WESTHILL DIVERS HANNAH CHUCKAS AND JULIA STEFANOWICZ HAVE A DAY AT CIAC CLASS LL DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Westhill's Julia Stefanowics and Hannah Chuckas both had outstanding perormances at Thursday's CIAC Class LL Diving Championship at Middletown HS.  Stefanowicz, a junior, had a great day, finishing 5th overall out of the best 26 divers in LL from around the state.  Chuckas, also a junior, had a career day, finishing first overall, earning the title of State Champion and being named first-team Class LL all-state.  Both girls will be back in action on Thursday 11/18 in the CIAC Open Diving Championships (Middletown HS/5:30), featuring the state's best divers from every CIAC class.  

UPCOMING GAMES

THU 11/25

V Footbll @ Stamford High   10:00 a.m.   (Westhill Live stream/link below)

ATHLETIC SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENTS

IMPORTANT HEALTH INFORMATION

FOR ALL WESTHILL  ATHLETES

If you are planning on participating in/trying out for an athletic team, and you have tested positive for COVID-19 at any point you may need to complete the state-mandated COVID Return to Play Protocol in order to participate.  The document outlining the protocols is below.   If you have had a positive test at any point you must see  Mr. Cerone or Bradie Pollard, Westhill's Athletic Trainer as soon as possible  They will explain your specific next steps.  Also below is a form you will need to take to your doctor once you have spoken to Mr. Cerone or Ms. Pollard.  Again, you should do this as soon a spossible as this could delay your participation in your chosen sport.

Senior Betsy Sachs, who was honored this spring as one of Westhill's two CAS-CIAC Scholar-Athletes, was recently interviewed by The Ruden Report concerning this honor, among other things.  The link to the interview is below.  Hope you enjoy it.  

The NCAA has recently issued a FAQ sheet regarding how the current Corona Virus situation will affect the initial athletic eligibility of members of the classof 2020.  Click on the link below to access the information.

Congratulations to senior girls volleyball player Betsy Sachs on being named The Ruden Report fall season Female Athlete of the Year.  Betsy garnered over 20% of the vote in a pool of 13 finalists.  Thank you to all of you in Viking Country who took the time to vote for her.  

https://therudenreport.com/vote-for-the-ruden-report-fall-male-female-players-of-the-year-2/

Five Westhill student-athletes have been named to All-State teams in three different sports for the winter season.  Earning first team honors were  senior Tommy Mazur (wrestling),  sophomore Bailey Petrizzi (gymnastics), and freshman Hannah Chuckas (gymnastics).  Name second team were senior Hunter Gilchrist (B hockey) and  junior Tucker Healy (B hockey).  

Westhill senior wrestler Tommy Mazur swept through the CIAC Class LL Championship this past weekend, becoming Westhill's first state wrestling champion since Ronald Thompson won the 160 pound title in 2008.  Mazur, who wrestles at 170 pounds, moves on to this weekend's CIAC State Open Championship.  The tournament starts with the preliminary round on Friday (2/28) and will be held at New Haven's Floyd Little Athletic Center.

The honors and awards for Viking senior three-sport athlete Betsy Sachs just keep coming.  Following her selection as Westhill's CAS-CIAC female scholar-athlete, announced last week, Betsy has earned another statewide honor.  The Connecticut State High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) has announced that Betsy has been awarded one of their four John J. Fontana scholarships for 2019-20, chosen from more than 300 nominees from high schools across the state.  Betsy is the first Viking student-athlete to earn this honor since the award was inaugurated 20 years ago.  Congratulations Betsy. 

Senior wrestler Tommy Mazur has been named the NewsChannel 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Week for the week of Monday March 9.  Beginning with the 5:00 broadcast, Tommy will be featured in the sports segment of each news broadcast on Monday March 9 (tomorrow).  Mazur joins Viking Girls Volleyball captain Betsy Sachs as a weekly honoree for the 2019-20 school year.   We will post the link to the video on Tommy as soon as we get it.  The link to Betsy's report is below.

