The spring sports season at Thayer is always special. After a long, cold winter of competing in indoor facilities, the athletes and coaches happily burst onto the green fields, courts and track to demonstrate their athletic abilities.

All teams, both boys and girls, had very strong seasons this year. But it was girls’ teams that had particularly noteworthy seasons.

Three of the teams were either sole or co-ISL champions, school and league records were broken and New England titles were won.

Below is a brief summary of the top honors achieved by several of the girls' teams.

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Track and Field

Some people consider 13 an unlucky number. Many elevators don’t include the number and there is always dire talk about Friday the 13th.

The Thayer girls’ track team, however, loves the number 13. They embrace it. In fact, 13 is a very lucky number for them.

The Girls finished their regular season at 13-0, and lived up to their #1 billing at both the ISL and New England Meets. Breaking 7 records along the way, Thayer girls brought home their 11th consecutive ISL Championship, and their 13th consecutive New England Championship. The graduating seniors finished their Thayer career undefeated for all 4 years!

GIRLS’ ISL CHAMPIONSHIP MEET HIGHLIGHTS

ALL-LEAGUE SELECTIONS AND ISL INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS

Seanne Denny ’10 100m, 200m (broke the league 100m record-named Meet Runner MVP)

Brittany Reardon ’10 Pole Vault, High Hurdles

Giovanna Pickering ‘12 Discus

Erin Richardson ‘’13 Javelin

Monet Brathwaite ’11 400m

Tatiana Fitzpatrick ’10 Triple Jump, Long Jump (tied her own league record and named MVP in field events)

4 X 100 RELAY TEAM BROKE THE SCHOOL AND LEAGUE RECORD

Jess Kenny ‘13

Seanne Denny ‘10

Brittany Reardon ‘10

Monet Brathwaite ’11

4 X 400 RELAY TEAM BROKE THE SCHOOL AND LEAGUE RECORD

Seanne Denny ‘10

Evelina Yakomovich ‘13

Erin Purcell Maillet ‘13

Monet Brathwaite ’11

BOSTON GLOBE ALL-SCHOLASTIC

Seanne Denny ’10

Aaron Amado ’11

Tatiana Fitzpatrick ‘10

GIRLS’ NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIP MEET HIGHLIGHTS

INDIVIDUAL WINNERS and NAMED ALL-NEW ENGLAND

Brittany Reardon ’11 Pole Vault, High Hurdles. and was named the meet MVP

Monet Brathwaite ’11 400m

Seanne Denny ’10 100m, 200m (also broke the 100m N.E. Meet record)

Evelina Yakomovich ‘13 1500m

Giovanna Pickering ‘12 Discus

Tatiana Fitzpatrick ’10 Long Jump

The girls’ varsity lacrosse team had a fantastic season, stunning the league with great stick skills, poised attack, and rock solid defense.

"Many around the league expected our team to be ‘rebuilding’ this season," said coach Erin Carroll. "After losing eight seniors who would all play their freshman year in college, it is hard to imagine that from that foundation we were able to dominate the league!"

With the highest goals per game average in the league, the Thayer attack was fierce. Captained by Mallory Collins, Lindsey Allard, Marissa Daly, and Sammy Sears the offense was smart, dynamic, and unstoppable. Midfielders highlighted some newcomers to both Thayer and the varsity squad; Katherine McManus and McKenzie Hunt were two new sophomores to the school, who dominated all three zones; Bryn Boucher was a returner to the squad, and she was a fabulous center for the team all season. Anna Kenyon was the other starter in the midfield. A newcomer to the varsity, she stepped in and did a wonderful job.

Becca McGovern lead the defensive unit, along with captain Hannah Mulvey, and Danny Sears. Falon Sweeney stepped in to net and had some great games for Thayer. Our bench was a huge force in the team's success- not only did they contribute on the field when they stepped in, but their spirit and enthusiasm helped inspire everyone who heard them: Caroline Casper, Elise Sullivan, Julia Daly, Colleen Day, Melissa Piacintini, Ali Whelan, Gina Ubertini, and Ali Hooley.

Beyond winning the league, Thayer players achieved several All-League honors; First team All –League honors were earned by Mal Collins, Lindsey Allard, and Becca McGovern; Honorable Mention honors went to Hannah Mulvey, Marissa Daly, Bryn Boucher, and McKenzie Hunt.

In addition to league honors, four athletes made one of the prestigious Eastern Lower New England teams which competed in the US Lacrosse Women's’ National Tournament over Memorial Day weekend: McKenzie Hunt and Bryn Boucher made Team #1, Katherine McManus made Team #2, and Marissa Daly made Team #3.

Mal Collins and Lindsey Allard were named NEPSWLA All-Stars as well.

