Sports Roundup: Winchester Brings Home Two State Championships

Winchester spring sports teams went 2-1 in state title matches this week. The girls tennis team continued its dominance and the boys tennis team avenged its finals loss from last year, while the girls lacrosse team fell just short.

Here are the details from the final week of the 2010-11 Winchester athletics season:

Girls tennis: The Sachems (22-0) won their 114th straight match and fifth straight state title with a Wednesday at Lexington High School.

Winchester didn't drop a set in the Division 2 state championship match. Abby Shewalter won 6-3, 6-0 at first singles, Alex Criss won 6-0, 6-3 at second singles and Chloe Georgaklis won 6-4, 6-3 at third singles.

In doubles, Katy and Karen McKeough won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 and Maddy Mangan and Sarah Wheeler won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2.

The senior class, which included Shewalter, Criss, Mangan and Katy McKeough, never lost a match in their high school career.

“I can confidently say that we’ve never had a more talented senior class than the one we have now,” Winchester coach Paul Sughrue said. “92-0 for their careers, pretty unbelievable.”

Winchester won the North sectional final earlier in the week by 4-1 indoors at Woburn Racquet Club.

Criss was the first off the court, winning her match 6-0, 6-1. The doubles teams then clinched the match, with the McKeoughs winning 6-2, 6-1 and Mangan and Wheeler winning 6-0, 6-1. Georgaklis provided the fourth point.

"I would say the doubles teams in particular both played some of their best matches of the year," Sughrue said.

Boys tennis: If the girls tennis team is the most dominant program at Winchester, the boys tennis team isn't far behind. The Sachems (20-2) won their fifth state title in six years, on Wednesday at Lexington.

Both doubles teams — Erik Meiler and Alex Saich at No. 1 and Mike Lauretano and Matt Roll at No. 2 — won their matches 6-1, 6-2. Ben Davis clinched the match at second singles with a 6-2, 6-4 win.

Christian Boulanger also won his first singles match 6-0, 7-5, and Jake Criss won his third singles match in a third-set tiebreaker.

“It feels amazing," Winchester coach Tobe Okoye said. "Everyone came out here and really stepped it up.”

Winchester got to the Division 2 state final by beating North Andover 5-0 on Saturday in the North sectional final.

All five matches were won in straight sets. Criss dropped only one game, while Meiler-Saich and Boulanger lost just two games.

"We went on the court and handled business, the entire time," Okoye said.

Girls lacrosse: Winchester fell behind early in the Division 2 state final and could never quite catch up, falling to Hopkinton 18-15 Monday night at Wellesley College.

Megan Hennessey had five goals, while Sarah Onhigian and McKenzie Tucci added three for the Sachems (18-3-2).

Tess Chandler scored seven goals and teammate Brooke Ruddin, Hopkinton's all-time leading scorer, had four goals and three assists in the win.

Freshman Taylor Sokol scored first for Hopkinton, who won its first state title, and Winchester was never able to take the lead.

Winchester reached its seventh state title game since 2001 by 16-6 in the North sectional final last Friday. The score was just 7-5 at halftime, but the Sachems opened the second half with nine straight goals. Goalie Erin Maki made eight saves and Kate Wendell scored five goals in the win.