After playing against each other for four years, arch-rivals Lexi Kimball, above, of Greens Farms Academy and Sydney Lowery of St. Luke’s will join forces and play for the same side in the 2017 JCC Boys/Girls Classic.

The All-Star game will be played on Sunday, April 9 at the Sheehan Center in Bridgeport. Game time is 1 p.m.

Kimball re-wrote the record books here at GFA, becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,503 points in her career.

The Georgetown-bound shooting guard will be playing for the West team, which includes a variety of players from CIAC-sanctioned schools.

In fact, Kimball and Lowery, who is headed to Boston College, are the only two non-CIAC school players taking part in the event.

With Kimball and Lowery both playing at BIG EAST schools for college the rivalry will continue.

For one day only, though, the two will be on the same team.

For three GFA spring sports teams, break ended early and it was time to get back to work.

The Dragons’ varsity baseball and girls lacrosse squad landed in Florida this morning, while the boys lax team flew West to Arizona on Sunday for a week’s worth of camps, training and preseason games.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Coach Missy Radin and GFA athletic director Tauni Butterfield led the team off the plane at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. (See photo above, more photos to come).

The team is being based at the IMG Academy in Bradenton for the week.

“It was really important for us to come down here,” Radin said. “I started thinking about it last year and we talked about it through the whole season. This is a critical time for the upcoming season and it felt like last season we had worked before this big (spring) break and when we came back, it was almost like rebooting again.”

This year, Radin moved up offseason captain’s practices and training to January, giving the Dragons a bigger head start in getting ready for the first official day of practice, as well.

“Hopefully, it’s all great momentum leading into the new season,” Radin said.

While at IMG Academy, the Dragons will practice every day, scrimmage against Greenwich Academy (8:30 a.m., Wednesday) and Potomac (10 a.m., Thursday) and also attend IMG-sponsored seminars on topics ranging from nutrition to strategy to mental toughness.

Also, a scavenger hunt is on tap as is a trip to Lido Beach and some pool time.

Add all that up and, in addition to plenty of lacrosse, the team’s first spring trip since 2013 (Hilton Head, S.C.) gives the Dragons a chance to bond, said captains Kate Paliotta and Caroline Rintoul.

“One of our big goals was starting traditions, so I think this is big for us,” Rintoul said. “The bonding will come with that. We have a lot of energy this year, which is really important. We have big goals and we want to achieve them.”

Paliotta, a fifth-year senior who played as an 8^th grader, said bonding, team chemistry and just overall improvement as a team can go hand in hand.

“I would say not only just bonding but also working on our fundamental skills,” she said. “This is our first spring trip, so I think we’ll have a little bit more energy because of that.”

If the Dragons get a lot of improvement and bonding from a week in the Florida sun, all the better, Radin said.

“It’s really both,” the second-year coach said. “Definitely, the bonding is essential and I wish we had been able to do that last year, a trip outside, and get to spend more time together off the field.”

The team returns home on Saturday.

DRAGON NATION SPORTS BLOG NOTE -- Baseball flew to Orlando en route to Vero Beach, Fla., and a trip to the infamous Dodgertown complex. We’ll catch up with them later in the week.

It was a just about a year ago when a young Greens Farms Academy girls lacrosse goalie, just a freshman, was forced, feet-first, into the fire of the varsity game.

She hadn’t even been a goalie for a full season, but Kelly van Hoesen ’19 stood tall and proud and did her best during a season in which the young Dragons, with just one senior, went 13-3 before falling to Sacred Heart of Greenwich in the FAA semifinals.

Now, this spring, Kaitlin Reed ‘20, another freshman goalie, has stepped forward and into the cage, and while the Dragons are still young, with just two seniors on the roster, hey are at least deep on the last line of defense.

Van Hoesen and Reed have both shown this season that they have the ability to start as a varsity goalie in the FAA, so that depth in goal is one thing second-year head coach Missy Radin does not have to worry about this season.

“It’s incredibly valuable to have two goalies with the talent we do,” Radin said on Wednesday after GFA’s second practice at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. “Having Kelly last year was one of the foundations of our defensive plan and now having both Kelly and Kaitlin allows us to be a little more confident. They both have things where they’re strong and they’re a great team together, building a good bond and developing respect for each other while helping each other.”

Credit van Hoesen for that.

She could have decided the job was hers and not offered to help Reed get better, but van Hoesen is a team player first and foremost and has embraced the new goalie with open arms.

“She’s my Mini-Me,” van Hoesen said with a laugh. “It’s kind of fun. I like it. She’s someone who gets me.”

Van Hoesen volunteered to play goalie for youth team in Greenwich as an 8^th grader and the position stuck.

Arriving at GFA, though, she didn’t expect to find herself as the team’s ONLY goalkeeper.

“It was rough last year because there was no back up and it was a lot of pressure,” van Hoesen said. “I couldn’t get injured last year. It wasn’t an option. I had to do every drill. There were no subs.”

This year, not only does she have a substitute to spell her, but she has another set eyes to go along with Radin’s and GFA goalie coach Pete Karlin.

That’s been a huge help to both goalies, Reed said.

“We can look at each other, watch each other play and learn so much from it,” she said.

A year ago, the goalie’s spot was a big question mark on Beachside Ave.

Now, it’s perhaps the team’s deepest position, talent-wise.

You hear it enough in the lexicon of sports jargon: A team becomes a family.

It’s a cliché, but it’s also true.

A team – at least in the best sense of the word -- does become a family over the course of any given season as players take the emotional journey from opening day to the final buzzer.

In a literal sense families can help make up a team, helping it grow closer, and the Greens Farms Academy girls lacrosse team has a set of sisters on its roster.