Overall, the varsity lacrosse team was a fantastic group of athletes who not only earned individual accolades, but were also part of the consummate team: dedicated, focused, selfless, and caring.

2010 Honors

NEPSWLA All-Stars

Lindsey Allard, 2010

Mallory Collins, 2010

US Lacrosse All Americans, First Team

Lindsey Allard, 2010

Mallory Collins, 2010

US Lacrosse All American, Honorable Mention

McKenzie Hunt, 2012

US Lacrosse Academic All Americans

Becca McGovern, 2010

Hannah Mulvey, 2010

ISL All League

First Team:

Mallory Collins, 2010

Lindsey Allard, 2010

Becca McGovern, 2010

Honorable Mention

Hannah Mulvey, 2010

Marissa Daly, 2011

Bryn Boucher, 2012

McKenzie Hunt, 2012

ISL MVP of the League

Mallory Collins, 2010

&n

Thayer alum and former professional hockey player Tony Amonte will be the new Head Boys' Varsity Ice Hockey coach.

Mr. Amonte played for 17 years in the National Hockey League and is best known for his time as a scoring star with the Chicago Blackhawks and for representing the United States in international play. Amonte, playing for Team USA, won the Gold Medal in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey tournament. He scored the game winning goal with just two and a half minutes left in the final against Team Canada.

“We are very excited to have Tony on board,” says Thayer Athletic Director Matt McGuirk. “His hockey background speaks for itself, but it is his passion for Thayer as an alumnus that will truly inspire all of the student-athletes who will play for him. Tony also comes from a great family with solid values that will be contagious to all those who play for him."

Amonte and his wife Laurie both graduated from Thayer Academy in 1989. They have deep South Shore roots as Amonte grew up in Hingham and the couple now resides in Norwell where they are raising four children.

In addition to his coaching duties Amonte will also assume other roles on campus, particularly in the Development Office.

Tony Amonte’s Coaching Highlights

AAA South Shore Kings (2007 – present)

Thayer Middle School A team (2009)

USA Hockey Level 4 Coaching Certification

Tony Amonte’s Hockey Highlights

Hockey East Second All-Star Team (1991)

NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team (1991)

1174 total NHL games played (17 years)

416 goals/ 900 total points

NHL All-Rookie Team (1992)

Played in NHL All-Star Game (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)

Winter Olympic Games 1998, 2002 (silver medals)

USA Hockey Hall of Fame 2009

The Thayer girls' and boys' alpine ski teams competed in the NEPSAC Class C Championships at Mount Sunapee on Wednesday, February 10th.

On an overcast day with light snow falling, each skier completed two giant slalom (GS) runs and two slalom runs during a full day of competition. The girls' team representing Thayer included Ali Rayfield '10 (co-captain), Anna Friedman '11 (co-captain), Lindsay Freter '11, Alyssa Creager '13 and Gillian Freter '15. The boys' team consisted of Shane Cote '11 (co-captain), Riggs Raymond '11 (co-captain), Alec MacKinnon '12, Joshua Cote '13, Cory Rayfield '13, Connor Rayfield '14 and Patrick Kenney '15.

The girls had a stellar day. As a team, they placed first in the GS, second in the slalom and second overall. This result was a stellar way to continue the team's run at the New Englands: in each of the previous two years, they have earned the championship. Several skiers earned all-New England honors by finishing their races in the top ten: Ali Rayfield (GS, SL), Anna Friedman (GS), Lindsay Freter (SL) and Alyssa Creager (SL).

After taking second place last year, the boys worked hard to put themselves in a position to win the championship this year. The skiers did well enough to finish first among all of the teams in both GS and slalom. Top ten finishers for Thayer, earning all-New England honors, included Josh Cote (SL), Cory Rayfield (GS, SL), Connor Rayfield (GS, SL), and Patrick Kenney (GS, SL).

Almost exciting as the team championship is the fact that Cory Rayfield won first place overall in the boys' GS race, just beating his younger brother Connor, while Connor took first place overall in the boys' slalom race.

The girls' second place finish, the boys' championship and the 12 all-New England places are peak performances by these teams of skiers. Congratulations on your great success!

Winter Wars pictures

Winter Wars standings and videos

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It’s the middle of February. The skies are gray. The air is cold. The winter doldrums have descended on the South Shore….with the exception of Thayer Academy.

What’s the difference? What makes the campus immune from the mid-winter blues?

Winter Wars, of course!

Winter Wars, now in its thirteenth year, has been a successful antidote to the winter doldrums. For a week every February, each Upper School class comes together for a friendly week long competition with the other classes. In addition to the competitive nature of the week, there is also a community service component for which points are awarded. Below is a breakdown of what the week looks like.

