Making Waves and Baskets

The season of basketball and swimming was an exciting one for The Academy’s athletics program

The basketball team took the next step, playing a schedule that was split between half varsity opponents and half JV opponents. The team hung tough in every varsity game, battling for leads until the end of every game and making their opponents work hard for each point. Highlights of the season included adding the Rockport varsity team to the schedule and then later in the season playing Rockport’s varsity and JV teams in back-to-back games, a match-up in which 6 APH athletes handily took down their JV foe and another 6 APH athletes played excellently against a deep-benched varsity squad. The basketball team saw highlight-reel performances throughout the season, including a 29-point showing by Offensive Player of the Year Senior, Anna S, and fierce rebounding by Defensive Player of the Year Senior, Meghan C. Congratulations to Anna and Meghan, the graduating seniors from this year’s basketball team! They have each had a significant impact on the basketball program and we wish them the best when they head off on their next adventures.

Our swimmers took to the pool twice a week this winter down the road at the Sterling YMCA. Under the guidance of the team’s coach, The Academy’s swimmers worked on stroke development and skills such as flip-turns and starts. An enthusiastic and supportive energy could be felt on the pool deck and in the vans to and from practice, as the members of the team encouraged each other to work hard and improve each and every day. The season capped off with an intra-squad swim meet, at which APH swimmers were matched to compete against one another in various strokes and distances. The times from those events displayed the gains each swimmer had made over the course of the season, as one by one the girls knocked down their previous personal bests.

The fitness center group gathered 4 days per week throughout the winter to learn about and try a variety of exercises, including workout circuits. There will be a spring fitness center group for any students interested in getting a workout while exploring new exercises and approaches to lifelong fitness. 
At the winter end of season sports celebration, both the basketball and swimming teams announced their award winners. Congratulations to the following students whose efforts over the course of the season received special recognition:

• Basketball Most Improved Player- Caitlin R ’21
• Basketball Coaches Award- Paige P ’21
• Swimming Most Improved Player- Natalie S ’22
• Swimming Coaches Award- Norah C ’21

Many thanks to Coaches Tom Engstrom, Maureen Lydon, and Jessie Fabrizio for their dedication and leadership this winter. Thank you also to the many parents who have helped over the course of the season- we had parents assisting with scoring, timing, rides, snacks, and more.