As such, the Dragons – who are taking part in some spring training activities at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., this week -- have a head start to becoming a family before school lets out in a few months.

The Rintoul sisters – Caroline ’17 and Whitney ’19 – and the Nesi sisters – Alex ’19 and Meg ’20 – have already got the family part down pat.

The Rintouls are both defenders as is Meg Nesi while Alex Nesi either an attacker or a midfielder, depending on her role for that given game.

After Tuesday’s opening Florida practice, all the sisters admitted playing together as a special moment in their athletic lives.

“It’s really important because my whole family is involved,” said Caroline Rintoul, a senior co-captain for GFA this spring. “We’re two of the core four defenders and we support each other both on and off the field, so it’s really special to have her there.”

For the Nesi sisters, it’s especially meaningful.

As the youngest of six children – there are two more sisters and two brothers -- they’re the first two who have actually played on the same high school team. In the fall, they played on different teams -- Alex played field hockey while Meg played volleyball -- but this spring they're teammates.

“None of our siblings went to the same high school, so our parents finally get to root for the same team,” said Meg Nesi, who played varsity last year as an eighth grader, as well.

“It’s our second year together,” Alex Nesi added. “But we’ve been playing together our entire lives, even on travel teams, so it’s not very different for us.”

The youngest Nesi’s are separated by only 16 months, but Meg is still always learning from all of her older sisters, even Alex.

“I think it helps that we play different positions so we have different perspectives on the field,” Meg Nesi said. “We’re able to work together and she helps me get her the ball so we can get it up the field.”

When the younger sibling does make a mistake, though, she’s more likely to hear it from the older sister in a little more harsh terms than other teammates.

“She’s taught me a lot and been a really good role model for me, though,” Whitney Rintoul said. “Yeah, if I mistake, she’ll be a little harder on me than the other defenders.”

Alex Nesi noted that Caroline Rintoul has carte blanche to get on her little sister, too, if the need is there.

“(Caroline) is a captain so she’s allowed to do that,” Alex Nesi said to laughter from all the sisters.

In the end, though, in victory and defeats, having your sister at your side makes the highs a little higher and the lows not quite as tough.

“We experienced a couple of big losses and big wins last year and it was really cool to be able to go through those with my sister right there,” Caroline Rintoul said.

The Dragons’ sister connection will be back at it this spring, the family within the family until the final buzzer sounds.

Beginning today, we'll be catching up with the GFA baseball team which has been at Dodgertown in Vero Beach this week.

The Dragons lost their first spring training game of the season by a 12-3 count to Severn (Maryland) on Wednesday.

Weather-pending, the team plays at 4 p.m. on Thursday and 7 p.m., on Friday, before returning home on Saturday morning.

At 5-foot-2, or so she says, Darien’s Ella Murphy, a sophomore two-sport standout at Greens Farms Academy, knows she must play bigger than her size.

As such, she’s oftentimes plays harder – and bigger – than many of her opponents, be it on the soccer field or the lacrosse field.

In two short years, Murphy has become a key cog in both programs and earlier this week, after a practice at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where the Dragons are wrapped up in a week’s worth of spring training, Murphy took a time out to have a Dragon Chat with the Dragon Nation Sports Blog.

Dragon Nation: How did you wind up coming to Greens Farms Academy?

Ella Murphy: Well, I kind of had some friends here, who went here. I knew Bella (Litt) from Pear Tree Point School (in Darien), which is where I went before. A bunch of people went to GFA after elementary school. I applied to a bunch of other schools, but my parents liked the idea of me taking the train every day and being at a school near the water, and the good athletics and good academics, obviously. It was their top choice for me and I really liked it, too.

DN: What’s the best thing about GFA?

EM: I really like the sports programs here, the team aspect to it. The people, the teachers are really welcoming, too.

DN: If you could change one thing about the school, what would it be?

EM: The formal uniforms. I don’t like formal uniforms. We only have to wear them once a month, but still, I don’t like it.

DN: You play soccer and lacrosse. How did you end up playing those two sports?

EM: Growing up in Darien, everybody plays lacrosse. And mydad my played soccer in college, so soccer has always been with my family. I’ve been playing it for a while now.

DN: The team was 13-3 last year with a just one senior on the team. This season, there are two seniors, so it’s still young. How much better do you think the team can be this season?

EM: I think we can really be improved. Everybody has the spirit that they want to get better and improve and everybody pushes each other. The sophomores and juniors just need to step up and be leaders for the freshmen because we have a lot. And the seniors (Kate Paliotta and Caroline Rintoul) are awesome captains this year. They’re pushing everybody to be better, too.

DN: What’s the most difficult thing to pick up about the sport?

EM: Balancing my lefty with my righty. I have a pretty strong righty, but my lefty wasn’t very good. I realized I needed to use it more in practice so I’ve always tried to do that and balance it out.

DN: Did you ever have favorite lacrosse player growing up?

EM: Not when I was younger but having Ingrid (Backe ‘16) as a senior captain on the team last year, and when I was in eighth grade, she was always acting like a leader and was such a good person. She was really inspirational.

DN: At your size – what are you, 4-foot-11?

EM: (Laughs) I’m 5-2.

DN: But you’re undersized. Yet you do play with a lot of heart and passion out on the sports field. Where do you think that comes from?

EM: I think because I’m smaller I have to be more intense and more aggressive to be even with the other people. I think I’m pretty good at it.

DN: What scares you?

EM: Honestly, probably sharks or, wait, no, crocodiles. I was in Costa Rica last week and I went surfing next to this river and there were crocodiles in the river. I saw them and sometimes they would come into the ocean, but I went surfing anyways.

DN: What was Costa Rica like?

EM: It was amazing. The people were so nice and it was 95 degrees every day. I took some Spanish lessons while I was there and it was just so much fun.

