On May 16, the Girls’ Tennis Team made the trip up to Quabbin, and easily came home with the win.  The team was led by veterans Sam Kehoe and Ashley Chiu, while many underclassmen dominated the rest of the line-up.

Sam Kehoe, Ashley Chiu, and Lauren Almy swept first, second, and third singles, respectively.  Not only did they sweep, but all three won 6-0, 6-0.  First and second doubles also came home with victories.  Alexa Conlin and Maggie Liu won their first doubles match easily, 6-2, 6-0, while the second doubles team of Winona Noronha and Vaishali Malik won theirs, 6-0, 6-2.

After another win on May 17, the team improves to 12-2.  Their next match will be May 20 against Algonquin at Westborough High School, starting at 3:30.

Photo Credit: Steve Aronson

Coming into the League Meet on May 15, the Westborough Boys’ Track Team was undefeated in their league dual meets.  At the League Meet, the Rangers were edged out by a mere 9 points by Nashoba Regional High School, but because Westborough had beaten Nashoba in a dual meet back in April, they share the title.

Westborough started out strong in the field events, especially in the throwing events.  In the shot put, Kurtis Sciba (Jr.) and Tom Kotosky (Sr.) went 2-3 to secure 14 points.  Wyatt Borchetta-Platt (So.) also threw well, placing eighth with a throw of 34′ 3.25”.  Sciba then came back to compete in the discus, throwing 111 feet to place fifth.  David Tubman (Sr.) and Guhan Krishnan (Sr.) threw 92′ 11” and 88′ 4”, respectively.  In the javelin, Joe Bretta (Jr.) and Steven Price (Jr.) had throws of 141′ 3” and 130′ 2”, which placed them second and sixth overall.  Charlie Burress threw 122′ 10” to finish ninth.

In the jumps, the Rangers captured 18 points with the help of David Klimavich (Jr.), Brett Robinson (Sr.), Sean VanDoren (Jr.), and Matt Wilichowski (Sr.).  Klimavich was the runner up in high jump, while Robinson placed sixth.  David Morency (Jr.) also competed in the high jump, clearing 5′ 2”.  VanDoren had a huge PR to place third in long jump.  Wilichowski was seventh, and Shreedhar Deshpande (So.) also PR’d on his way to finishing ninth.  In the triple jump, Wilichowski and VanDoren were fifth and sixth with jumps of 37’9” and 37′ 4.5”, respectively, while Morency placed eighth in the event.

The Rangers scored 15 points in the pole vault, thanks to Jamie Plowman (Jr.), Jack Chuma (Jr.), and Jason Silva (Jr.).  Plowman was second in 12′ 6”, and Chuma placed third at the same height.  Silva also had a great day, finishing in sixth at 11 feet.

Westborough’s balanced line-up continued into the running events.  The Rangers won the 4x100m relay, the 4x400m relay, and were second in the 4x800m relay.  The 4x400m team of Julian Binici (So.), Oren Dennett (So.), Ari Lazarine (Sr.), and Robinson won by about 8 seconds for a dominating finish to the meet.  One of the most exciting races of the meet came during the 4x100m, when Kevin Casey (So.) edged out the 2012 55m New England Champion by 0.002 seconds at the line.  He had combined with Aric Zhu (Fr.), Lazarine, and VanDoren to secure their spot at the top of the league in the event.

As for the sprinting events, Casey and Zhu qualified for the finals of the 100m.  In the finals, Casey placed third in 11.74 seconds, while Zhu placed seventh in 12.24 seconds.  In the finals of the 200m, VanDoren was fourth in 24.43 seconds.  In the 400m, Robinson, Binici, and Jake Pirdy (So.) placed first, second, and fifth, to capture 20 points.

In the hurdles, Wilichowski and Chuma led the way for the Rangers.  Wilichowski won the 110m hurdles by 0.04 seconds, and was third in the 400m hurdles.  Chuma also did well, finishing fifth in the 110m hurdles and fourth in the 400m hurdles.  Val Meleshkevich (Fr.) just missed qualifying for the 110m hurdles finals by 0.06 seconds, while Sam Poza (So.) was tenth in the 400m hurdles.

Brendan Anzures (Sr.), Michael Hiller (Sr.), and Mark Aronson (Sr.) finished 5-6-7 in the 800m.  Aronson also placed third in the 2 mile in 10:24.95, with Eric Latimer (Fr.) about 10 seconds behind him.  Nick Schur broke the 11 minute barrier, finishing in seventh place.  In the mile, Dennett and Robert MacElhaney (Jr.) earned 9 points for the team, placing second and sixth, respectively.  Dan McKay (So.) ran very well, completing the race in 5:09.37.