Hey Viking Country.  Volleyball senior Betsy Sachs has been named the channel's Scholar-Athlete of the Week.  Check out the feature they did on her.  The link is below.  Congrats Betsy.  Well deserved.

http://connecticut.news12.com/clip/14960369/scholar-athlete-betsy-sachs

Senior Girls Lacrosse player Emily Reid has signed a National Letter of Intent to take her talents to Sacred Heart University for the 2021 season.  Emily is pictured here with her proud parents, Bill and Christine, and her brother Conner.  Best of luck to you Emily.  All of Viking Country is looking forward to watching you play this spring as you finish up your career at Westhill.  Viking PRIDE!

http://connecticut.news12.com/story/41357236/team-of-the-week-westhill-vikings-girls-volleyball

The 2020 Westhill Virtual Graduation video has been released.  Just click on the link below to view it.  And I know we have said it before, but all of us in the Athletic Department want to say thank you to our graduating student-athletes for all they have done for our program over these last four years.  We also wish each of you the best of luck as you leave the Hill and enter the next phase of your life.   And don't forget- ONCE A VIKING, ALWAYS A VIKING

Senior student-athletes Betsy Sachs and Alex Edwards have been honored as Westhill's recipients of the CAS-CIAC Scholar-Athlete Award.  The award is presented to one male and one female senior student-athlete at each CAS-CIAC member school whose academic and athletic careers have been exemplary, whose personal standards and achievements are a model to others, and who possess high levels of integrity, self-discipline and courage.

Westhill Athletic Director Dick Cerone commented "both Betsy (volleyball, indoor track, softball) and Alex (wrestling, lacrosse) are talented, committed multi-sport athletes, extremely strong students and most importantly, outstanding people.  They are great representatives of our athletic program and our school and are certainly deserving of this honor.  We wish them much success as they prepare to leave Westhill soon."

Betsy plans on studying pre-med at The University of Virginia.  Alex is currently undecided on his college choice.

Here is the CIAC release regarding the winter sports season.

SPS POLICY REGARDING SPECTATORS AT ATHLETIC EVENTS

The Stamford Public Schools have announced that spectators will not be allowed at any home athletic events  at both Westhill and Stamford High during the fall season.  The Superintendent's letter announcing the decision is below.

Also below is information regarding the spectator policies of all of the FCIAC schools.  Several districts are allowing limited spectators.  Each of our head coaches have been provided with FCIAC lanyards which will allow parents of varsity athletes to attend games at those schools.  The coaches will distribute the lanyards to their varsity players directly.  Most FCIAC schools are not allowing spectators at sub-varsity level contests.

Any questions regarding either of the above issues should be directed to Westhill Athletic Director Dick Cerone.

SUPERINTENDENT'S LETTER REGARDING FALL SEASON SENIOR DAYS

VIKING FALL ATHLETES EARN POST-SEASON HONORS

Several Viking fall athletes earned All-State, All-FCIAC and FCIAC academic recognition at the conclusion of the fall season.  The list is below.  Congratulations to all of our student-athletes on their successes during a difficult COVID-impacted fall season.  They will all be recognized by the Stamford Board of Education in January.

Boys Cross Country

All State- Colin McLaughlin

All FCIAC- Colin McLaughlin, Tucker Healy, Andrew Hicks, Erik Lopez

Girls Soccer

FCIAC Exemplary Scholar-Athlete- Samantha Fischer

 Boys Soccer

All-FCIAC- Cesar Caballero, Peter Sawch, Fernando Moran

FCIAC Exemplary Scholar-Athlete- Tim Silkowitz

 Girls Swim and Dive

All State- Hannah Chuckas, Annie Edwards, Julia Stefanowicz

All FCIAC- Hannah Chuckas, Annie Edwards

 Girls Volleyball

All State- Maddy Bautista, Vana Servos

All FCIAC- Maddy Bautista, Vana Servos

SPRING SPORT START DATES

Below is a link to the spring season start dates for each sport.  Coaches will inform their team members of the practice schedule for their team beyond the start date.  

WESTHILL BASEBALL TEAM HOLDS FREE GLOVE GIVEAWAY FOR LOCAL YOUTH

Head Coach Mike Riveles and members of the Viking baseball team demonstrated a bit of holiday spirit on December 15, holding a baseball glove giveaway for local youth at the Stamford Boys and Girls Club.  The link to the Advocate story is below.  Coach Riv and his athletes are outstanding representatives of both our athletic program and school community and their willingness to help out the community in this way is much appreciated.  

COLIN MCLAUGHLIN WINS FCIAC DIVISIONAL CROSS COUNTRY RACE, HAS FASTEST TIME IN ALL THREE DIVISIONAL MEETS

Senior Cross Country captain Colin McLaughlin finished first overall in the recent FCIAC West Division Champiuonship.  McLaughlin, who ran the day's fastest time (15:36.8) was 33 seconds faster than the next fastest time from any of the three divisional races.  The victory caps an outstanding 4 year cross country career at the Hill for Colin.   

