieluch and Caroline Buyak return for the girls, with newcomers Alana Waggoner and Lily Harrington expected to furnish quality depth. …

The Hall girls cross country squad enters the campaign buoyed by an increase in participants.

“This is the largest team we’ve had in years,” coach Mike Mosca said. “With 10 freshmen and a dozen other newcomers, this will make for an interesting season.”

Mosca lists his top returning runners as Missy Keeley, Perri Silverhart, Callie Reynolds and Claire Boers. Boers, Liz Freda and Emily Vasington are team captains. Keeley, he said, has a chance for "a breakout season."