DN: What is your perfect breakfast?

EM: Eggs and Bacon. Scrambled eggs.

DN: Midnight snack?

EM: Chips and guacamole. That’s (teammatre) Kelly (Van Hoesen) and my favorite.

DN: And your favorite home-cooked meal?

EM: When my dad makes burgers. We have burgers and mom makes her famous salad, and my gram comes over. It’s always fun.

DN: What was the last movie you watched and give us a one-sentence review?

EM:“Soul Surfer.” (A movie starring AnnaSophia Robb about a surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack, but made it back onto her surf board). It was really inspirational and a good movie.

DN: If you could hang out with anybody in the world for 24 hours or so, who would it be and why?

EM: Will Farrell. He’s just hilarious and it would be funny all the time.

DN: If you could have one do-over in life whwat would do?

EM: Gymnastics and swimming. I’d keep doing them longer than I did them before I stopped.

DN: What was the last book you read that wasn’t for school?

EM:“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.” (by Mark Haddon). It was really good. I liked it.

DN: Who is your perfect prom date?

EM: Zach Efron.

DN: He might break out in song in mid-prom, though.

EM: (Laughs). Tha’ts OK. I’d sing with him.

DN: One what word best describes Ella Murphy?

EM: Fun.

It all starts on the hill and for the Greens Farms Academy baseball team that could be good news this spring.

On Friday, in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla., three Dragons hurlers pitched pretty well, throwing up four zeroes in six innings and walking just two in an 8-5 loss to the Brooks School of Massachusetts.

One inning – one six-run inning – once again doomed the Dragons.

Did I mention all six runs in that inning were unearned?

“Pitching is always a concern,” GFA coach JT Thomas said. “Throwing strikes and keeping our defense on its toes are keys. If we’re walking people, guys will be back on their heels, so that’s what we’re working on.”

So far, so good.

Eric Thompson ’17 (pictured above) started the game and went three-plus innings. Chris Glynn ’17 and Max Crook ’20 also saw time on the mound.

“Pitching-wise, on the mound, they did exactly their jobs,” Thomas said.

Thompson threw up two shutout innings in his first three innings of work.

“I feel like I threw pretty well,” Thompson said. “I’m just trying to throw strikes. That’s what the team needed.”

Crook came in after the defensive meltdown, but didn’t let it affect him.

To the contrary, he said, he has full trust in defense and like those before him just wanted to throw strikes.

“Sometimes as a pitcher you feel like when the defense doesn’t make plays you have to put it on your own shoulders and strike people out,” Crook said. “But I felt confident with the defense.”

A year ago, walks were one of the bigger problems for GFA’s pitching staff.

“I think this year it needs to be (a strength),” Thompson said of throwing strikes. “Last year, we walked way too many guys. We’re good when we’re throwing strikes and I think this is going to be one of our better staffs.”

On Wednesday, Peter Donovan started the game while Matthew Hochberg, Mike Canning and Drew Durkin all saw action.

Sophomore Sean Hogan – possibly the team’s ace this season – will start Friday’s Florida finale.

GFA’s pitching staff gave up 13 runs on Wednesday – including one seven-run inning.

But the arms rebounded on Friday.

While the season is just a couple of scrimmages old, senior catcher Tim Mira has liked what he’s seen from his staff.

“I thought the pitchers have thrown pretty well,” he said. “A lot of positives came out of today and I’m optimistic moving forward. It’s definitely early in the season, but I think it could be one of our strengths. I like how they’re throwing strong and throwing strikes.”

 To view photos from the game vs. Brooks, just click here.

It was the type of inning that eats away at a coach for too long.

Too many mistakes, too many errors, too many runs ringing up on the opponent’s side of the scoreboard.

After Wednesday’s 12-3 spring training scrimmage loss to Severn (Maryland) at historic Dodgertown’s Holman Stadium in Vero Beach, Fla., the Greens Farms Academy baseball team wanted nothing more than to get back out on the field again on Thursday.

That wasn’t meant to be, however, as Mother Nature dropped a deluge of rain on the region mid-afternoon on Thursday – including a tornado watch for more than 30 minutes.

So instead of getting right back on the field, Dragons head coach JT Thomas as his boys were forced to stay indoors for much of the day – something a team from Connecticut is all too familiar with in the month of March.

“You kind of have to roll with the punches,” Thomas said on Thursday, sitting his hotel room safe from the rainfall. “The practices are just as important as the game, so getting out on the field, things we can’t do up north, are important; working on defensive things, things that need to be done to get ready for a baseball season, we can still do those. Hopefully we can do those things (Friday) and Saturday.”

The Dragons will get a doubleheader on Friday with games at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., before wrapping their trip south up on Saturday with a morning practice before flying home.

Getting back on the horse is important to the players, too, so Thursday’s weather was a let down.

“It was disappointing, especially coming off a tough game,” senior catcher and captain Tim Mira said. “We wanted to get back out there and show what we can do.”

This trip to Florida is two-fold for GFA, which is getting outside in warm weather and playing games while also bonding as a team that looks to rebound from last year’s one-win season in Thomas’ first season.

Season two is for the program to improve and for the coach’s “message” to start to take shape program-wide.

“Improvement and progression. Those are the things I’m always saying,” Thomas said. “It’s important to know they’re developing.”

A big senior class is key to having the coach’s message be taken serious.

Captains like Peter Donovan, Mira, Chris Glynn, (left to right in above photo) and Mack Muller (who was under the weather when the photo was taken) are vital in spreading the gospel of JT throughout the program.

“It’s a big senior class and I definitely want them to go out on a, quote, unquote, good note,” Thomas said. “They’ve worked really hard and gone through a coaching change. Last year, I was just trying to get them on board with the message. Now, in year two, they need to pass it down to the next group. Hopefully, that’s where the program goes. It keeps getting passed down.”

