From the beginning of Molly Kiley’s freshman year, it was clear that she was going to be a competitive runner for Andover High School.
A significant boost for the Girls Cross Country team at AHS, Kiley quickly rose to become the number one runner for Andover girls and has maintained that spot well into her junior year. At the same time, she continues to gain impressive personal records for herself.
“I first started running the summer before freshman year,” recalled Kiley, adding that she “knew [she] wasn’t going to make the soccer team, so [she] just decided to do cross country.”
For many athletes, the transition from middle school to high school athletics can be a bit of a jarring experience, with many students experiencing getting “cut” from a team for the first time. Cross country is one of the few fall sports that is non-cut, therefore many athletes from a multitude of sports end up joining the team. It can be an eye-opening experience for many kids, especially if they previously hated running but suddenly discover they have a natural talent for it.
For Kiley, freshman year was “a lot of fun,” and full of learning experiences. “Going into the season, I didn’t have any expectations, but my goal was to place at the Merrimack Valley Conference championship,” stated Kiley. “My other goal for freshman year was to break 20 minutes [for the 5k] and qualify for the All-States meet.” Even though Kiley did not qualify for All States freshman year, she did break 20 minutes in a 5k race and hopes to make All States this year.
STAFF PHOTO / Camille Storch Molly Kiley during a race
Sophomore year took a bit of a downhill turn with Kiley getting injured. Kiley added that she was “really down on [herself] sophomore year, thinking [she] peaked freshman year.” Yet, she recalls how the most important part of healing an injury is time, patience, and diligence with physical therapy and strengthening, all of which Kiley focused on as a tenth grader.
Now, in her junior year, Kiley is back at full capacity and continues to break her own records. Most recently, on October 30 at the Merrimack Valley Conference meet, Kiley won the girls 5K varsity race with an astonishing time of 18 minutes and 27 seconds, equivalent to running at 5:57 mile pace for 3.2 miles. She finished 42 seconds ahead of the second place runner, Miana Carabello of Methuen.
What are the keys to Kiley’s success? “I think summer training is super important,” said Kiley. “I go to Peabody with other girls on the team, and we work really hard over the summer, and that definitely gives us leverage for the fall season.” For Kiley, running is a year-round commitment, as she trains in the summer, runs cross country in the fall, and then runs track in the winter and spring.
Sue Kiley, coach of AHS girls and boys cross country, also happens to be Molly’s mother. Having her mom be her coach for almost three years now has been an extremely valuable experience and one that she will miss in college. If Kiley is to continue running at the collegiate level, she stated that she “would need to vocalize better” concerns about injuries and aches to a college coach. “It’s easy to have my mom understand what’s going on in my life, whereas a college coach might not know me as well,” reflected Kiley.
In regards to her future, Kiley believes she definitely wants “to run in college, and [she] would miss it if [she] didn’t, but [she] is not entirely sure what that will look like at the moment, because academics do come first.”
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.
STAFF PHOTO/ Erin Li Senior captain Tatum Shaw dribbling before a jump shot during their game against Chelmsford High School on January 29th.
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.”
Almost a year ago, there was no hope for spring sports, let alone fall sports. Being able to find ways to allow athletes to safely play was a struggle and topic in question, with many state board meetings being held throughout the summer to decide the fate of these special fall sports. The MIAA board pushed back the start of the fall season to September 14 for all Massachusetts teams, Andover beginning on the 18th due to their delay of start of school. Three categories were created to determine to what extent each sport would be able to participate and what sports would have to be moved to a postponed “Fall II” season in the late winter. In the end, football and cheerleading, along with girls swim and dive were pushed back, deemed the most “high risk” sports for student athletes based on the amount of physical contact they required between player to player. Athletes playing in the normal fall season faced various challenges and difficulties based on the new COVID regulations, but in some cases, it brought the team closer together.
STAFF PHOTO/ Erin Li WELCOMING WINTER SPORTS: Varsity girls basketball is one of the winter sports that continues to practice and compete despite the pandemic.
Boys Soccer (Captains: Jared Moses, Anton Pace, Anthony Previte, Ryan O’ Sullivan):
The boys soccer team made it to the division 1 north semifinals last year in the playoffs and were going into the fall coming off a really strong previous season, yet COVID had a serious impact on how far the team could make it this year. Captain Jared Moses felt that “one of the biggest restrictions that impacted [the] team was wearing masks as [they] were playing. Running and playing your hardest is tough when wearing a mask.” Moses went on to say that the masks restrict players ability to get as much oxygen as they need, especially when playing competitive soccer. Some staples that were missing from the regular season were the annual New England Revolution games, no pasta dinner, and only playing around 4-5 different teams, not being able to leave the conference. Captain Ryan O’Sullivan rated the season a seven out of ten and added “the only reason I am not completely bummed out is because we had an amazing run last year and I’m just glad myself and the other captains had a chance to go as far as we did. I would have been happy with anything this season because of it.” O’Sullivans favorite memory was beating Haverhill on their senior night, after a 7 game losing streak, and Moses articulated this statement, adding that his favorite part was just “being on the field with some of the best kids in the school.”