Winter Wars Schedule of Events

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Monday

Class Colors worn

Non perishable food collected

Tug of War: Round 1

Olympic Relays

The Jump Rope Challenge

Tuesday

Class Themes

New white socks collected

Waiter Wars

Wednesday

Black and Orange attire

Winter hats and gloves collected

No games

Thursday

U.S.A. colors worn

School supplies collected

Tug of War: Round 2

All Aboard competition

Friday

Beach Party theme

Monetary donations collected

Tug of War: Finals

The Great Race

Since 2008, the National Hockey League has held an annual event called the NHL Winter Classic. The first game was played on January 1, 2008, between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. This game had an NHL-record crowd of 71,217 fans in attendance. The success of the 2008 NHL Winter Classic led the NHL to schedule a second one for 2009, held at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, on January 1, 2009, matching the Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks. This game had the highest television ratings of any hockey game in 33 years.

The third Winter Classic was held at Fenway Park in Boston on January 1, 2010, featuring the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers. The result was a dramatic 2-1 overtime win for Boston, making the Bruins the first home team to win an NHL outdoor game. The announcement of the 2010 Winter Olympics roster for the United States men's national ice hockey team was made shortly after the game had ended.

The NHL leaves the ice in place for a period of time after The Classic so that schools and organizations may take advantage of the rare opportunity to play on the ice in such an unusual setting.

"It was an amazing event, especially knowing that our girls will remember this for the rest of their lives,” said Mat McGuirk, Thayer’s Athletic Director. “It was also see such great support from our parents, alumni, and friends of the program."

The support came in the form of hundreds of fans and Thayer supporters that cheered the team on to a 6 – 6 tie with BB&N. “This event came together so quickly, but has memories that will last a lifetime for the players, coaches, friends and families of Thayer Academy Girls’ Ice Hockey. Fenway Park is a historical landmark in the city of Boston and to say that we played, coached and watched a hockey game here is something we will never forget,” said Coach Bill Lanagan. “I know that the players and coaches really appreciate the generosity of the Seymour's.”

Frank and Janice Seymour, parents of player Jacqueline Seymour (’14) generously split the cost of the event with another BB&N parent in order to provide the two teams the rare and memorable opportunity to play hockey in Fenway Park. Undoubtedly, a “classic” and memorable experience for all who attended and participated.

See all the photos from the game.

Watch the video.

Although the winter sports season has just begun for Thayer student athletes, the fall season continues for many.

“This has been a remarkable fall season for us,” says Thayer’s Athletic Director Matt McGuirk. “The girls’ cross-country team placed second in the New Englands, held last Saturday at Groton School, and the football team was awarded the sportsmanship award.”

In addition, the boys soccer team made the New England tournament (NEPSAC), reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Kimball Union Wednesday in penalty kicks, 3-2, and the field hockey team plays Brooks School in the semifinals of the New England’s this coming Saturday.

McGuirk acknowledges that the success of the fall teams will have an impact on the overall athletic program. “To have so many teams make the New England tournament at one time is special, and to have two out of three teams invited advance to the semifinals is really exciting,” he said. “There are 25 teams in Class B, and you have to be one of the eight best teams in that class across New England to get in. It’s really going to contribute to a long standing winning tradition, not just for our fall teams, but for our winter and spring teams as well.”

Thayer NEPSAC Summary

• Varsity Field Hockey defeated Suffield 1 to 0 and will play Brooks on Saturday in the semi-finals at Phillips Academy at 12:00 p.m.

• Varsity Girls' Soccer defeated Governor's 5 to 1 and will play at Pomfret School on Saturday at 2:00 PM on Saturday.

• Boys' Varsity Soccer lost to Kimball Union in a shoot out by a score of 3 to 2 and unfortunately will not advance to the next round.

Please check the Thayer website on Saturday night to see if our teams make it to the finals. The finals will be played on Sunday at Phillips Andover for field hockey and at Governor's for girls' soccer. The specific times for these game will be updated on the Thayer website at the conclusion of Saturday's games.

Another useful website to follow all of this information is on the NEPSAC website. These two teams are Class B as a reference as you navigate through this site.

***M5 Update: Final Results***

• More than $8,500 raised for the Marine Corps Scholarship Fund and the Matt Healey Foundation
• More than 2,000,000 meters rowed (roughly Boston to St. Louis)
• Better tha 80% participation in every class

Fastest 2K times

Maddie Shields 8:12.1

Mike Clougher 7:13.3

Most meters rowed

Katie MacVarish 27,000 m

Ian Marcellana 81,000 m

25K plus meters rowed

Peter Fitzpatrick 25,000 m

Chippy Kennedy 28,000 m

Alec MacKinnon 30,000 m

Jake Bock 25,000 m

Mike Cobb 50,000 m

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The M5 has exceeded all expectations.

No, this is not a reference to the M5 highway just outside of London, England.

This is about a community building / fundraising event sponsored by the Junior Class at Thayer.

