Five Upper School sports fulfilled Sacred Heart Greenwich’s mission of “Honor, Heart, Hustle” during the 2019 fall sports season while competing in the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) and New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) tournaments.

The varsity A field hockey team, captained by seniors Sydney Gallop and Morgan Smith, won 16 of their 17 games throughout the season, losing only to Greenwich Academy 1-0 in the FAA tournament finals November 8.

For the first time in Sacred Heart history, the varsity A field hockey team competed in the NEPSAC championship tournament as the number one seed.  The team defeated The Taft School 7-0 in the quarterfinals November 13.  Advancing to the semifinals, Sacred Heart beat the Westminster School 3-1 November 16 to earn a spot in the championship game.  With a 2-1 win over Tabor Academy in the finals, the varsity A team earned Sacred Heart its first NEPSAC champion title in school history.  Morgan believes that the team’s strong sense of community helped secure this accomplishment.

“I really enjoyed being one of the captains for the field hockey team this year because over half of our team is new, so being able to lead a very young group of girls to a championship win is very rewarding,” Morgan said.  “Also, I really loved bonding with girls from all different grades and we became a very cohesive unit by the end of the season.”

Morgan is proud to be part of a team that was able to overcome its loss of the FAA championship and make an impact on Sacred Heart history.

“After coming off a FAA championship loss, the NEPSAC win was an amazing way to end the season,” Morgan said.  “We all wanted to make Sacred Heart proud by making history in our athletic department and being able to accomplish that goal was really fun.”

The varsity soccer team defeated 10 teams, notably the King School, the Hopkins School, the Rye Country Day School, and the Loomis Chaffee School, securing their spot as the number one seed in the FAA league for the first time since 1986.  The team, with captains seniors Amelia Sheehan and Taylor O’Meara, lost 3-1 to Greenwich Academy in double overtime in the FAA semifinals.

The Upper School cross country team, led by captains seniors Lily DeConcini and Gerty Hisler, placed third at the Sherwood Island meet and second at the Suffield Invitational meet.  The team came in twelfth at the NEPSAC Championship meet, and eighth-grader Ava Lillis placed second overall at the FAA Championship meet held at Waveny Park in New Canaan, October 28.

The rowing team competed in the Head of the Charles Regatta, the largest fall rowing race in the world, October 20.  The varsity four boat, comprised of freshman Stefanie Novak, junior Karina Adams, senior Bella Rogers, senior Elizabeth Colligan, and coxswain senior Alexa Choy, finished 58 out of 85 boats.  Additionally, the novice boat came in second at the Head of the Riverfront regatta.

The varsity volleyball team served into the FAA quarterfinals with their captains, seniors Salome Alfaro and Kellie Ulmer, where they won 3-0 to St. Luke’s School.  The team lost to Hopkins in the FAA semifinals but qualified for the NEPSAC tournament as the number eight seed in the league.  The highlight of the season for the team was their 3-2 victory over cross-town rival Greenwich Academy.  The team finished the season ranked as number five in the NEPSAC Class A league, which is the highest NEPSAC has ever ranked the team.

Salome feels that her role as captain enabled her to use her leadership to offer support and encourage comradery among her teammates.

“What I enjoyed the most about being a captain is definitely getting to know each of my teammates individually,” Salome said.  “I was able to talk to all of my teammates and develop a personal relationship with all of them in different ways.”

Salome appreciates her teammates’ sportsmanship when they are faced with difficult opponents and their ability to remain positive even if they are losing the game.

“My favorite thing about the team is our ability to cheer each other up and support one another.  If someone is having a bad day, our team always tries to encourage our other teammates and lift them up,” Salome said.  “We are always cheering for each other, and even if we lose a point, we always comfort one another.”

Featured Image by Natalie Dosmond ’21