COVID had a large impact on the girls soccer team, a powerful group of players who had almost made it to the state championship last year, starting with the number of players able to participate. The roster was shortened to 22 players, and the amount of team bonding the girls were able to partake in was also cut short, with the team unable to do their annual canning, banquet, and end of year celebration. Captain Colleen Shay took an optimistic perspective on the limitations, stating that “We were all going through the same unfortunate experience together, and [she’s] really grateful for the bonds [she] was able to make with [her] whole team this year.” An interesting limitation impacted the technical rules of the game itself; there were no throw ins, no headers, and no taking corner kicks. Also, the team could only play certain, selected teams in the Merrimack Valley Conference, which cut off various non-league rivals and participation in the state tournament. On a scale of 1-10, Shay rated the season a 6, explaining that even though she is normally a really positive person, it was tricky finding the “bright side” of the season. “The nine other seniors on [Shay’s] team and [herself] have been playing together for [their] whole lives, waiting for [their] senior year. After growing up in the sport, it felt really unfair having [their] final, most important year taken away,” commented Shay. A favorite memory from the season was simply having fun with each other at practice and spending time together as not just teammates, but as best friends. Shay ended with “In the long run, it’s not all bad because I know I’ll be friends with these girls for a long time and we’ll have plenty of time together after COVID!”
Cross Country (Captains: Charlie Beams, Kayla Dibennetido, Jenna Freeland, Kirsten Muscat, Zack Nepomnashay, Cam Kirn, Owen Salamone)
Cross Country is, and always has been, a no cut sport, meaning the amount of athletes that can participate are unlimited. This year, the team had over 85 kids running, so they put a lot of effort into abiding by rules and different limitations in order to make the most of their season, and they sure did! Many athletes reached a personal record in their races, despite the semi-altered course, and the team made the best of the season that they could. “Some of the restrictions against our training included wearing masks during runs and workouts, we were only allowed to race in dual meets, we were not allowed to directly race with our components, and we had to limit our access to equipment and lifting,” recalled captain Jenna Freeland. Runners were not able to participate in any pre-season training and there were no annual MVC or MSTCA races. Freeland, along with fellow captains Kirsten Muscat and Kayla DiBenedetto, spoke to the lingering disappointment that this was their senior year, stating “No matter how long we did the sport for, whether it be one season or four, we all worked extremely hard. Senior year is known to be the best year where we see all of our hard work pay off.” Big pasta dinners, large meets, post-meet food stops on the highway, and more will be missed next year for the seniors who are graduating. Lastly, the seniors are so grateful that they were able to have an awesome senior night. “We were able to race and celebrate our hard work with our family, friends, and entire time (socially distanced and outside),” reminisced Freeland.
Field Hockey (Captains: Heather Graham, Paige Gillette, Hannah Medwar, Allana Miller)
The returning Division 1 North Champs had to adjust this season as they faced
difficulties with COVID, but that did not stop them from playing as well as they did and ending their fall season undefeated. The first adjustment the team had to make was shifting from a 11v11 setup to a 7v7 setup, meaning that only seven players were allowed to play from Andover at once, instead of the regular eleven. Captain Paige Gillette stated that “Every player on the roster was talented and hard working enough to play at a high level and make an impact on the field,” and was disappointed for younger players who might have not gotten as much playing time as they deserved due to the restrictions. Gillete and her team were heartbroken to hear the post-season was eliminated and Gillete added that she was sure that the team would have taken home the state championship again! “I do, however, understand we are living through unprecedented times,” acknowledged Gillete, “and woke up every morning grateful for another day where I would get to play field hockey with this team.” Gillette and her co-captains rated the season a 10/10, “because any time spent playing high school field hockey for Andover High School is amazing and ‘the best day ever’.”
Volleyball (Captains: Abby Ledoux, Alexandra Papazian, Tatum Shaw)
Girl’s volleyball captain Alexandra Papazian will always remember the team’s Senior Day as a favorite memory from this unprecedented season. Normally, the team practices and plays in the Dunn Gym, but the team practiced in the field house because of desks placed in the gym for lunch. The Seniors were able to play one last home game in the Dunn Gym thanks to the administration helping move the desks. Family and underclassmen were able to help celebrate the seniors and it made the season special since it was the last opportunity for those graduating. The team only played six games this year, instead of the normal 20-game schedule. There was a significant reduction in opportunity to compete, but this didn’t stop the team’s motivation to continue to grow as players. “Girls volleyball always tends to be very close and we have pasta dinners with all three teams, being able to bond with everyone,” Papazian said, adding that although much was missing from the season, she rated it an eight because having her senior season of volleyball is something she has looked forward to since freshman year and she couldn’t be more grateful to experience it.