That message is to compete and to not stop competing until the final out is made.

“The message is the compete factor,” Thomas said. “Baseball is a skill sport, so they have to know if we get down early, it’s baseball and things can turn on a dime. There is no clock. You can’t run out the clock.”

Against Severn, the Dragons did just that at least once.

GFA fell behind 3-0 in the top of the first but wasted no time in answering with a crooked number of its own, tying the game at 3-3 after one inning.

“That’s something I mentioned to them today,” Thomas said. “Despite the negative of getting down, we rebounded to score and tied it up. That’s very important.”

The players recognize what it is Thomas wants from them, embracing the message wholeheartedly.

And the seniors know they need to embed that message into the rest of the program.

“We have a responsibility to show the younger guys where the program is going,” Donovan said. “We’re building the program. That’s what matters and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

The next step in that building process comes today when the Dragons return to the field after Wednesday’s disappointment.

“The successful teams – at least the ones I’ve been on – don’t get down on their failures,” Thomas said. “Baseball is about failure. Seven out of 10 times, you’re going to fail. I saw that a lot last year. They got down quickly. But you have to fix your bootstraps and say, ‘OK, how do we fix the problem?’”

The Dragons are starting to fix it by believing in JT Thomas’ message.

Duke University just released the following statement this morning about GFA alum Sean Obi:

Junior forward Sean Obi will transfer out of Duke University at the end of the 2017 spring semester, school officials announced Tuesday. Obi is expected to graduate from Duke and be immediately eligible at another institution.

“This was an anticipated decision and we appreciate everything Sean contributed to our program over the last three years,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Unfortunately, injuries played a predominant role in his time here. He is now in a much better place physically and we wish him nothing but the best in the next step of his journey.”

A native of Kaduna, Nigeria, Obi transferred to Duke from Rice University prior to the 2014-15 season. He sat out that season per NCAA transfer rules.

Obi played in 10 games in a Duke uniform, averaging 0.5 points and 1.0 rebounds. His composite collegiate averages stand at 8.7 points and 7.2 rebounds in 40 games.

“I have loved my time at Duke,” Obi said. “I’ve struggled with a few injuries but I’ve grown as both a man and a player in this program. The relationships I’ve made here will last a lifetime and I will be extremely proud to call myself a Duke graduate. I’m feeling great physically now and I’m excited to take the next step in my career.”

Duke finished the season with a 28-9 record, making its 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Blue Devils made history at the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn, becoming the first team ever to win four games in as many days to capture the crown. Duke has won a record 20 ACC Tournament titles, including 14 under Coach K – the most in league history by a coach.

When Greens Farms Academy baseball player Peter Donovan '17, pictured above, arrived on campus as a sophomore, he quickly made his presence felt both in the classroom and on the baseball diamond.

Now a senior and third baseman, Donovan is looking to help his Dragon teammates lay down the foundation for improvement this season as GFA rebuilds its baseball program.

During a recent trip to Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla., Donovan – a Greenwich resident who has also played soccer during his GFA athletic career, and also rock climbs – took time out to have a Dragon Chat with the Dragon Nation Sports Blog.

Dragon Nation: What led you to enrolling at Greens Farms Academy?

Peter Donovan: My school (Greenwich Country Day) ended at 9^th grade, freshman year, so I was deciding between King and GFA. GFA had the academics and environment, and I just liked it more. I ended up choosing it. A lot of my friends were going, too.

DN: What’s the best thing about the school?

PD: I like the size. I like how everybody knows everybody. I think I know most of the names of the kids, at least in the entire upper school. Probably not most, but a good amount, which isn’t in the case in a big public school. Everybody just knows everybody and it’s a nice casual warm environment.

DN: If you could change one thing about the school, what would it be?

PD: That’s a tough one. Probably the balance between each category. Theater, academics, arts and sports. Getting that balance right.

DN: What teacher or coach has had the biggest impact on you in your time at GFA?

PD: I mean I have an academic teacher, but also JT (baseball coach Jon Thomas) both made equal impacts. Mrs (Erica) Hunt, my math teacher for two years, she got me into some honors classes and helped me grow as a student. She wrote a few of my college recommendations. And JT, just because he was coming in during my upper classmen years at GFA and he’s given me leadership positions, helping me grow as an athlete. They’ve both have helped me find my place here.

DN: What is it about baseball that connected with you and led you to make it your no. 1 sport?

PD: For me, it’s the mental game, thinking through plays and strategy. A lot of other sports are just brute force, scoring points, that’s it. But with baseball you have to know the game and love the game to succeed. That attracted me. You have to know the numbers, the plays, the stats. You have to know it all.

DN: Baseball, though, is built around failure. How difficult it is to play a sport where you fail most of the time?

PD: Like you said, that’s the game. It happens to everybody. In the majors, they fail 70 percent of the time. It’s about working out of that and getting those three hits out of 10 and there’s no better feeling than doing that, and then failing again, and working harder to get better and better.

DN: What’s the toughest thing about being a pitcher?

PD: Staying focused. It’s tough. Once your mind goes and you start thinking about other things, it’s tough to get it back. Oftentimes your angry, frustrated. I usually start thinking about anything I can – what I had for lunch, what I’m going to do on the weekend. Anything, just to get those balls I just threw out of my head.

DN: Would you rather throw a bases-loaded loaded strike out to end the game and win, or hit a walk-off grand slam to win a game?

PD: Strike the guy out. That’s kind of saying, I’m here to win. I’m here to compete and I just did. I mean I guess they’re similar experiences, but striking the guy out is beating them at their own game and it’s great.

DN: What’s your favorite Major League Baseball team and who is your favorite player?

