With only one week remaining in the formal spring athletics season, our student-athletes continue to show tremendous energy, resilience, and commitment as teams make the most of these final opportunities together. While the end of the season is approaching quickly, the effort, enthusiasm, and pride being displayed across all of our athletics offerings continue to stand out each and every day.
Tuesday brought the hottest weather of the year so far, but that did not slow down the ultimate team as they hosted and defeated Fayerweather 11–5. The game started with several back-and-forth points before BDS settled in and gradually pulled away behind a complete team effort. Strong play from all areas of the roster helped lead to the commanding victory. Robin Stine was outstanding all over the field, finishing with three assists and helping keep the offense flowing against an athletic Fayerweather defense. Eyan Morales was the unsung hero of the game, constantly finding open space, making sharp cuts, and keeping the disc moving quickly to prevent the offense from stalling. Joshua Harriette also made his presence felt on both ends of the field with several athletic catches while helping defend some of the opposing team’s top athletes.
Wednesday proved to be an especially busy day across BDS athletics, with teams competing all over campus and around the area while continuing to show tremendous effort and school spirit.
The track & field team hosted Meadowbrook and came away with an impressive 88–68 victory. There were once again several outstanding individual performances throughout the meet. Zachary Xue qualified for the State Meet in the 400-meter run, while Simon Bays qualified in the 1600-meter run. Lucie Mora placed first in the 50-meter sprint, and Piper Connors and Clara Min both placed in the 400-meter. Ashwin Balakrishnan stepped outside his comfort zone and tried the 50-meter sprint for the first time, turning in a terrific performance. Catherine Hunt ran a personal best in the 200 meters, while Vivie Inzana and Ahna Chakra have both made tremendous gains in their turbo javelin distances since the opening meet of the season. A special thank you also went to Bea Stevenson, who was ready at a moment’s notice to step into a relay when the team needed someone to fill a spot.
Also on Wednesday, JV tennis traveled to Fenn for another valuable afternoon of competition. Ben Fucci and Elena Lin both battled hard throughout the day and played multiple matches in order to honor their commitment to competing whenever needed. Rosie Smith and Cyrus Liszt secured the team’s lone victory of the afternoon with an exciting 6–5 doubles win over one of Fenn’s top pairings. The BDS duo jumped out to an early 5–0 lead before Fenn battled all the way back to even the match at 5–5. With the match hanging in the balance, Rosie stepped to the service line and confidently closed things out with the deciding point. Cyrus, as always, seemed to be everywhere on the court, and together the pair displayed tremendous communication, resilience, maturity, and composure throughout the match. It was also great to see the outstanding sportsmanship shown by both teams during such a competitive contest.
The girls’ varsity lacrosse team also hosted Beaver on Wednesday and earned an impressive 14–5 victory through outstanding teamwork, communication, and relentless effort from start to finish. The group played with tremendous energy and continued to show how much chemistry and trust they have developed throughout the season. The defensive unit of Sofia Clark-Quintanilla, Sophie Cutie, Anna Paulsson, and Ella Kamenski did an excellent job staying disciplined and matched up defensively throughout the afternoon, while midfielders Maren Whitman, Harper Treisman, and Ashley Fleming consistently hustled back to support the defensive effort and help control the pace of play.
Thursday was another extremely busy day for the Blue and Gold, with five different teams competing as the spring season continued its final push.
The girls’ JV lacrosse team traveled to Charles River and battled hard in an 8–4 loss. With no substitutes available, the entire team showed incredible positivity, resilience, and toughness throughout the game. Leah Zhang helped set the tone in the second half by scoring immediately following a draw, sparking two more quick goals shortly after. One of the most impressive parts of the afternoon was seeing how the determination and effort of one player inspired the entire group to continue battling together.