HANNAH CHUCKAS TAKES SECOND AT FCIAC DIVING CHAMPIONSHIP

Westhill Sophomore Hannah Chuckas capped an outstanding fall season with a strong showing at the recent FCIAC Diving Championships held at Westhill.  Chuckas paced the Westhill divers during the season, finishing in first place against both Darien and New Canaan and finishing second to FCIAC champ Annie Bingle  in the team's regular season meet with Greenwich.  Hannah was also an All-State gymnast as a freshman during the 2019-20 season.

THIS IS...

VIKING COUNTRY

WINTER SPORTS REGISTRATION

OPEN

LATE REGISTRATION OPEN WED 11/17 AT 6:00 A.M. THROUGH TUESDAT 11/23 AT MIDNIGHT

The  late registration window for winter 2021-22 sports is open. It will remain open through midnight on Tuesday 11/23.  The registration link will be available below at that time.   When registering DO NOT use your Stamford Public School s gmail account.  It will not work.  You must use a different email address.  .  All students interested in participating in winter sports who have not already done so MUST register during this time in order to participate.  While we will work to clear these students as soon as possible, there is a possibility that they will not be cleared by the first day of their respective practice/tryout.  Additional paperwork requirements and other important information are listed below.  Please read this information carefully.  It is highly recommended that you get your physical squared away and your med card turned in as soon as possible.  Please contact Mr. Cerone if you have any questions.

In order to participate in athletics at Westhill, in addition to completing the online registration, you must have a current physical and submit a completed "Purple Card".  

Please note that we have changed the verification process regarding the physical and the Purple Card.  Purple Cards will no longer need to be stamped by the nurse.  They should instead be returned to the Athletic Director prior to the start of fall practices or to the head coach on the first day of practice.  Physical forms should be turned in to the Athletic Director as soon as possible.  Please see the information below for instructions regarding both the medical card and the physical.  Returning these items in a timely manner will ensure that an athlete is cleared to participate at the start of pre-season tryouts/practices.     

1.   CURRENT PHYSICAL   In order to participate in the Westhill athletic program, every student-athlete must have a current physical on file with the school nurse.  A current physical is defined as a physical dated within the last thirteen (13) months.  The approved physical form, state of Connecticut form HAR-3, must be completely filled out, signed and dated by the students doctor.  A link to the form is below.  Athletes new to the school or who have had a new physical since the end of school should return their completed physical forms to the Westhill main office as soon as possible.

2.  PURPLE CARD (permission-to-treat form)   Every student-athlete is required to submit a  permission-to-treat card (Purple Card) in order to participate in athletics at Westhill.  This form must be completely filled out, signed by a parent/legal guardian, and submitted to the Athletic Director prior to the start of pre-season tryouts/practices.  These cards are available at the Westhill main office.  You can also print out a paper copy (link below) and submit that.  Completed forms can be returned to the Westhill main office during the registration period.  They can also be handed in to the coach during the check-in time prior to each team's first practice.

NO ATHLETES ARE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY PRACTICE/TRY OUT WITHOUT HAVING A CURRENT PHYSICAL ON FILE AND TURNING IN A PURPLE CARD (or paper form).

Any questions regarding this process should be directed to the Athletic Director.

IMPORTANT ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION FOR ALL STUDENT-ATHLETES

In order to participate in the athletic program at Westhill, all student-athletes MUST meet specific academic requirements set by the Stamford Board of Education.  Those requirements are outlined in a document you can open with the link below.  All athletes should read them and be familiar with them.

Westhill Athletic Policy requires that all student-athletes ride to and from away games with their teams.  However, we also realize that on occasion circumstances may arise that would necessitate a waiver to this policy.  When such unusual circumstances do arise student-athletes or their parents may request a waiver from this policy by completing a Bus Release Form and submitting it to Mr. Cerone.  Forms must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the the trip.  To access the Bus Release Form, click on the link below.  You can submit the form either electronically or with a hard copy.  Electronic forms can be emailed directly to Mr. Cerone.  Hard copies can be given to him directly or be placed in his mailbox in the Main Office.  He will notify you directly to let you know whether or not the appeal was granted.

