17 NCHS Student-Athletes Recognized at Ceremony

More than 80 friends, family members and coaches joined 17 New Canaan High School student-athletes on Monday for the Division III Recognition Ceremony. Organized by parents Meghan Finnigan and Nancy Roeder and run by NCHS Athletic Director Jay Egan, the annual ceremony recognizes seniors who intend to play sports at D3 colleges in the fall (see gallery above). It’s a way to mark “the fruits of your labor, which can probably stretch back to maybe when you were five years old,” Egan told the crowd gathered in the Wagner Room. 

He continued: “And how many practices your parents drove you to, and how many sacrifices you made, and how many sacrifices your parents, your family, your friends made, and helped you get to where you have a chance to continue in your athletic career. That’s not something that’s a normal extension of being a high school athlete. So it’s really something special.”

The student-athletes earning D3 recognition are:

Henry Silva (Colby, baseball)
Pierce Baker (Tufts, crew)
Logan Thom (Tufts, crew)
Miles Chisholm (Washington & Lee, football)
Owen Lydon (Bowdoin, football)
Carter Sihpol (Denison, football and track)
Claire Ognibene (Springfield, lacrosse)
Beckett Burley (Franklin & Marshall, lacrosse)
Colin Finnigan (Rhodes, lacrosse)
Thomas Garcia (Washington & Lee, lacrosse)
Hayden Roeder (Franklin & Marshall, lacrosse)
Jack Sconzianzo (Skidmore, lacrosse)
Kieran Shin (Trinity, lacrosse)
Emma Finnerty (Tufts, soccer)
Nate Codd (Colby, swim)
Trey Kaupp (Roger Williams, wrestling)
Patrick Zoccollilo (Gettysburg, track)

Egan said that Division III is the largest division in terms of number of institutions and number of participants in the NCAA. 

“With more than 196,000 students and 446 institutions representing 66 conferences, Division III makes up 40%.

NCBA 7th, 8th Grade Teams Win Championships on Final Weekend

This Sunday the New Canaan Basketball Association finished its 2023-2024 season with a bang. 

The girls 7th grade team, led by coaches Camry Evans and Cayla Joseph, won a thrilling overtime championship game against Pomperaug at Middlesex Middle School 41-39. The previous day the 8th grade boys Black team also won a league title by handling Danbury 62-41 after an even first quarter. Coach Terrance Ditimi will be with the boys again next year as the JV coach at NCHS. 

A third title was won by the 8th grade girls Black team on Thursday, March 7. Due to a scheduling anomaly the girls game was played in the afternoon, at Saxe, in front of a lively cheering section. The stands were packed with students, parents, teachers, and school administrators.

‘Competitiveness and Fight’: NCHS Boys Basketball Narrowly Defeats Rival Darien

When the final shot went up, the final whistle blew and the final buzzer sounded, the New Canaan High School students began to stream onto the court as their team’s win became official. The shaky start to the Rams’ season was put into the rearview mirror and replaced by total elation engulfing the NCHS gym. On Friday, the New Canaan Boys Basketball team defeated their rival, Darien, 49-47. The victory was the Rams’ second win in FCIAC play and improved their overall record to 5-8. The win marks the Rams’ fifth straight victory in the boy’s basketball edition of the rivalry, extending their streak of dominance over the Blue Wave. 

As in any New Canaan-Darien matchup, the game was an instant classic in front of a packed crowd that seemed to be on its feet the entire night. 

“The crowd was electrifying,” senior captain Teddy Whittaker said.

‘It’s Something You’ve Dreamt About’: Rams Football Wins State Championship

On Saturday, December 9th, the New Canaan Rams defeated the Darien Blue Wave 28-21 to win their 2nd straight Class L Championship and 14th CIAC championship. The win “shows how hard we worked throughout the year, and it is amazing to be able to see that work pay off,” according to junior quarterback Luke Robinson. 

“The seniors on the team and their leadership were a big reason why we were able to reach our goals, and I’m glad we were able to send them off the right way,” Robinson said. The game was instantly historic, but to truly understand the story of the Rams’ remarkable season, we must return to their first game. On September 8th, barely two weeks into the new school year, the reigning state-champion Rams traveled to face the Shelton Gaels. Expectations were high, with GameTimeCT ranking New Canaan as the preseason number-two team in the state.