Student-Athletes Make Big College Commitments

Articles, Sports
March 12, 2021
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By Camille Storch

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

At Andover High School, we have a strong athletic program that has been formatted for each athlete to learn, practice, and play hard, under the coaching of former elite athletes themselves. With around 10 Division 1 sports offered, students have the ability to grow as athletes, while also developing long-lasting friendships and team building skills along the way. According to an NCAA study, only a little more than 6 percent of athletes who played a sport in high school go on to play in college. For this select group of athletes below, college commitments are a big step and the time to celebrate and be recognized is now.

STAFF PHOTO/ Erin Li
Captain Kayla DiBenedetto warms up before track practice. DiBenedetto has committed to Brandeis for the fall.

Paige Gillette

Sport: Field Hockey

College committed to: Assumption University

Since freshman year, Gillette has played sports for each season: Field hockey in the fall, basketball in the winter, and softball in the spring. Her favorite part about her field hockey experience at AHS was “winning the North title, junior year, with [her] teammates.” Gillette played goalkeeper, helping lead the team to the Division 1 North final in the 2019-20 season, as well as being on the varsity girls basketball team that went to the State Finals last March at TD Garden. Gillette is most looking forward to a “high level of competition and continuing to be on a team.” In addition to being recognized by AHS as a top performing goalkeeper and leader, Gillete has been chosen two years in a row as both a Boston Herald All-Scholastic and Boston Globe All-Scholastic, an impressive accomplishment that few reach in their high school athletic career.

Amanda Smith

Sport: Soccer

College committed to: Suffolk University

Smith has been playing soccer in Andover for more than 12 years and has met her best friends through the sport, gaining powerful soccer skills along the way. Smith is most looking forward to “a more intense atmosphere and more knowledge of the game.” As a college athlete, Smith is excited for the opportunity to travel to other schools and visit new areas outside of New England. She is also enthusiastic at the prospect of playing under Ashley Van Vechten, her new coach, who was one of the most decorated players in Division III women’s soccer. Throughout her high school soccer career, Smith’s motto throughout her high school soccer career has been “hard work pays off in the long run.”

Kayla DiBenedetto

Sport: Track

College committed to: Brandeis University

DiBenedetto has been on the track and field team for the past four years at AHS. Even though track is an individual sport, her favorite aspect of the program has been the family dynamic, as each teammate supports one another and encourages each other as a group. For DiBenedetto, team traditions will also be a missed moment, especially the “pasta dinners and chicken and waffles in Boston post MVC’s in the winter.” During freshman year, she played basketball, but struggled with a knee injury that continued to worsen throughout the season.The following spring, however, she was able to run track and that didn’t bother her injury as much. From this experience, the ultimate decision was made to stick with track, being the best for her body and health. At the collegiate level, Dibenedetto is excited to continue with that team dynamic that was ever so present at AHS. “Since my track experience was cut short here as a result of the virus, I am excited to still have a lot of time to improve and compete,” she said. For the 800 meter race, DiBenedetto ran a 2:25, along with running a 3:11 in the 1000 meter race, both notable times.

Tatum Shaw

Sport: Basketball

College committed to: Southern New Hampshire University

Throughout her four years of playing for the Andover Lady Warriors, Shaw has broken school records at AHS, including most recently joining the small group of athletes to score more than 1,000 points. While Shaw has been a star player since freshman year, she has been putting up hoops for the past ten years, starting out at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Methuen at age 7, and now going on to play at a Division II university. In addition to reaching 1,000 points this past season, Shaw put up a record high of 38 points in one game, a lofty accomplishment. Volleyball was another sport pursued by Shaw, but she referred to it as a “just for fun” sport, not as serious as basketball. Some of her best friends have been made from these teams, and she added that “there is no other feeling than the Jungle coming to your games and cheering you on.” The competition and schedule are equally exciting for Shaw looking forward to the future, as she concluded that she can’t wait to play “and make memories almost year round with people who are equally committed to the sport.”

