Isabella, McNamara Earn NHS Athlete Of Year Honors

By Andy Hutchison

Jackie Isabella and Kyle McNamara have been selected as The Bee’s Newtown High School Athletes of the Year.

Both senior athletes not only performed at high levels in multiple sports, but they led their respective teams to championships in addition to earning a variety of conference and state accolades.

Isabella, an All-State field hockey player, helped the program to its first South-West Conference championship in the fall. She also earned All-SWC honors for field hockey. Isabella aided the lacrosse team to its fifth consecutive SWC title this spring. She was a captain for both teams. Isabella was an defender in field hockey and an attack player in lacrosse.

“It has been a true pleasure watching Jackie outwork every player on the field. She was the ultimate team player who never cared about her own personal recognition and always put team success before her own accolades,” Newtown High Athletic Director Gregg Simon said.

McNamara, an All-State and All-SWC football player, was a member of the football team that won nine regular season games and reached the SWC title game as well as the state playoffs. He also led the lacrosse team to the SWC championship and earned tournament MVP honors. He the lacrosse team’s defensive MVP two years in a row and earned All-American honors in lacrosse. McNamara was a cornerback on the football team and defender for Newtown High’s lacrosse team.

“Kyle is the perfect example of a student-athlete who led by his actions rather than his words. He dominated the field this year both in football and lacrosse and helped lead those two teams to some of their finest records in school history,” Simon added.

Q & A

What is your favorite aspect of playing your sports?

Isabella: “My favorite part about field hockey is being around the girls. They are really fun and accepting. I think the game is safe. It’s a little slower than lacrosse, but it’s fun. I like lacrosse because it’s a fast game, high scoring and competitive.”

McNamara: “I like the speed and the physicality of it. It’s a lot of fun. ... Every game is a challenge.”

What is the toughest part about competing?

Isabella said the time commitment that goes into playing on a team is the most challenging part of playing high school sports. Isabella and her teammates practiced two-and-a-half hours with the field hockey team five days per week and with the lacrosse team six days a week.

McNamara: “You’ve got to adapt on the fly — you never know how it’s going to go.”

When you’re not on the playing field what do you like to do?

Isabella: She likes to swim. The NHS graduate plans to study chemistry for predentistry at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven this fall.

McNamara: He likes to work out. McNamara will attend the University Of Delaware this fall and major in business. He will play lacrosse for the Division I team.