The Wellesley High School Swim & Dive team wrapped up an undefeated season by winning its first Division 2 State Championship and first state title since 1990. The Raiders, with 430 points, far outdistanced second place Central Catholic, which had 279 points.

The deep WHS team, which got big contributions all season from students in 9-12 grade, had a strong start at Sunday’s meet at MIT. The Raiders finished second in the 200-yard medley relay, and then placed a handful of swimmers in the top 10 in the 200 freestyle. Freshman Naomi Boegholm won an individual state title in the 200 individual medley, and other standout performances included senior Nellie Thompson taking second place in the 50 and 100 freestyle races, and Iris Xia finishing second in the 100-yard breaststroke.

WHS won in style this fall, too, also receiving team sportsmanship award.

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— Wellesley Raiders (@wellesleysports) November 18, 2019

Runners take second

Separately, Wellesley High’s boys and girls cross country teams continued their excellence this weekend at state championship meets in Gardner, where they both finished as state runners-up on the strength of team balance.

The boys narrowly fell to St. John’s Prep, with Jason Norris leading the way for the Raiders with a 7th place overall finish on the 5K course in 16.29. The Raiders also finished second a year ago on a snowy course.

The girls placed second behind Concord-Carlisle. Raiders Grace Wheelan, Zoe Maggioni and Arianna Cozza finished 23rd, 24th and 27th to power the team.

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— Wellesley Raiders (@wellesleysports) November 16, 2019

More sports: We’re exploring ways to boost our coverage of Wellesley sports during the winter season, but we need your help. If you’re a team manager, coach, player or parent, please reach out to us at [email protected] if you’d like to assist.

If the woman pictured here blazes past you while you’re running in Wellesley don’t feel too bad. You’re not necessarily slow, but she is very fast.

Kathy Newberry who moved to Wellesley last year with her husband, ran a 2:43:55 (a little faster if you go by chip time) at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon this weekend. That’s a 6:16 per-mile pace. Cracking 2:45 qualifies her for the Olympic trials, which take place on Feb. 29 in Atlanta. She’ll have plenty of company there, as more than 400 women have qualified, some by running in the 2:20s.

The next summer Olympics take place in Tokyo in 2020.

Newberry’s husband Alex Gibby, associate head coach for cross country at Harvard University, says Newberry plans to run the trials in February. “With the late qualification, the goal is to recover from this one and build fitness back quickly.  She was sick the last time she ran the Trials so, hopefully, we have a better experience with this one!” Newberry has qualified for the trials several times in the past, at difference distances.

Gibby describes Wellesley as a terrific place to run, and Harvard’s coaches even take the team here several times a month to train. Newberry is listed on the Harvard site as a volunteer coach for cross country and track and field. In the past, she and her husband were head cross country and track coaches at William & Mary.

More: Beyond Wellesley: Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon & 5K at Hampton Beach, N.H.

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Sled hockey made its debut in Wellesley at the new Boston Sports Institute on Saturday afternoon, pitting members of the Boston ICE Storm sled hockey team for physically disabled athletes against Wellesley Youth Hockey players who are used to skating on their two feet. For this game, though, all of the players used sleds.

Using the equipment shipped in by USA Hockey proved especially challenging for the Wellesley Youth Hockey players, whose legs are generally more powerful than their arms. Maneuvering and speeding around on the sleds, which have a seat on top and skates on the bottom, takes a ton of arm strength. Players use shortened sticks with spikes on one end to grip the ice and propel themselves.

Then there’s the whole other matter of balance: The youth hockey players spent much of their time on the ice righting themselves, only to quickly tip over again.

The Boston ICE Storm players, a mix of youths and adults, skated circles around the sled hockey newcomers, allowing the them to have a few extra players on the ice to help even things out a bit. And that was part of the point: To give those who can skate swiftly on their legs a close-up view and appreciation of those who can’t, but who have adapted to play an exciting brand of hockey themselves.

It reminded me of words shared by Wellesley Public Schools’ new director of diversity earlier this week when she advocated for getting into closer proximity to those whose differences you can’t fully appreciate unless you do get close.

All of the players clearly enjoyed the experience on Saturday, and finished the game with a traditional handshake line, plus a group picture at center ice.

The game attracted parents, coaches and the likes of Andy Wrobel, former Wellesley Recreation Commission chair, who said seeing the sport played there “fulfilled a dream” of his, especially after seeing a documentary on sled hockey that shed light on what it meant to the players.

A unique feature of the new Boston Sports Institute is that one skating rink is outfitted to accommodate sled hockey players. The bench area lets players slide onto the ice directly, rather than taking a big step down like on most rinks. Even sliding out of the bench area proved to be a challenge for those athletes not used to playing on sleds.

One frustration for sled hockey players and parents is that despite the rink being equipped to accommodate their sport, they haven’t until now been able to get ice time, which is pricey. In this case, Wellesley Youth Hockey Association funded the event. Meanwhile, local sled hockey supporters are looking to apply for grants that will fund additional ice time locally, so they don’t have to travel out of state to get it.

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One unique feature of the new Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley is that one of the rinks is outfitted to support sled hockey (also known as “sledge”), an adaptive version of hockey for those with physical disabilities.

You’ll have chance to see what sled hockey is all about on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 12-1pm at 900 Worcester St., as the Boston ICE Storm sled hockey team takes on Wellesley Youth Hockey and Wellesley High players. Wellesley Youth Hockey Association paid for the ice time, and its players will compete in sleds instead of using their usual skates.

Brian DeVellis, president of Boston Sports Institute operator Edge Sports Group, is excited to get sled hockey going in Wellesley. “We hope that this will get word out that we are a fully sled hockey compatible facility and would welcome more opportunities,” he says.

Liz Fahey, whose son William has played sled hockey for 17 years, said last year  he and a few other players formed a team called the Boston ICE (Include, Compete, Empower) Storm. The team comprised players with a variety of physical challenges (Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, Cancer survivors who have lost limbs, gun shot victims, and more). “It is an incredible group of male and female athletes who range from age 12-58 looking to have fun playing a game we all love, hockey,” Fahey says.

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Residents are invited to attend a forum on Tuesday, Nov. 5 from 6:30-9 p.m. at Sprague Elementary School library to discuss a new sports wall for kids to throw and catch balls against.

This privately-funded project is proposed by the Playing Fields Task Force though also involves the School Committee since the proposed locations for the practice wall are on school property.

Information about the project and the specific locations under consideration is available in a letter sent to residents living near Sprague fields and on the Playing Fields Task Force webpages. 

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