Aidan Ritter

Sport: Baseball

College committed to: Endicott College

Since kindergarten, Ritter has enjoyed and thrived in his experience with baseball along with building up a tremendous amount of skill with the sport over the past 13 years to be able to play next year at the collegiate level. Ritter loved meeting and spending time with his teammates throughout the season along with learning valuable lessons from his coaches. Although Ritter has played football throughout high school, “baseball seemed like a safer sport and is [his] main sport.” In addition to playing at AHS, Ritter has played club baseball through Show New England for many years, serving as additional practice and competition. Ritter is most looking forward to travelling and getting better at baseball, along with simply learning new things at Endicott, located conveniently in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Ashley Kendrigan

Sport: Soccer

College committed to: Stonehill College

Kendrigan has played soccer for the past 13 years and was a leading force of the 2019 MVC Championship team, along with playing in the MIAA North Division 1 Finals. Running varsity in both winter and spring, Kendrigan has also been a powerful force on the AHS track and field team. Yet, Kendrigan has “played soccer every year since kindergarten, and [she] also plays club soccer, so playing in college has always been a goal.” Along with playing for four years at AHS, Kendrigan has played on the New England Football Club’s DPL team, a selective club team consisting of top players from all over New England. When asked what she is most looking forward to, Kendrigan concluded with “working with college-level teammates and coaches to learn and improve my game, and help contribute to my team’s success.”

Other Student-Athletes Who Have Committed:

AJ Heidtke

Sport: Football

College committed to: Brown University

Ashley Smith

Sport: Soccer

College committed to: Assumption University

Ben Entner

Sport: Football

College committed to: Colby College

Anthony Teberio

Sport: Baseball

College committed to: Wheaton College

Ryan Grecco

Sport: Baseball

College committed to: Colby College

Andoverview

AHS Class of 2026 Graduation: A Sentiment of Gratitude

June 11, 2026

Abby Chachus & Kendall Murphy || STAFF WRITERS

A hush falls as a sea of navy gowns, a rising tide of Andover High School graduates enters the Tsongas Center just before 5 o’clock on June 1, 2026. There is something distinct about moments like these. A goodbye that is bittersweet among both the audience and the seniors.

According to Graduation Committee member Ella Murphy, it is a goodbye to “Halloween costume competitions that never disappoint, lunches, wrap lines and vending machine trips,” seemingly inconsequential things, but the memories will stick with all of the students as they move on to their future endeavors.

The graduation speakers shared the value of these moments and their gratitude for the people that helped them along the way. As the ceremony commenced, the opening speakers Zachery Pan and Murphy welcomed everyone and encouraged them to acknowledge their shared experiences at Andover High School. “These moments, these memories, these faces. None of us got here alone.” said Pan.

Their speech gave time to deliver some truly meaningful thank you’s, “beyond the formalities” as Murphy put it, to the teachers and staff that showed up each day with “patience, support, and dedication.” Furthermore, they recognized that this gratitude is not solely meant for the significant ceremonies.

“Gratitude is kind of strange. We tend to save it for the big moments. The ceremonies, the stages, the audiences,” said Murphy.

“But let’s be honest—the people who actually changed your life probably weren’t standing on a stage when they did it,” continued Pan.

They concluded the speech with a request to the graduates to thank those who changed their lives in both the big and small moments, even if it feels unnecessary.

Before graduation, other seniors expressed similar thoughts, like reflecting on the journey that got them to where they are today.

“To all my teachers: thank you for everything. I would not be here without any single one of you.” said Christopher Reardon.

Thomas Enman advised underclassmen to “just enjoy every little minute you get at AHS.”

Vignesha Jayakumar, class essayist and valedictorian, echoed this same sentiment of appreciation, reinforcing Reardon’s message about the lasting impact of teachers and support systems. “We were galvanized from a community of supportive teachers and staff who didn’t just teach us subjects, they taught us how to think, how to question, how to care,” said Jayakumar.

He also mentioned the importance of one learning from their fellow graduates. “We learned as much from each other in the hallways and the bleachers as we did in the classroom,” he said.

After Jayakumar, Graduation Committee members Ben Pelt and Kari Belson spoke. First, Pelt announced the Class of 2026’s class gift to AHS. Next, Belson named Scott Armstrong the 2026 Distinguished Citizen (see page 4).

