Gold medals and E/A weekend cap spring season
Exeter and Andover feud wraps up 2022, while Big Red crew takes home some hardware from New Englands.
Eden Welch '23 scored six times, including the game-winner in overtime, to lead Exeter girls lacrosse to a victory at Andover.
The final day of the spring sports calendar is always a thrill, and this year held to form. Exeter crew was busy striking gold at the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championship Regatta, while the rest of Big Red traveled down to our Blue counterparts for Exeter/Andover weekend.
Incredible performances on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts, put a bow on a highly successful season for boys and girls crew. The boys first boat claimed second place overall, while the boys second and third boats each earned a gold medal in their grand final races. The girls first boat capped an undefeated season and claimed gold in their grand final race, beating out the second-place finisher by seven seconds. The girls second boat claimed first in their alternate final race, while the third boat finished sixth in New England.
The girls varsity lacrosse team opened the weekend in thrilling fashion Friday night. Trailing by two goals with a minute left, Big Red came roaring back to force overtime. Eden Welch ’23 trimmed the deficit with 54 seconds left before Victoria Quinn ’22 scored off a feed from Adora Perry ’24 as the buzzer sounded to even the score at 10-10. Exeter maintained possession off the opening draw of the extra period, and Quinn set up a cutting Welch, who potted the game-winner just 63 seconds into overtime. Welch finished with a game-high six goals, while Allie Bell ’25 was outstanding in net, making several key stops down the stretch.
Boys varsity lacrosse kept the winning vibe going on Saturday. Exeter took a 4-2 lead into halftime and never looked back, taking an 8-3 victory over the Blue. Aidan Olazabal ’24 was the star for Big Red, making 18 saves in between the pipes; Baron Fisher ’22 and Declan Murphy ’22 each scored three times to power the offense. Boys JV lacrosse earned a thrilling 11-10 victory over Andover.
Varsity baseball broke a scoreless tie in fourth inning when Kodi Dotterer ’22 laced a triple to deep right field to knock in a pair of runs and stake a 2-0 lead. The lead would remain intact before Andover pushed six across the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning to claim a 6-2 victory.
Big Red softball wasted little time getting on the board as Taylor Nelson ’22 blasted a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. The Andover bats would chip away and jump ahead 3-2 in the fifth before plating a trio of runs in the sixth. Alex Singh ’22 singled in the sixth to knock in Nelson and cut the deficit to three, but Andover would hold on for a 6-3 win.
Big Red and Big Blue capped the day on the track. Exeter boys, anchored by an impressive performance and win in the 4x100 relay, earned an 81-54 victory over the Blue, while the hosts topped the Big Red girls by a score of 80-56.