DN: The St. Louis Cardinals and Matt Carpenter.

DN: Do you remember the first professional game you ever went to?

PD: I believe it was the New York Yankees, at the old stadium with my dad. I just remember being overwhelmed at the size of the stadium.

DN: What scares you?

PD: Being alone, not knowing where I am, probably with nothing.

DN: What’s one thing nobody knows about you?

PD: I have a twin sister. The freshman won’t know that. Some of the juniors might know. She goes to Sacred Heart.

DN: Who is your perfect prom date?

PD: Selena Gomez? Sure, I’d take her to prom.

DN: What’s your perfect breakfast?

PD: Four or five eggs, fruit, bacon. Throw some pancakes in there; some smoothies

DN: Midnight snack?

PD: Fudge Stripes. Some cereal. Coco Crispies.

DN: And your favorite home-cooked meal?

PD: Probably a steak.

DN: If you were given one do-over in life, what would it be?

PD: I wouldn’t do anything over.

DN: If you could hang out for a whole day with anybody, who would it be and what would you do?

PD: Dan Bilzerian. He’s a like a social media guy who does a lot of cool stuff. (Editor’s note: Wikipedia describes him as “an American socialite, professional poker player and trust fund beneficiary”). He leads a full life of excitement and it would be a fun day.

DN: If you could live anywhere other than Greenwich, where would be it be?

PD: Maybe Iceland. It’s just a beautiful place. Not a lot of people there, so there’s peace and quiet. Seems like the place to be.

DN: When was the last time you cried?

PD: The week before we came here. I didn’t get into one of the schools I wanted to.

DN: What one word best describes you?

PD: Maybe humble.

It’s not very often than a baseball team would draw strength from an NBA squad.

But the way GFA baseball coach JT Thomas sees it, his Dragons can learn a lot from Golden State Warriors.

“With many veteran players having key positional roles, our depth must be our strength,” Thomas said 48 hours before GFA opened the season. “Similar to the NBA Warriors motto from their championship season, ‘Strength in Numbers’ At least two or three positions in our program have four players deep which hopefully leads to team-wide competitive nature. Adding versatility to our depth will be the key to a successful season.”

A lot of the team’s depth starts on the mound where the Dragons can go seven or eight players deep, if needed.

Sean Hogan ’19 appears to be the team’s ace, but Peter Donovan ’17, Chris Glynn ’17, Max Crook ’20 and Michael Canning ’20 and Mark Roszkowski ’21 offer plenty of depth on the hill.

Donovan and Glynn join catcher Tim Mira ’17 and third baseman Mack Muller ’17, pictured above left and right, respectively, as the captains, whose leadership is vital this season and paving the way to the future.

“They're leadership means a great deal,” the second-year head coach said. “With many seniors, I feel this team can not only succeed on the field but off of it also. We have players going to some brand-name colleges next year and there's something to be said about that. Being a student-athlete isn't easy. It takes time management, dedication and a love for sport. Our captains definitely have shown an ability to win in the classroom, which is something that I hope continues in our program for years to come. My hopes are for that attitude to carry over on the ball field.”

Thomas would like nothing less than to have his seniors lay the foundation for future success on the field, as well, especially after last year’s one-win season.

“Our program’s hopes and goals are one and the same,” Thomas said. “I want the senior class to have a memorable final campaign.”

But that’s not all.

“For all the players to maintain a standard of competing every single inning until the final out,” the coach added. “I”d like us to have a progressive attitude in making sure we have a fighting spirit in all games, regardless of final results.”

Other players expected to play key roles for GFA this season include James Velgot ’18 and Ian Brown ’20, too.

And there are others, too.

After all, if there is a strength of this year’s GFA team, it’s the fact the Dragons run deep.

When veteran tennis coach Paul Groves looks at his GFA boys team, he sees a bunch or grinders.

On the courts, that’s a good thing.

“Our team strength will be our players being able to grind out points at each position and the depth of our talent throughout the line-up,” Groves said. “The team also has an excellent pool of players to draw from if we have an injury or illness on game day.”

Deep and talented and able to grind?

Sounds like it could be a good season for GFA on the courts this spring.

Will Wappler ’17 will play first singles for the second straight season while sophomores Jack Wolfsohn and Aiden Helfant bring varsity experience to the three and four spots.

The Dragons are also experienced in doubles as the top and three teams bring varsity-level play to the table.

Senior Matt Smith and junior Sean Minson are expected to be one of the top squads in the league while sophomore Jack Ramsey teams up with Jason Garrelick at No. 3 doubles.

A trio of newcomers are ready to make a splash for GFA, as well.

Connor McDonald, an eighth grader, has wrapped up the No. 2 singles spot while an all-freshman doubles team of Niklas Simonsen and Marcus Ng have settled into the second doubles slot.

The team also has senior Chase Lafontaine, junior Conner Calzone, sophomore Michael Pratt and freshmen Jordan Liu and Owen Minson.

“All capable of stepping into a big doubles match and winning the point,” Groves said.

Matt Smith, Will Wappler and Chase Lafontaine are the team captains.

Add it all up and Groves is expecting to be one of the top teams in the FAA this season and also could do well in New Englands.

“In the tough FAA tennis league, I am hoping to break into the top three and with a little luck, maybe higher,” he said. “I think we should also have a good crack the New England Tournament with some big wins.”

Spring time is a special time to be on a golf course anywhere.

At Greens Farms Academy, though, it’s especially exciting because the Dragons are an up-and-coming program looking to make a bigger splash outside of any water hazards.

Two years ago, GFA was 2-7 in dual matches. Last spring, the Dragons turned that around and went 8-3.

This season – led by two-time All-League senior and captain Dustin Cook, pictured above – GFA is looking to be even better.