It’s been dubbed the M5 Regatta. M5 stands for Million Meter Marathon for Matt (Healey ‘09) and the Marines! ***Click here to see all the M5 pictures. And check below for updates and final results

The M5 is indoor rowing regatta using the Concept 2 rowing machines. The concept was to have the Thayer community collectively row One Million Meters over a two-day period. The M5 began yesterday, November 12, and ends tonight at 6 p.m.

Each rower is asked to donate $1 for each kilometer they row. Folks who are unable to row will be able to sponsor others. Funds raised by this event will be donated to the Matt Healey Fund and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation - a charity whose primary mission is to provide college scholarships to kids whose parents were killed or wounded in action.

The event has been taking place in the Tiger's Den and has energized the Thayer community over the last two days. “The response has been tremendous,” says Jim MacVarish, the Junior Class Co-Dean and principle organizer of the event. “We’re al very, very happy with the results thus far. The turnout has exceeded our expectations and people have been extremely supportive in many different ways.”

Some of those ways include manning the check-in, and check-out tables, sponsoring rowers, and, of course, the rowers themselves. MacVarish estimates that over 60% of Upper School students have participated in some way and he expects that number to continue to rise throughout the day today.

Rowing stations will be open until 6 p.m. Friday so if you haven’t yet rowed or want to row again, there’s still time!

Senior Kal Dougherty ’10 says, “I mainly because of Matt. He was a great kid that everyone loved being around. He was so full of positive energy. I know his parents will appreciate the love and support that this represents.”

M5 Quick Facts:

• 1,000,000 meters = 1,000 Km = 621 miles. That's about the driving distance from Boston to Cleveland, Ohio.

• A person of average fitness c

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**Check out all Homecoming photos here!**

Every year, as the weekend of Homecoming draws near, anxious eyes turn toward the skies. Weather.com experiences an unusual number of hits. The local news stations see increased viewership. All thanks to the combined effort of thousands of Thayer alumni, students, parents, faculty, coaches, athletes and friends who want to know the same thing: Will it rain or not?!

This year the sun shone brightly and so, too, did the faces of more than 1,000 visitors to the Thayer campus. There is something for everyone at Homecoming.

Beginning in the late morning, many fun events for kids are open including the climbing wall, moon walk, a variety of carnival games, temporary tattoos, hair and face painting, and pony rides. Clowns could be seen roaming the campus, bringing smiles to young and old alike as they made balloon animals for the kids. Of course, Homecoming would be incomplete without Bonnie the Snake Lady who brought her menagerie to Thayer and delighted onlookers with a wide variety of snakes and turtles.

In addition, to the activities for kids, there were many tables set up under the tent promoting a variety of causes including Habitat for Humanity, the Thayer Athletic Association, and the Thayer Parents’ Association. Many people could be seen browsing under the tent, shopping for Thayer wear, and munching on donuts, hotdogs and hamburgers.

Of course, the main Homecoming activities center on the various games that are played by Thayer’s athletic teams. This year’s opponent was Governor’s Academy.

Here are the results of Homecoming 2009:

• Boys Varsity Soccer W 3-0
• Boys JV Soccer L 0-1
• Varsity Field Hockey L 0-1
• JV Field Hockey W 1-0
• Varsity Football L 7-15

• Girls JV Soccer: L 1-6

• Girls Varsity Soccer L 0-1

On a beautiful day for soccer both teams battled back and forth. Each teamhad some good chances in the first half but strong defensive efforts thwarted the bids. In the second half Governor's was able to get a thru ball into the box where they converted a beautiful shot to the top corner, far post. Thayer fought to equal the score but were unable to finish off their chances.

• Boys Varsity Cross Country

TA 24 Win

Sebs 33

TA 17 Win

Rivers 46

TA 33 Loss

BBN 24

The boys' varsity cross country team began its league schedule by defeating St. Sebastian's and Rivers and losing to a strong BB&N squad. In contrast to the downpours of Homecoming '08, conditions were nearly perfect. The team successes for both the varsity and JV teams were matched by many individual highlights, including the setting of no fewer than twenty personal records. All eight of Thayer's entrants in the varsity race broke twenty minutes. The team was led by three veterans--Sean Barbary, Griffin Budde, and the resurgent Rob Curtis. Newcomers Mike Pratt and Riggs Raymond, running together much of the way, held down the critical four and five slots. Senior Nik Medrano and runner-to-watch Chippy Kennedy rounded out the scoring for Thayer. Team captain Rob Costello ran his best-ever race before a large, vocal Homecoming crowd. After this promising start at home, TA XC hits the road for a challenging quad meet at Middlesex next weekend (10/3).

• Boys JV XC

TA 22 Win

BBN 37

TA 15 Win

Rivers 49

The boys' junior varsity cross country tea