KENDALL ZIMMERMAN

Girls Soccer

While too often it’s the sizzling shots on goal by the forwards or the brilliant stops by the goaltenders which steal the show, many times soccer games are won in the trenches – at midfield – where there are no numbers to quantify performance. Kendall Zimmerman was a solid force for the Nighthawks in the midfield, patrolling a lot of ground and more often than not starting those runs on goal that Colleen Davis and Shannon Rouse so often enjoyed last fall.

SARAH DACEY

Girls’ Lacrosse

In the high-scoring world of lacrosse, the goaltender is an often forgotten – and misunderstood – position. But no one can deny what Sarah Dacey has done for the Nighthawks over the course of the last two years. Dacey has defined the position at Newtown High School and has solid performances in the state tournament the last two years and a 31-save regular season effort against Darien this year to prove it.

HEATHER MORGAN

Softball

It can never be easy for the replacements – those people who have to step in for an injured player and attempt to fill shoes that seem way to large. But Heather Morgan, who had to step in for an injured Jody Minalgo behind the plate and while she might not have had a sparkling offensive season, her solid defense certainly filled the void left behind by Minalgo’s absence.

ALLY GELLERT

Volleyball

While her talent on the basketball court can not be denied (she helped lead the Nighthawks to a South-West Conference championship), Ally Gellert emerged as a very good player on the volleyball court as well. While Amanda Marsilio was hammering spikes at the net and players like Chrissy Deweese, Lily Fielding, Laura Hammond and Andrea Rustine were solid back- and frontcourt players, Gellert emerged as a dependable hitter for a team that needed another threat at the net.

MATT_SULLIVAN

Wrestling

While guys like Nick_Feola and Steve Selezan were absolutely dominating the competition in the mid-weights, the ‘Hawks could never forget how important it was to start a match off well and having a guy like Matt Sullivan at the 119-pound class was perfect. After the initial two matches of the evening, Sullivan was a solid favorite week in and week out at 119 pounds and usually set the stage for Dan Maley, Feola and Selezan.

CARA DELVECCHIO

& ALLISON FROBEY

Girls’ Track

The 4x100 relay is perhaps one of the glamour events of girls’ track because it is run so fast and the finishes are so often very close . . . but it is usually the anchor, who crosses the finish line, or the third leg, which so often takes that initial lead, where the focus lies. At Newtown High, Cara Delvecchio and Allison Frobey are the first two legs in a dominating 4x100 relay which captured first at the recent South-West Conference championships.

PAT MONAHAN

Swimming

The entire South-West Conference knew that the Newtown High School boys’ swim team had the best diving program – but most teams were only looking to Alyssa von Oy and Greg Simoneau in the top two positions. Many simply overlooked Pat Monahan, who, about midway through the season, became a solid No. 3 diver in his first season on the board – often giving the ‘Hawks the clean sweep in the event – for coach Brian Reiff and qualified for the CIAC_Class L meet.

MATT_SAUNDERS

Football

On a team that ran on the legs of Sean Raby and the big hands of tight end Matt McCarthy, there was Matt Saunders almost quietly becoming a top defensive player in the South-West Conference - not to mention a good spot runner out of the backfield. On the lacrosse field, he handled the tough, unforgiving work of the faceoffs and spent a lot of time banging bodies, trying to feed the ball down into the attackmen.

LISA_MASELLA

Basketball

It can’t be easy, being a sophomore thrust into a position suddenly opened with the injury to a star player. But Lisa Masella didn’t crumble under the prospects of filling the shoes of center Amanda Marsilio and, in fact, thrived. She became a good defensive player and a scoring threat and gave coach Gregg Simon a chance to relish the idea of having both Masella and Marsilio on the floor next year.

TOM_MALLOY

Soccer

Even though he recorded 11 shutouts on a team that was 13-4-2, Tom Malloy did not capture a lot of the spotlight last fall. Perhaps it was the up-and-down season as a junior, which did not lead to much hype or expectations being thrust upon the netminder. But Malloy’s success in the net helped lead the Nighthawks to another fine season and gave the senior an opportunity to be named to the All-SWC first team.