The winter athletic season at Convent of the Sacred Heart brings athletes a fresh perspective as new coaches take to the pool deck, basketball and squash courts.
Middle School Theology teacher, Sixth Grade Advisor and Eighth and Tenth Grade Health teacher Ms. Maureen Kitson is the new coach for the Upper School swim team.
Ms. Kitson started swimming competitively when she was five years old and was a member of the Sacred Heart swim team during her Middle and Upper School career. After two years of coaching the Middle School swim team at Sacred Heart, Ms. Kitson is ready to share her expertise with the junior varsity and varsity teams.
On the basketball court, Ms. Jessica Spicer transitions from her prior position as assistant varsity basketball coach to head basketball coach.
Ms. Spicer has been playing basketball since third grade. She earned a spot on the varsity team as a seventh grader and played at that level until her high school graduation. She then played Division I basketball at Lafayette College where she was the starting point guard for three years and captain for two years.
Since her graduation from Lafayette, Ms. Spicer has coached for five years. She was the head junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach for West Chester Henderson High School in West Chester, Pennsylvania for two years. She then moved to San Antonio, Texas where she trained players individually in preparation for their seasons.
Ms. Spicer looks forward to sharing her basketball skills with the Sacred Heart athletes this winter season.
“I am looking forward to working with the girls again. I always learn so much from coaching them, and it is so amazing to see them evolve and grow as players and young ladies,” Ms. Spicer said.
Ms. Spicer’s main goal this year is for the team to reach the Fairchester Athletic League championship. She plans to accomplish this by focusing heavily on defense and employing the two core defensive principles of playing hard and playing together.
“I hope that teams are afraid to play us because our defense is so smothering,” Ms. Spicer said.
Varsity basketball captain senior Claire O’Neill is excited to begin the season with Ms. Spicer.
“We are probably going to run a lot more, but last year Coach Spicer was always there to help us, so I am looking forward to growing closer as a team with her leadership,” Claire said.
European squash player Ms. Celia Allamargot is coaching the varsity squash team this winter.
Ms. Allamargot has played squash professionally since 2005 and currently holds the sixtieth ranking in the world.
She played squash for five years while attending college in France and was a member of the junior, senior, and university teams. She won the French national university championships five years in a row, reached the finals with the French team in the world university championships, and won the French national championships, making her a top ranked player in Europe. In addition, Ms. Allamargot participated in two final competitions while on the Women’s Squash Association professional tour.
Ms. Allamargot has been coaching squash for five years in several locations including Marseille, France, Stamford, Connecticut Norwalk, Connecticut and Mt. Kisco, New York. She is ready to help Sacred Heart squash players succeed this winter.
Varsity squash team co-captain senior Mary Grace Henry expresses her hopes for the season with Ms. Allamargot.