Greenwich Academy, Sacred Heart out to squash the opposition
Greenwich Academy has been second to none on the high school squash scene for several seasons and the team’s two sets of senior twins are aiming to help the team keep its championship status.
“The team is playing really well, we are all getting along well and practices are getting harder, which is good,” GA senior co-captain Claire Aube said. “We want to improve, get really fit and win the national championship.”
The Gators captured their third consecutive U.S. High School Team Squash Division I championship by cruising to a 6-1 win over Agnes Irwin School in the title match held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Philadelphia.
“We’re coming off a strong season and we are really excited to start the season,” said GA senior co-captain Haley Aube, Claire’s twin sister. We have been training a lot and we really have a good team dynamic.”
Greenwich Academy improved to 2-0 on the young season with a 7-0 win over visiting Sacred Heart Greenwich in an annual match both squads look eagerly anticipate.
“We had a good match today, especially against a team like GA, the national champions,” Sacred Heart junior co-captain Katie Keller said. “It was good that we got to play them at the beginning of the season. I feel like we have gotten better by playing them.”
Seniors India and Lucy Stephenson are GA’s other senior twin sisters. They have played together at Greenwich Academy for four seasons and next year they will each compete on Princeton University’s Divison I squash squad.
“I’m excited to go to Princeton with my sister and play squash with her for another four years,” Lucy Stephenson said. “We’ve had the best time playing for this team.”
Here’s a look at Greenwich Academy’s squad:
Claire Aube plays at the No. 1 spot for the Gators and was victorious against Sacred Heart’s Erin O’Connor on Thursday. A year-round player, Aube will take her squash skills to Dartmouth next year.
Junior Emma Carney, who played at No. 2 Thursday, registered an 11-4, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7 win in her match. India Stephenson swept her match at No. 3 (11-2, 11-2, 11-3), while junior Binney Huffman notched a 3-0 triumph (11-1, 11-5, 11-1) the fourth spot.
“This year in particular, I believe our depth is unmatched,” India Stephenson said. “We have created such a strong program, with such a great vibe and it shows.”
India Stephenson credits Greenwich Academy coach Luke Butterworth for inspiring the team to achieve.
“He’s created such a creative squash atmosphere,” India Stephenson said. “Every practice, there is such a positive atmosphere, it makes it exciting to play squash each day.”
Lucy Stephenson was a 3-0 winner at the fifth position, while Haley Aube produced the same results at No. 6. While her sister will attend Dartmouth, Haley will continue her squash career at Stanford.
“I’ve really enjoyed being on the same team as my sister, now this will be our last season together, so we really want to enjoy it,” Haley Aube said.
Sophomores Lindsay Westerfield and Brecon Welch, who played at the seventh and eighth spots, respectively, also picked up 3-0 victories for GA on Thursday.
“I would say that this is definitely the strongest squad we’ve ever had,” Butterworth said. “Not only do we have top eight and nine players, we have a strong top 16. For the varsity A team, our goal is to win the national championship this year and the goal for our varsity B squad is to get to the semifinals, so we can have two teams in the top four.”
Here’s a look at Sacred Heart Greenwich’s squad:
Junior Erin O’Connor played at the No. 1 spot for the Tigers, who are 2-1 on the season. Keller plays at No. 2 for Sacred Heart.
“Everyone is practicing outside of school and everyone is getting better,” Keller said. “We want to do well at the New England Tournament, which is an individual tournament and I think we can do that if we continue to improve.”
Freshman Annie O’Connor plays at the No. 3 spot, while junior Sophia Georgas got the start at No. 4 on Thursday. Sophomore Mary O’Connor, junior Cameron Calcano, sophomore Grace Nemec and senior co-captain Caroline Featherston played 5-8 against Greenwich Academy.
“Our team is pretty young, but we have really good people this year,” Featherston said. “Playing GA is a really good experience, so it’s good for us to get some really good matches against top players. I’m really excited about this team and what we can accomplish this season.”