When Principal Jimmy D’Andrea took the stage, he, like all the other speakers, expressed the value of gratitude, a central theme that resonated throughout the ceremony. He began by thanking each group that got each member of the graduating class to where they were standing in the Tsongas Center, about to leave the comfort of being an AHS student and moving onto becoming alumni, highlighting the strong support system and sense of community that defined the graduating class’s journey.

He also encouraged each graduate to “personally reach out and thank those individuals who made a difference in [their] lives,” reinforcing the ceremony’s message of appreciation, reflection, and recognition for the people who helped shape their high school experience.

Interim Superintendent Keith Taverna encouraged graduates to continue to make the community proud with the positive impact they will bring to the world.

To conclude the ceremony, Graduation Committee members Chloe Ahn and Margaret Farabaugh brought everyone together one last time. “Tonight we stand together because of the strong and spirited community we have built,” said Ahn.

Ahn concluded, “As we become graduates of Andover High School, we step into the world with purpose, passion, and pride… Congratulations class of 2026!”

Students, Faculty Travel to Scandinavia Over Spring Break

June 11, 2026

Samin Faiz || STAFF WRITER

Forty-two Andover High School students and seven chaperones visited Scandinavia this April.

After a six-hour flight from Boston to Reykjavík, Iceland, followed by a two-hour flight to Oslo, Norway, the group began their ten-day-long tour the Thursday before spring break. Through a combination of bus rides, overnight ferries, and countless miles on foot, the group made their way through five Northern European countries: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia.

“I’ve been traveling with students since 2005, so this might be my 17th tour,” said Brian Shea, English teacher, organizer, and chaperone of the trip. “We’ve now done all of Europe, so Northern Europe was sort of our last frontier.”

Apart from the chaperones, the group was accompanied by a tour director named Yulia, whom Shea worked closely with to structure the daily itinerary and ensure a smooth trip.

In Scandinavia, English is widely spoken, so the language barrier was never a problem for the group. Sometimes, however, the students made connections in ways that transcend the spoken word.

“I played soccer with a bunch of people in Sweden,” recalled Hannah Arnold, a junior who participated in the trip. “That was probably the highlight of the trip for me.”

Arnold is no stranger to international travel. Just two months earlier, in fact, she joined her classmates on another school trip to Peru over winter break. However, for her twin sister, Grace Arnold, this was a brand-new experience.

“I met a lot of new people that I’ve never met before, especially people not in my grade,” Grace said. “It was really nice because I met a lot of great people through that and got to spend time with people I wouldn’t usually get to spend time with.”

The trip offered a flexible balance of group tours and independent exploration. “We had a lot of free time,” Grace noted. “We got to explore cities on our own and shop where we wanted. As long as you stayed in groups of three or more, you were free to roam the city.”

Students observed the region’s distinct economic models. Through agreements within the European Union and the Nordic Council, higher education is heavily subsidized or entirely free for regional citizens.

“It’s really interesting. They tax wealthier people a lot more and their overall tax rates are a lot higher,” one student observed. “The way they reinvest money back into infrastructure contributes to stronger public infrastructure. Education and health care are free, and they even offer stipends to cover the cost of living. Essentially, you pay a lot of taxes, but you get a lot in return.”

Students also noticed the societal impact of these safety nets. “Their unhoused population is significantly lower. If you want help, those systems are available to support you.”

The travelers’ curiosity and maturity left a strong impression on the faculty.

“These kids were wonderful,” said Shea. “All of the students were engaged. They were paying attention. They were enjoying it. They were wonderful travelers. To me, that was the biggest thrill.”

With the preparations for next year’s destinations already underway, the future of travel programs at AHS seems to be brimming with opportunities.

“Next year, we have two tours,” said Shea. “We’re running one tour to Barcelona and Madrid in February, and then we’re running another tour to Greece in April.”

Such opportunities are often highly selective at other schools, but luckily, these trips remain open to the entire student body at AHS.

“There’s no application process,” Shea emphasized. “We’re not looking at grades. We’re not looking at behavioral records. Anybody can sign up when we offer these tours. I put them out there, and I’m like, ‘If you want to go, come.’”

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