“The 2017 golf team is anticipating a successful season in a number of ways,” head coach Chris Mira said. “The main reason for their high hopes is the return of the nucleus of starters from last year.”

One of those returnees is Will Lodge, who is still on an eighth grader. Last year, he made varsity and fared and well and he was low man for the Dragons, firing a 37 in this year’s season-opening win over South Kent School.

Fellow senior captains Charlie Thompson and Curtis Tauck are also back in the lineup along with sophomore brothers Giani and Piero Panariello. 

Other returning team members include junior Ryan Ventura, sophomores Teddy Brown and Liam Foley, and freshman Quentin Conopask, along with eighth grade newcomers Will Sabinowski and Will Mackle, each of whom are determined to earn a place in the starting rotation.

As such, the golf course is a good to place to be this season if you’re a GFA Dragon.

There’s something familiar about this year’s Greens Farms Academy girls tennis team.

That’s because it’s a lot like last year’s squad.

“The team has many strengths, but perhaps the biggest is its singles lineup: All are returning players with impressive skills, match experience, and competitive drive,” head coach Monique Rutledge said.

For the fourth straight season, Devon Wolfe ’18, pictured above, will be playing No. 1 singles for the Dragons. She is joined by a pair of freshmen – Sarah Wagner and Ryan Boyle – who return at second and third singles. Kate Flicker ’18, meanwhile, returns at the fourth singles spots.

In the doubles, senior Blair Marine will lead doubles lineup, possibly with freshman newcomer Stephanie Gentile.

Rounding out the doubles spots for GFA are seniors Alexis Messina, Brynley Close, Lily Goldsmith, Katie Metro, and Lauren Ritchey; juniors Jocelyn Magrone and Avery York; sophomores Allie Agnew and Nikki Greenberg; and freshman Margot Goldsmith.

The team is also deep.

Add is all up and the GFA squad is hopeful for another successful season.

“Our goals for this season are to practice with focus and effort, to compete at the best of our ability physically and mentally every single match and to make the New England tournament,” Rutledge said.

Wolfe and Messina will be the captains for GFA.

“Their leadership both on and off the court is crucial in building a supportive team environment in which each player feels integral to the success of the team, no matter where they are in the lineup,” Rutledge said.

It is Wolfe’s second year as a captain.

Like we said, there’s something familiar about this GFA girls tennis team.

With a new softball facility just a year away from completion, the growth of the GFA Dragons program looks to take a big step this season as a roster of 15 players make up the team.

Just one of those players is a senior – first baseman Kallie Fellows ‘17, who will captain the team along with Celeste Matte ’18, pictured above from left to right.

“Captains Kallie Fellows and Celeste Matte have been committed players who have earned the respect of their teammates,” GFA Coach Erica Hunt said. “They are supportive and encouraging to younger players and lead by example when it comes to hard work, dedication to the team and love for the game.”

While there is still more growing to do, GFA has three pitchers who can take the circle, led by starter Maddy Canning ’19, who will throw to classmate Leah Attai ’19 behind the plate.

Janise Park ’20 and Lucy Nelson ’21 are also working on their pitching abilities under the watchful eye of pitching coach Katie Rogers while playing key roles both defensively and in the lineup.

Matte leads five junior players on the roster, including Lydia Groves, Kendall Roach, Alyssa Getschow and Darcy Whitman. Groves will man third base for the Dragons, Roach and Getschow are expected to help roam the outfield with Whitman providing depth.

While Matte and Groves will man the left side of the field, Fellows will play first base while a trio of players are looking at earning the second base job, with Park being the leading candidate.

Sophomore Hannah Calzone could find herself in a starting outfield spot while freshmen infielder Jessica Cramer and outfield Tessa Fieldman also working on finding playing time as part of the youth movement taking over the team.

Norelisa Nascimento and Vivian Taylor recently joined the team and are working hard to catch up with their teammates to be ready for the new season.

“The GFA softball team is the strongest it’s been in recent years,” Hunt said. “With a great deal of individual talent, team chemistry and desire to learn, we’re hoping to find greater success. We hope to gain knowledge and skill with each practice and game, and continue to improve our performance.”

Sean Obi ’13, one of the key players in helping put Greens Farms Academy boys basketball on the national recruiting map, has announced he will finish his college basketball career at Maryland.

The Terrapins program announced the news on its website on Thursday.

“We are excited to welcome Sean to Maryland,” Maryland head men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon said. “As a graduate transfer, he brings high character, experience and maturity to our team. Sean is a good rebounder and gives us another physical presence inside. He is also a very good student. Sean is healthy and ready to contribute.”

A 6-9, 255-pound native of Kaduna, Nigeria, and former resident of Greenwich when he attended GFA, Obi finished his career at Duke University after transferring from Rice University following his freshman campaign in 2014.

Obi, who is set to earn his degree in sociology with a minor in marketing from Duke in May, plans to enroll in graduate school at Maryland in June, according to a press release from the UM athletic department.

"I am very appreciative to have the opportunity to attend the University of Maryland," Obi said. "I want to thank Coach Turgeon and the staff. I immediately created a unique bond with the coaches during my visit. Maryland is a place where I am confident I can make a major impact. The campus is also in very close proximity to where my family lives and they'll be able to come see me play. Maryland is a great University with outstanding tradition and I am very excited to be a part of it. I am looking forward to playing for Coach Turgeon and doing something special with a great group of guys next year."

Obi led Green Farms Academy (Conn.) to the NEPSAC Class C Tournament title as a senior while posting 17 points, 12 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.7 blocks per game. He averaged 18.2 points and 20 rebounds per game as a junior, recording a double-double in all 23 games.

