Sports Report

All in all, it has been a good spring for CVU athletes
With the seasons winding down, CVU spring sports have produced a couple of bumper crops among their teams. Women’s Tennis stands out, having won all but one match by set scores of 7-0. The one match that did not measure up to perfection was, nonetheless, a 6-1 win over St. Johnsbury in the middle of last month. Senior Stephanie Joseph follows in her older sister Kathy’s footsteps as the number one singles player for the Redhawks (and, perhaps, the best in the state).

In two earlier matches played this month, she defeated her Burlington High opponent 6-2, 6-2 and Colchester’s number-one player 6-0, 6-1. Stephanie is one of only four seniors on the team, all others being freshmen and sophomores, which bodes well for Coach Amy deGroot’s charges in the coming years. Sharp serves and back-and-forth placement of groundstrokes have been signature elements of deGroot teams. The opponents seem to be the ones moving while the Redhawks look to keep them going side-to-side by controlling where the ball lands. The doubles players act as teammates should, talking to each other and covering their areas of the court. 

So far, led by its Charlotte contingent, Men’s Lacrosse has followed the women tennis players through an undefeated season, showing 10 wins and no losses. The latest required a three-goal rally in the last quarter to top South Burlington 9-7 after trailing 6-4 at the end of three. Sam Buzzell moved the Redhawks ahead with just under eight minutes to play, and Walter Braun scored the game-insurance goal with 35 seconds left.

Alumnus and head coach Dave Trevithick has a number of adept ball handlers, long-sticks and quick, but accurate, shooters. Charlotte’s Andrew Tieso has minded the goal crease, using both stick and body well to keep balls out of the net. Will Braun bolsters the other end of the field on attack along with freshman Sean Gilliam. The midfield is full of Charlotters, including Walter Braun, Jennings Lobel, Sam Sturm, Max Gorman and Reed Dousevicz. Tying up sticks and physically holding them at bay are the ways that defensemen Ryan Trus, Cole Boffa, Thomas Wright and Samuel Hansen keep opposing scorers off the Redhawk net.

Women’s Lacrosse raised its record to nine wins and only a single loss by overtaking Rice Memorial 16-9 last Friday. Bella Reieley, Sara Kelly and Teddi Simmons all scored hat tricks, and Lydia Maitland assisted on four of their goals. The Redhawks again demonstrated the breadth of their offense by the number of players who set up plays, assisted and put the ball in the net. The following day the Hawks raised their record with an 11-10 squeaker over also one-loss Middlebury. Lydia Maitland led CVU scorers with five goals, several of which came in the second half that saw the Hawks ahead by one, 9-8, with nearly 19 minutes to play. Ali Wainer was in the net for CVU and was called upon for five saves. 

Baseball avoids the Hornet nest.
CVU baseball squeaked past Essex on Saturday, 11-10, to keep its season record at just one loss (9-1). However, it took a five-run sixth inning to do it. Both teams were swinging the bat well, producing 26 hits over the course of the game. Fielding, however, left something to be desired with eight errors. Aidan Johnson led the CVU hitters with three, including a double. Jacob Bortnick and Jonah Roberts knocked in two runs apiece. 

Burlington Invitational Track and Field draws a crowd of schools
Twenty-five high schools from Vermont and Quebec sent track and field athletes to Burlington for the 46th annual Burlington Invitational meet. Compiled from the combined men’s and women’s scores, the Redhawks finished seventh overall with St. Johnsbury Academy and Essex High School the top two. The CVU women members finished particularly strong with a number among the top six in each event. Alice Larson and Charlotte Hill were in the top-six group in two races each, Alice in her specialties, the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs. Charlotte took third in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints. On the men’s side, the 4×100 relay team placed fourth and their colleagues running 4×800 came in fifth. Nathaniel Mick claimed fifth in the 110-meter hurdles, Kevin Veronneau fourth in the pole vault, and Kegan Tolan fifth in the triple-jump.

CVU football prepares for the coming fall
CVU’s football Redhawks invite current and future players and parents to meet with head coach Mike Williams at 6 p.m. on May 21 in the CVU cafeteria to discuss a variety of things in preparation for the upcoming season. Attendees will discuss summer workout schedules, football camps, equipment, mandatory practices, the season’s schedule and some expectations, volunteer opportunities and how to become a “CVU Football Booster.” For more information, contact Coach Williams or the Athletic Department.