Bowen And Lapple Earn Athlete Of The Year Accolades

By Andy Hutchison

Both athletes overcame injuries to lead their teams to championship games this past school year. Both athletes — Kate Bowen and Andy Lapple — are The Newtown Bee’s Newtown High School Athletes Of The Year.

Newtown High, as always, fielded many standout performers on the athletic fields, courts, track, and ice surface this past school year. Bowen and Lapple, 2010 graduates, are two of the multi-sport athletes who were standout performers throughout their high school careers.

Bowen, who had played varsity basketball until injuring her anterior cruciate ligament late in her junior year, missed a season of softball but returned to the field in a big way — pitching and hitting the Nighthawks to the South-West Conference championship and all the way to the Class LL State Tournament’s pinnacle game following an unbeaten regular season.

Lapple, who helped the baseball team win an SWC title a year ago, played through a shoulder injury to help the basketball team reach the conference title game this past winter. Lapple also played two seasons of football at NHS. After capping off a strong baseball season, Lapple had surgery on a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Bowen, the Most Valuable Player in the SWC title game, was named to the All South-West Conference Team and also named All State. Lapple, an All SWC Colonial Division Team honoree, also took home All State accolades. Both athletes were captains on their respective teams, and both will be missed by their coaches.

Lin Hertberg, an assistant coach on the school’s softball staff, describes Bowen as a positive role model with great leadership skills who worked hard to battle back to get into top form for the softball season.

“She’s a consummate softball player. She runs the bases well, obviously she’s a good pitcher, fielder, and hitter. She works very, very hard,” Hertberg said. “She always works — trying to improve her game, trying to be the best she can be. Her knowledge of the game is superior.”

Bowen tossed two perfect games and a no-hitter, and was 22-1 overall this past spring. She had 12 shutouts and allowed only nine earned runs in 155 innings pitched for an earned run average of .41. Bowen was strong in the batter’s box as well, hitting .457 with an on-base percentage of .546. She had 37 hits, including six homeruns, knocked in 35 runs and scored 28 times.

Bowen has played softball since she was in her early days of grade school and has enjoyed the ride.

“It’s just a great way to be a part of something in Newtown and have great success through athletics,” Bowen said.

A longtime basketball player, she decided not to play in her senior year in fear of another injury causing her to miss another softball season. The decision was not an easy one to make.

“It was definitely hard not playing basketball. I didn’t know if I was going to play or not. I went back and forth with the pros and cons,” Bowen said.

She stayed with the team and contributed her time as a manager, keeping statistics and supporting her teammates during her senior year.

“I have so much fun with the girls and coaches. I wanted to stay a part of the team and be there,” Bowen said.

Bowen’s athletic career will continue at Manhattan College where she received a scholarship to play softball.

“I’m really looking forward to Manhattan because it’s going to be something totally different,” Bowen said. “I just can’t wait to start a new chapter in my life.”

Lapple was named a captain on the basketball team a few weeks into the season and his coach, John Quinn, said he showed more improvement from the end of his junior year to his senior year than he has seen by an athlete.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Quinn said. “He had this ability to put us on his back when we needed it.”

Lapple shot 58 percent from the floor in averaging slightly more than 12 points per game. He also pulled down 6.7 rebounds per game and hit 43 percent of his 3-pointers. During this past baseball campaign, Lapple’s shoulder injury lingered and he couldn’t effectively throw the baseball and, thus, was limited to designated hitter duties but was happy just to be able to contribute.

“I just wanted to do anything I could to help the team out,” Lapple said.

Lapple batted .508, knocked in 19 runs, and scored 19 in 61 at bats in 19 games played.

“It’s really fun — playing with these kids for basically all of my life. Our friendships have grown through sports even more, so that’s made it even more fun,” Lapple said of the best part about playing high school sports.

He will attend Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H., and hopes to continue his baseball career at the collegiate level. “I’m really excited. I have all the confidence in the world so I can’t wait,” he said.