While at Rice, Obi was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team after averaging 11.4 points and 9.3 rebounds while playing all 30 games and making 29 starts for the Owls. He led the C-USA and was second among all freshmen nationally in rebounding and ranked fourth in field goal percentage (.591). At Rice, he recorded 11 double-doubles and posted freshman records for rebounds (297) and field goal percentage. Obi was also a member of the 2014 C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Obi was a member Duke’s national championship team in 2014-15 while sitting out the season due to NCAA transfer rules. Obi appeared in 10 games for the Blue Devils in 2015-16 before an injury sidelined the forward for the entire 2016-17 campaign.

There is nothing amazing about Olivia Sullivan going to compete in track and field in college.

She’s just that talented.

The amazing part of Sullivan’s announcement that she was heading to Florida to run for Division 2 Nova Southeastern is in how she has become Greens Farms Academy’s first “field event person” to advance to the next level.

After all, the school’s track program doesn’t have a track for her to train on every day, or the proper equipment for her to use every day.

Just the same, Sullivan -- pictured above -- is the defending New England Prep School high jump champion after a junior season that saw her claim that NEPSAC title and also qualify for the New Balance National High School championship meet.

She finished 12^th in the country with a leap of 5-feet-6 last spring.

“I try to stay humble and modest about that,” Sulivan said last week, days after she signed her official Letter of Intent. “It’s a surprise to me, too. I have no idea how I’ve been able to compete and qualify for nationals since I was in ninth grade.”

The answer there is just raw talent.

Glen Colello, GFA’s track coach, said Sullivan has plenty, which is why the Nova Southeastern coaching staff is looking at Sullivan as a possible heptathlete.

The heptathlon is one event which consists of seven track and field events, including the 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meters, long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run.

“That’s going to be new to her, but she’s got the athletic ability to do it,” Colello said. “She’s excited when people tell her she’s good enough to do it. She’s ready.”

Sullivan picked Nova Southeastern over a handful of other schools – including Division 1 schools – mainly for its academics and small-school size.

She is receiving a partial athletic scholarship as well as a leadership scholarship.

“I like that they’re Division 2, but they’re a small school,” said Sullivan, who hopes to major in communications or journalism. “That’s something I’m used to here at GFA, so it’s perfect for me.”

The fact she’s going to get to train on a track with a high jump and long jump pit isn’t lost on her, either.

“I’m looking forward to getting some serious training so I can be even better than I am now,” she said.

While the GFA track and field program is still young and growing, Sullivan said any athlete can do what she has done in the past three years.

“Until we’re able to get a track, and I hope there will be a capital campaign down the road for that, I just suggest (runners) do camps. That helped me a lot,” Sullivan said. “Also, take advantage of meets. I try to show up an hour early and retrain myself in that event. Just take advantage of everything the coaches have to offer and work hard.”

In its own odd little way, the world of sports here at Greens Farms Academy is full of art.

Watching boys basketball star Sunday Okeke rise up through the air to dunk a rebound could be like watching a bird in flight.

Watching the fluidity of Mack Muller scooping up a ground ball hit to third base, or Kate Paliotta smoothly taking the ball to goal on the lacrosse field, can be described as poetry in motion.

And watching next winter watch girls basketball player Kristiana Modzelewski’s feet as she plays defense and you realize it’s like watching her dance across the stage with nine partners haphazardly performing around her.

If you walked into the lobby of the GFA Theater last week, though, you saw a different kind of artistic side to some of our athletes.

A literal artistic side.

Students in both AP Art and AP Photography, under the guidance of teachers Lisa Waldstein and Jeffrey Baykal-Rollins, showcased some of their best work – like softball player Celeste Matte, pictured above under a self-portrait.

It was simply breath taking, a visual reminder of how multi-talented our students here on Beachside Avenue truly are.

For the athletes, who shine so brightly on public stages all over campus, it also shows another side people don’t often get to see.

Here are some of their stories about why the art of art is so special to them.

CLARE MENGEL, Soccer and Track

As a standout soccer player, Mengel is used to performing in front of others, even those with cameras trained on her every move.

She became so good at performing under the pressure of the sports, she’ll take her talents to Lafayette University to play soccer in the fall.

In the eighth grade, though, Mengel discovered a different side of herself. She discovered the view from behind the camera and simply fell in love with it.

“Actually, in eighth grade, I got my first Nikon camera and I just really liked photography,” she said. “I think everybody when they’re young wants to take artsy photos, put them on Instagram and stuff like that. When I learned GFA offered photography, I took it. I just followed that path from when I got my first camera.”

Being behind a camera lens, instead of in front of it, also allowd to Mengel a new way to express herself.

“On the soccer field, you’re playing a sport and you’re in front of the crowd and you’re trying to win, but when you’re a photographer you’re trying to express yourself creatively and your behind the scenes,” she said. “It’s a different way to show yourself and there is so much freedom in photography. That’s what I love to do.”

Still, as part of the project, Mengel found herself in front of the camera again. She took a self portrait of herself at Southport Beach and a number of friends also used images of her in the showcase.

MJ FREEMAN, track and field

On the track, MJ Freeman is fast so he can appreciate speed.

Last year, he did a photography project in which he captured the motions of an NFL game when he shot his beloved Philadelphia Eagles in action.

This year, he transferred those images – and the motions he captured – into a different kind of art.

“I saw in the pictures how in just that one frame of time, those players created this sort of interesting distortion of movement with their bodies,” Freeman said. “That motion really inspired me to do this this year.”

Freeman has long loved the sport of football, which is why he wanted to capture images of the sport played at its highest level.

“I love the game and the emotion of it,” he said. “I’ve always been drawn to it.”

If there is one thing he has learned from art, that has also helped his own school-record setting athletic career (see next post below), it’s patience.