The ultimate team also hosted Shady Hill and earned what was arguably its best win of the season, defeating Shady Hill 15–7 after losing to the same opponent earlier in the year. The game started evenly, with the teams trading points to 3–3, before BDS’s athleticism and relentless defense began to take over. The Blue and Gold created several short-field opportunities and built an 8–4 halftime lead. Shady Hill attempted to shift momentum in the second half by switching into a zone defense that BDS had not previously faced this season. After a quick strategy adjustment, BDS responded brilliantly, moving the disc confidently and carving through the zone en route to the impressive victory.
Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse was back in action Thursday against Shady Hill and continued to battle hard despite falling 15–4. The score did not fully reflect the effort and teamwork displayed by the Blue and Gold throughout the game. Anna Turco faced heavy pressure in goal, taking several shots off the helmet while continuing to battle and make strong saves throughout the afternoon. Defensively, Sofia Clark-Quintanilla, Sophie Cutie, Anna Paulsson, and Ella Kamenski worked tirelessly and did an excellent job marking up against a talented Shady Hill attack. Offensively, Abigail Chang, Harper Treisman, and Josie Goldstyn all found the back of the net as the team continued to compete hard and support one another from start to finish.
The boys’ lacrosse team also remained undefeated heading into the season finale with a dominant 14–4 road victory over Carroll. After shaking off a slow start, the Blue and Gold came together for an outstanding second-half performance. Graham Chisholm paced the offense with six goals, while James Shields and Evan Bae added five and two goals, respectively. Ethan Antipov capped off the scoring with a goal of his own as the team continued its impressive season run.
Our mountain biking team, the school’s non-competitive spring athletics offering, also continues to have a tremendous time while making impressive gains in confidence and skill. The group has fully embraced the spirit of the season and continues to “shred the gnar” as the trails become more challenging. David Bazile has shown tremendous growth throughout the year and recently has been getting serious air at the pump track with outstanding form on his jumps. Zade Wulfsberg has set the tone for courage and fearlessness, continually raising the bar with his jumping ability. Jeremy Pan has excelled on climbs, consistently grinding his way to the top of difficult hills, while Kevin Zhou’s enthusiasm and growth have stood out both in his riding and in the way he supports teammates. Chris Baker, Isaac Luo, and Ben Street have also gone above and beyond helping create and improve a campus pump track by raking leaves, building obstacles, and testing the course themselves.
Varsity tennis had a challenging whirlwind of a week with three matches back-to-back-to-back, Tuesday through Thursday. The team stepped up to its most challenging opponents of the season, Meadowbrook and Fay, for the first two matches. The Blue and Gold ultimately took the L in both contests, but our young squad gave both teams more of a run for their money than in previous years, and both schools’ teams will continue to be excellent measures of our progress moving forward. Highlights from those matches included a textbook comeback victory at third singles from Suryavir Nallari-Jhala against Meadowbrook. Suryavir used his high sports IQ to size up a changing match and sealed an incredible 6-5 win, coming back from 1-5. Against Fay, second singles Lara Ulukan notched a beautiful 6-5 win that showed everyone that tennis matches are won with consistency and confidence, and by keeping your opponent on the move. Also versus Fay, Woody Evans stepped in at fourth singles for his first solo match of the year. Woody lost the match 5-6, but he won the day with his focus, smart play, and skilled and quick movement against a crafty opponent.
After two very tough matches in the hot weather, things cooled off on Thursday when varsity tennis traveled to Nashoba Brooks. BDS, however, turned up the heat with a very solid 6-1 win. Of note was a quick and very respectful 6-0 win at first singles player by Andrew Lubarsky, who embodied our core values from the first serve to the last. And at third doubles, Olivia Hu and Celine Li hit away with confidence to take another W for the team at 6-2. The squad will wrap up the season next week against Beaver.
As we head into the final week of the spring season, we are incredibly proud of the effort, growth, and sportsmanship our students continue to display across every team and offering. The energy, support for one another, and willingness to continue pushing forward have made this a truly special spring.
Go BDS!
– Stephen Marks, director of athletics