Next up for the Rangers is the Central/Western Division I Meet at Fitchburg State University on May 25, which is a performance based meet, where athletes must achieve certain standards to compete.  From there, any athlete that qualifies on My 25 for the All-State Meet will compete on June 1.

For the first time in a decade, Westborough’s Softball Team is headed to the postseason.  They clinched a playoff birth after beating Algonquin on May 15, where they came out on top, 7-4.

Jenny Pilkington (Sr.) led the team with a homerun, while Emily Reilly (Jr.) and Haley Collentro (Jr.) also had strong hitting.  Tori Flahive (Jr.) played well in the field.

“I am very excited to be a part of a qualifying team; they work really hard, and I am looking forward to the postseason,” said senior Jess Orlando.

The Rangers are now 10-7 overall, and have three more games over the next week against Shrewsbury, Marlborough, and Tantasqua before they start postseason play.

The Rangers’ Boys Lacrosse Team had prepared well for the tough game against the Shrewsbury Colonials, the number three team in Central Mass, that took place on May 7.  The Rangers gave it their all in the game, topping Shrewsbury with a score of 14-4.

After previously losing to the Colonials 12-3, the Rangers came ready to play and made it known that they were on the Rangers’ turf, and they were not going to let Shrewsbury leave with another win.  Within minutes of the game starting, senior Tony Cibelli scored giving the Rangers a lead of 1-0.  Westborough continued to roll, taking an early 3-0 lead.  After Shrewsbury’s leading scorer scored, Jake Foster scored the first of his soon to be hat trick.

Only minutes into the second quarter, Sean Anderson (Sr.), Connor Joyce (Jr.), and Kyle Lemack (Jr.) each scored for Westborough, giving the team a 9-1 lead, heading into the half.  The Rangers’ goalie, Dan Terry (Sr.), stonewalled 8 tough Shrewsbury shots, and let up only four by the end of the game.  Unfortunately for Shrewsbury, their goalie, Chris Gorman, who was thought to be the number one goalie in Central Mass, was turned upside down, letting in 14 goals to send Westborough into a frenzy.

The Rangers left the field on a natural high, feeling that they can beat any team that stands between them and a prestigious District Championship title.

On May 7, the Boys’ Track Team concluded its dual meet season, with St. John’s High School (Shrewsbury) edging them out 80-65.  The Rangers only won 7 of the 17 events, but their depth kept the meet close.

Matt Wilichowski (Sr.) placed first in three events and second in another, leading the team by scoring 18 out of a possible 20 points.  Wilichowski won the 110m hurdles (15.1), 400m hurdles (59.9), triple jump (38′ 8.75”), and then placed second in long jump (18′ 8”.)  Other first place finishers included Joe Bretta (javelin), David Klimavich (high jump), Kurtis Sciba (shot put), and Jamie Plowman (pole vault.)

Westborough was edged out at the line in the 4x100m, but the team finished with a 1.3 second PR  (personal record.)  The 4x400m team also ran well in 3:43.2 minutes, but came up just short in the event.

The Rangers have their Class Meet on May 11 at Shrewsbury High School, and after that, they will be gearing up to defend their League Title on May 15.

After a disappointing loss to Wachusett on May 1, the Rangers Girls’ Tennis Team came back strong, beating Wachusett, 4-1 on May 7.

The team was led by a sweep from the first, second, and third singles players: Pooja Ganesh (Sr.), Sam Kehoe (Jr.), and Ashley Chiu (Jr.), respectively.  Second doubles players Anna Skidmore (Sr.) and Samantha Mack (Fr.) also defeated their opponents, while the first doubles team of Stephanie Johnston (Sr.) and Arielle Siegel (Jr.) played well, but came up short.

Ganesh commented, “It was a very well fought match, and everyone played their best.  Our season is going extremely well, and with out team qualifying for Districts, we are ready for some tough matches ahead.”

The Girls’ Tennis Team is now 9-1 overall, and 7-1 in their league.  Next, they will play Nashoba in a rescheduled match on May 10 in Westborough at 3:30 PM.

Both the Boys’ and Girls’ Track Teams took on the Marlborough Panthers in dual meets on May 2.  The girls were home, winning 82-63, while the boys made the trip to Marlborough, but came home with another victory, 120.5-24.5.