“The biggest thing is the work you put into it,” he said. “If you want to get to the next level athletically, or if you want to have your art work go to the next level, you have to put the time for it.”

Kallie Fellows, Softball

Kallie Fellows takes her art one step further.

One day, during a softball practice, as coach Erica Hunt was explaining swing mechanics, Fellows could artistically picture the motions in her head.

“I think of things in very artistic ways,” she said. “One thing that helped me was when coach was talking about batting and the first step is linear, and then you’re swinging through like a circle, as jut having the visuals, having a good image in my head, helped me do that.”

She also combined the world of science with her art for this project.

She hand built a Tesla coil so that it worked and then captured the electrical images it produced by photographs. She then drew some of those as paintings and even went a step further to supply her own emotions and expressions by using hands and other tools as part of the art work.

“I was listening to music made by Testa coils and I thought, ‘Wow,’” she said. “I love combing science with art and I just had a lot of fun with it.”

These were just three of the student-athletes who had artwork on display.

Others such as New England champion wrestler Hans Forland had his work showcased as did softball player Kendall Roche, see below, and others.

If anybody doesn’t think Dragon Nation is full of mutli-talented student-athletes, all they had to do was walk through the Theater Lobby when these were on display.

Two weekends ago, the Greens Farms Academy track team started rewriting its record book.

The program is still so young that, really, it’s not all that tough to do.

But as the records fall, and fall again, the marks being set forth by the Dragon athletes are providing impetus for each and every athlete to keep getting better.

“It’s definitely helping,” GFA coach Glen Colello said. “They all want to beat them because they’re attainable because we’re still a young program.”

In a meet at Cheshire Academy, the Dragons established school records in the 4x100-meter relay.

The boys ran the event in 47.94 from the team of Ethan Phan, MJ Freeman, Aaron Miller and Nick Attai. The girls' team of Samantha Freeman, Jazzy Joseph, Bryn Morrison (Weston) and Ryan Morris ran a 54.94.

The boys first-ever 4x400 team of Scott Barnet, Tyler Bieder, Miller and Freeman created a school with a time of 3:52.11.

“I’m big on relays, but we haven’t been big on relays as a program because we’re such a young team,” Colello said. “We’re such a small team. Now they’ve done this, and set the record, the next four can go out and beat it.”

Individually, the records are falling, too.

Senior Olivia Sullivan established new marks in the 100 (13.10 seconds) and tied the school record in the high jump (5-foot-6).

Kyra Inston, pictured above left, established a new school record in the javelin, being the first-ever Dragon to take up the event. Her best toss went 53 feet, 7 inches.

In his individual races, Freeman set new marks in the 100 (10.83) and 200 (23.03).

“They’re excited about the records,” Colello said.

And records, let’s not forget, are made to be broken.

IN OTHER TRACK NEWS

Two other GFA track athletes made some news over this weekend as Will McCall '19 and his sister Caroline '21 took part in the Minuteman 5K Road Race in Westport.

Both McCall's won their age groups while finishing four overall (18:07) and second amongst women (21:24), respectively.

History is going to be made this week at Greens Farms Academy when the first-ever girls golf team tees off for its first-ever competitive match against King.

The five-member GFA team has been working hard no getting the basics down this season and will play just one official match, but the fact that team has been formed is a big step in the future of athletics at the school.

“I think for all girls sports, it’s a huge, important step,” said Coach Sally Holzinger. “It seems like we’re always fighting for girls programs here and this gives them more opportunity. And golf is a life skill everybody should do.”

Holzinger knows that first hand.

She was a field hockey player and a lacrosse player when she was younger, but she hit the links occasionally during her teenage years.

Once she became an adult, and field hockey and lacrosse were stowed away in the memory books, tennis and golf became more important as a way to stay active and competitive.

“It’s going to get more important as they get older,” Holzinger said, “so if I can teach them the basics of playing, it’s a sport that can last their whole lifetime.”

Holzinger – the mom of two GFA student-athletes, Henry ’18, and Lucy ’19 – has simple goals for this first season.

“I just want them to learn the basics of playing and gain a certain measure of improvement,” she said.

Girls have made the boys team in the past, but putting all the girls on the same course, hitting from the same tees, levels the playing field.

In addition, instead of playing at the Birchwood Golf Club, home of the Dragons’ boys team, the girls squad has been playing and practicing on their own course – the Country Club of Fairfield.

“It’s for fun them to have their own course, instead of being with the boys,” Holzinger said. “It’s relaxed and there’s no pressure.”

The five players who make up the team – including juniors Caroline Telesz and Bailey Mooney, sophomore Charlotte Cohen and freshmen Beza Tessema and Clare Foley-- are proud to be members of the school’s first girls golf team.

Telesz’s sister, Lauren ’16, played on the boys team and missed out on some of the gender-based camaraderie that comes within a team.

“It’s nothing against gender, but she wanted her friends out there with her,” Telesz said. “I’m glad I’m on the first team that gets to experience a girls team and us going out on our own course.”

While Telesz was the manager of the boys team last season, Mooney was cut from the co-ed team after making it as a sophomore.

The girls team allows her to get back on the course with people who are learning to love the game.

“It’s nice to have team of people out there where we have the same strengths and are kind of on the same level,” Mooney said. “It’s a more calm and tranquil sport and I like that. You can take it at your own speed.”

Telesz hopes to see the numbers grow next season and beyond.

“I don’t think golf is very popular with girls, so hopefully we’ll grow this team over time,” she said. “I think it’s great. Coach (Holzinger) is really nice and she’s a good player, and (boys) Coach (Chris) Mira is always very sweet to us. So I think it’s going well. I just wish there was more girls.”

In time, there likely will be as the GFA girls golf program has just teed off.