BATTLE FOR THE CITY CUP

2018-19 RESULTS:   STAMFORD 12-WESTHILL 11

2019-20 RESULTS: STAMFORD LEADS 9-5/SPRING SEASON SUSPENDED

2020-21 RESULTS: WESTHILL 12.5-STAMFORD 7.5

NEXT UP: 

FOOTBALL   THU 11/25   11:00 A.M.   (@SHS/BOYLE STADIUM)

Message Regarding Captain’s Practices

As a reminder, Stamford Public Schools and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) do not permit or support captain’s practices. Per the CIAC 2020-2021 Handbook, a captain’s practice is defined as below:

4.5.D. CAPTAIN’S PRACTICE (DEFINITION) The term “Captain’s Practice” usually means the team’s captain organizing and conducting practice sessions for that sport without adult supervision. The CIAC does not in any way sanction, encourage or condone “Captain’s Practice” in any sport. “Captain’s Practice,” depending on the member school’s involvement, may be a clear violation of eligibility rule II.D. (seasons limitations) or certainly a violation of the spirit of Rule II.D.

Also No. Rule 2.1.c. states: Member schools may not organize or permit coaches to organize, supervise or operate athletic practice which includes captain’s practices.

If you have questions, regarding this information, please contact your Athletic Director.

VIKING DIVERS HANNAH CHUCKAS AND JULIA STEFANOWICZ CAP THEIR SEASONS WITH OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES AT STATE OPEN

Westhill divers Hannah Chuckas and Julia Stefanowicz ended the 2021 season with outstanding performances at Thursday's CIAC Open State Championships at Middletown High School.  Competing in a pool of the 25 best divers in the state, both had outstaning performances. 

Stefanowicz, a senior, followed up her 5th place Class LL finish with an overall 8th place finish in the Open meet.  Her Open score was 399.00, bettering her Class LL score by 18.1 points.

Chuckas, a junior, capped her season off even more impressively, following up her Class LL state title by  finishing first in the field and earning the title of State Open Champion.

Congrats to both girls and to Dive Coach Jim Bowser, on a great season.

FCIAC SPECTATOR POLICIES

FALL 2021

The document below outlines the fall season attendance policies for all FCIAC schools, including Westhill.  Any questions regarding the policies for any of these schools should be directed to that school's athletic department.

FISCHER AND MAGNIFICO

NAMED WESTHILL’S CAS-CIAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETES

Westhill High School and the Westhill Athletic Department are pleased to announce that seniors Samantha Fischer and Stephen Magnifico have been named the school’s 2020-21 CAS-CIAC Scholar-Athletes.  The Scholar-Athlete Program annually recognizes two high school seniors – one boy and one girl – from each member high school whose academic and athletic careers have been exemplary, whose personal standards and achievements are a model to others, and who possess high levels of integrity, self-discipline and courage.

Fischer has played both soccer and lacrosse each of her four years as a Viking.  She was named captain of the varsity soccer team for the 2020 season.  She also participated in Westhill’s Academy of Finance program and Best Buddies.  She has a 3.94 unweighted GPA, is a member of both the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society and was recognized as the winner of the University of Michigan junior book award in 2020.  She was also honored as one of Westhill’s two FCIAC Fall 2020 Exemplary Scholar Athletes.  Sammy will be attending the University of Michigan this coming fall as an Economics major. 

Magnifico played four years of soccer at Westhill, serving as team captain for both his junior and senior seasons.  This year he added a second sport to his resume as a member of the varsity boys’ volleyball team.  Stephen is also a member of both the Academy of Finance and Best Buddies.  He carries an unweighted GPA of 3.82 and is a member of the National Honor Society, the Italian National Honor Society and was recently chosen as a UNICO scholarship recipient.  Stephen will be attending the University of Connecticut in the fall, where he plans on majoring in biological sciences as a pre-med student.

BOYS TENNIS FALLS IN STATE CLASS LL FINAL

The boys tennis team traveled to Rocky Hill today to take on state #1 Staples in the class LL championship and came out on the short end of a 7-0 decision to the Wreckers.  Despite losing in the finals, the boys turned in an outstanding state tournament performance.  The 14th seeded Vikings swept through their first three matches, defeating #3 seed Hall, #6 seed Amity and #2 seed Glastonbury on the way to their showdown with FCIAC opponent Staples.  Making the feat even more impressive, the team played all three of those games on the road.  The boys, and first-year head coach Arthur Berthiaux, worked hard all season and earned their way to the #2 ranking in class LL in the state.