The girls won 8 events, including Jen Steurer (Sr.), who won both the 100m hurdles (17.2) and the 400m (63.9.)  Other winners included Liz Hastings (discus), Susannah Wright (2 mile), Sarah Anderson (shot put), Hannah Crowley (mile), and Alana Moberg (pole vault.)  The 4x400m relay team of Melissa Sullivan (Fr.), Liz Gallary (So.), Katie Slocum (So.), and Wright (Sr.) also won, besting Marlborough’s team by over 20 seconds.

On the boys’ side, Matt Wilichowski (Sr.) led the team by placing first in triple jump ( 38′ 6”), the 110m hurdles (15.5), and the 400m hurdles (60.5.)  Sean VanDoren (Jr.) was also a multiple event winner, taking the long jump in 18′ 7” and the 200m in 23.4 seconds.  The boys also won 10 of the remaining 12 events with Kurtis Sciba (shot put), Joe Bretta (javelin), Eric Latimer (2 mile), Kevin Casey (100m), Gabe Esposito (discus), Oren Dennett (mile), Julian Binici (400m), and Michael Hillier (800m).  Westborough also swept the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

The girls have finished their dual meet season, but the boys have their final dual meet against Saint John’s High School (Shrewsbury) on May 7 at 3:30 PM in Westborough.  Both teams also have several athletes running in the Class Meet on Saturday, May 11.  The boys are in Shrewsbury, while the girls will be in Lunenburg.

The Boys’ Track Team continues to prove itself every year, and this past Tuesday, they did just that, as they topped Quabbin, 110-35.  The Rangers also bested Nashoba on April 25, 79-66, arguably one of the top teams in the league.

Against Quabbin, Westborough was led by wins in 14 events.  Matt Wilichowski was the only multiple event winner in the 110m hurdles and triple jump.  Other winners included Joe Bretta (javelin), Sean VanDoren (long jump), David Klimavich (high jump), Eric Latimer (2 mile), Kevin Casey (100m), Mark Aronson (mile), Julian Binici (400m), Tom Kotosky (shot put), Jack Chuma (pole vault), and Brendan Anzures (800m).

The 4×100 team of Aric Zhu (Fr.), Ari Lazarine (Sr.), VanDoren (Jr.), and Arthur Huang (Sr.) won in 46.8 seconds, while the 4×400 relay team of Binici (S0.), Aronson (Sr.), Shawn McElligott (So.), and Brett Robinson (Sr.) came out winners, running the event in 3:53.4.

The Rangers will be away against Marlborough High School on May 2.

The Girls’ Track Team was able to start strong in the field events, and that momentum carried them throughout the rest of the meet, to help the team come out on top, 94-42.  Like always, the Rangers relied on their unique combination of front-runners and depth to bring home the win, especially after a disappointing loss to Nashoba the week before.

Multiple event winners for the Rangers included, junior Hannah Crowley (mile, 800), and senior Kim Bretta (triple jump, 100m hurdles.)  Other event winners included Jen Steurer (high jump), Liz Hastings (discus), Katie Bretta (long jump), Sarah Anderson (shot put), and Olivia Giacobbe (javelin.)  The 4x100m team of Katie Bretta (Fr.), Gina Bates (So.), Johanna Smith (Sr.), and Melissa Sullivan (Fr.) won the event, and also qualified for the district meet that will be held later this month.  Sullivan, Katie Slocum (So.), Liz Gallary (So.), and Susannah Wright (Sr.) won the 4x400m relay.

The Rangers will be back in action at home on May 2 for their final dual meet of the season against Marlborough.

Photo Credit: Steve Aronson

The Rangers’ Varsity Baseball Team is ready to begin the season in a new league this year.  While the team played in Mid Wach B last year, an alteration in divisional alignments moved the Rangers up to Mid Wach A for the upcoming season.  The competition in Mid Wach A is tough, but the Rangers are full of hope for the 2013 season.  The team finished 9-11 last year, but the record of last year’s team is not necessarily a great indication of how the team will do this year.  Westborough graduated Reid Garrity, Matt Shunney, Ryan Venditti, and Will Ashton from last year’s team, which should have a major impact on their success.

Despite the loss of leadership from last year’s seniors, young talent is prevalent on the 2013 Rangers’ squad; sophomore Connor Fitzgerald, as well as juniors Kevin Blackney and Scott Erickson, add depth and young talent to the team.  Some key components to this year’s squad include senior captains Mark McCauley, John Stanton, and Greg Alves, who look to provide necessary leadership for the Rangers this season.  Coach Kittredge is excited about the season, and is especially interested in how Westborough will fair in Mid Wach A.