WINTER SPORTS RECAP 2020-21
How to Navigate the Winter Season Recap: scroll from sport to sport to learn about how each team developed over the season. Don't forget to click the green header boxes with the names of each sport -- those link out to more photos where available!
Dear Sacred Heart Greenwich Tiger fans,
Our Upper School student-athletes and coaches demonstrated their positivity, creativity, resiliency, and dedication this winter! Whether it was small group training sessions, zoom practices due to snow days and virtual learning, team-wide scrimmages, tournaments, time trials, and both virtual and in-person interscholastic competition, all of our teams had a successful season. The silver lining of this year has been the time available to focus on individual skill development and the program-wide collaboration between our coaches and student-athletes. I am confident this will bode well for each student's individual progress and the future of our athletics program overall!
Our Middle School students-athletes were hard at work developing their skills in practices, intramural games, and our physical education winter sport experience. The future is certainly bright for Sacred Heart Athletics! Catch a glimpse of what our seventh and eighth graders were up to this winter in our winter sports celebration video.
Thank you for your support of our student-athletes!
Go Heart,
Sacred Heart Athletics
Our basketball program continued to grow both in numbers and strength this year at the MS and US levels. The depth of talent is impressive, and the energy in the gym is contagious!
Note from Head Coach Ayo Hart:
Our basketball program enjoyed tremendous growth this winter. Our US student-athletes were fortunate to be on court each and every day that we were on campus. Even when CT put a pause on all interscholastic play and only allowed 4 players on court at a time, our incredible student-athletes persevered. While others may have seen the restrictions put in place due to COVID-19 as a burden and an obstacle, we embraced the new structure and capitalized on the opportunity to focus solely on individual skill development. Our student-athletes thrived in this environment improving their fundamental skills across the board. We are also quite fortunate to have the full Hudl platform at our disposal, which allowed the athletes to become students of the game. Once restrictions were lifted, and we were able to resume interscholastic play, our JV and Varsity teams came back stronger than ever. Both teams scored nearly double what they averaged last season while continuing with our signature Sacred Heart defense. Off the court, the girls continued to enjoy an incredible closeness perhaps even more so because they had been through the trenches together.
Our MS program was bursting at the seams with unprecedented numbers. Similar to the US, the coaches did an incredible job keeping the student-athletes engaged and challenged while offering a safe environment for them to learn, grow and compete. I am excited to see the basketball program pick up where we left off this year. The sky's the limit.
Our Upper School Diving team made use of every practice opportunity, and we are excited to see this team continue to grow and compete at a high level in future winters.
Note from Head Coach Brooke Reinfeld:
The Diving team took full advantage of being together this winter, including two competitions: one in-person and one virtual! Our rookies were able to learn the required dives for meets and several of our vets increased their scores by upwards of 20 points. As a coach, it was awesome to see the desire and dedication from the athletes. I look forward to next season!
Our Upper School rowers took to the ergs this winter for land training. We are excited to see their hard work pay off as we move back to the water this spring!
Note from Head Coach Costel Mutescu:
The standard of excellence for our rowing program is approaching a new height, thanks to the commitment and hard work of the student-athletes. The Winter season for rowers is not filled with exciting races. Instead, it is a critical time when athletes quietly work hard to improve their fitness and mental strength. I am immensely proud of those student-athletes that completed the winter season! I am excited to see how the spring student-athletes embrace the same commitment each day.
The Upper and Middle School squash players took full advantage of their time on court. We are lucky to have a deep, competitive and skilled group of players in the Middle and Upper Schools at Sacred Heart. Each player made individual improvements in skill development and enjoyed competitive, intersquad matches and tournaments.
Note from Head Coach Celia Pashley:
We learned to be thankful to just be on court, to have a positive mindset, and to work on creativity to keep each training session entertaining. The solo practices at the beginning of the season allowed the players to focus on their technical skills; a huge benefit for individual improvement and something that we do not often have an opportunity to do each year. As the season progressed, the players worked back into more traditional practices, we held a competitive intramural tournament and finished the season with three FAA scrimmages. The dedication of the girls and their willingness to practice hard every day was inspiring and we are grateful to have been together this winter.
Our Upper School swim team took advantage of technology and was able to compete against a number of schools virtually. The atmosphere at our virtual meets was amazing: The students cheered on each other and pushed themselves to be their best on these race days, and every day at practice.
Note from Head Coach Noreen Haggerty:
The team demonstrated athletic skill and perseverance and flexibility this season, and were able to make the most of the winter. This included focused training in and out of the pool, virtually and in-person. We were fortunate to be able to race and compete in several virtual meets. The girls built a positive and light-hearted atmosphere, cheering, and hyping up their teammates in true Tiger fashion. We wrapped up the season celebrating and saying goodbye to our seniors, who have given their time and dedication to the team throughout the years. With the swim season at its close, it is evident that this talented team will only continue to thrive and grow in the future. Go Heart!
Middle School Winter Sports Celebration
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Cheer on the Tigers on the turf, on the court, in the water, and on the track!
WINTER SEASON RECAP
