Junior curlers earn return trip to nationals
Their first trip to the nationals resulted in a fifth-place finish.
Then, a year ago, Monica Walker of Sudbury and her teammates swept their way to an unexpected silver medal.
This week, Team Walker will head to Seattle for their third appearance at the US Junior National Curling Championships, hoping to bring home gold and to advance to the Junior World Championships the first week of March in Eveleth, Minn.
"That's our main goal, to win the gold. We came so close last year, but anything can happen, especially at the national level. We only have a few years left" at the junior level, said Walker, a 19-year-old sophomore at Boston University.
"This year, we believe that we can win. We are so much more prepared," said Walker, who serves as the leader, or "skip," of the four-person squad.
Her teammates are Walker's 18-year-old sister, Jillian , a freshman at Villanova University; Laura Hallisey , 20, of Medfield, a sophomore at Villanova; and Nikki Rossetti , 17, of Framingham, a junior at the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill .
The four first teamed up four years ago on the ice at the Broomstones Curling Club in Wayland, where their families were members.
With the quartet now attending schools hundreds of miles apart, quality practice time is hard to find. They practiced every day during both the Thanksgiving and Christmas vacation breaks.
Late last month, they captured their third straight regional crown, winning the Grand National Curling Club's championship in Utica, N.Y., with a 7-0 record.
"You can pick up curling very fast, but it takes a long time to perfect and practice the delivery of the stone," Walker said. "But if you're successful, it is very rewarding, and it also serves as a conversation starter.
"For me, it's part of my heritage," she said, since her parents, Hillary and Philip, "are from Scotland and that's where the game originated."
Thanks to the sponsorship of fellow curler Josh Scherz, the CEO of Blue Galleon food importers in Wayland, Team Walker has been able to hone its skills at competitions in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ontario.
"Our focus right now is on the juniors, but long term, we'd like to go to the Olympics," said Walker, noting that the 2010 Winter Games will be held in Vancouver.
Local skaters give
college team a lift
Brian Warner of Waltham is playing an integral role on a Connecticut College men's hockey program that is on the rise. A 5-foot-10-inch, 190-pound sophomore defenseman who prepped at a Connecticut boarding school, Avon Old Farms, Warner is a player whom coach Jim Ward relies on for all situations -- even strength, short handed, and the power play.
"Brian runs our first power play. He has matured into a very solid player," said Ward, now in his fourth season as coach at Connecticut College.
Warner, who has 2 goals and 5 assists, netted the game-winner in a victory over New England College this season.
Connecticut College won just four games a year ago, but with 15 freshmen and sophomores seeing extensive playing time, the Camels have a strong foundation in place while also building confidence with a number of notable wins.
Last weekend, Connecticut College (6-9-1) rallied to topple Bowdoin (4-3), which is ranked 11th in Division 3. "We've already surpassed last year's win total, and in our losses we've played better than we did last year," Ward said. "The win over Bowdoin was a huge character boost. We just need to learn how to play a complete game consistently."
A number of local players are part of the program's future. Brett Moore of Medfield, who prepped at Lawrence Academy, has played in every game but one as a freshman forward. Others expected to contribute include two other Medfield natives, sophomore goalie Dan Beauregard and sophomore forward Brendan Moses, as well as sophomore defenseman David Norton of Marlborough, and freshman defenseman Shawn Keefe of Waltham.
Around campus
Samantha Robbins of Franklin, a junior at Bentley College, placed fourth overall running the mile at the Greater Boston Track Club Invitational held last weekend at Harvard. Teammate Barbara Powell finished third. Another teammate, Amy Papalia of Marlborough, a graduate of Marian High in Framingham, was eighth in the 400 meters. . . .
Kevin Anderson of Hopkinton and former St. John's of Shrewsbury standout Kevin Gleason have been tabbed as two of the three captains on the Tufts University football team next fall. Anderson, the team's starting fullback, was an all-conference performer as well as the Tufts Harris Award winner, which is given to the program's most valuable back on offense. Gleason hauled in eight passes as the starting tight end for the Jumbos.
School ties
Watertown High senior guard Anthony Coppola leads Eastern Massachusetts boys' basketball in scoring at 28.5 points a game, while Wellesley senior forward Michael Russell is fourth at 27. On the girls' side, Franklin junior forward Kelly Meredith is eighth in the Eastern Mass. scoring race at 20.6 points a game. Needham High senior Cerie Mosgrove is 10th at 20.4. . .
Six local high school varsity basketball teams were still unbeaten as of Wednesday morning: Waltham's Chapel Hill/Chauncy Hall girls (8-0), Franklin High girls (12-0), Needham girls (11-0), and Westborough girls (13-0); along with the Marlborough boys (11-0) and Milford boys (12-0), who will square off in the last game of the regular season on Feb. 22. . . . On the ice, the Waltham High boys (10-0-1) and the Framingham High girls (4-0-3) were still undefeated. . . .
On Friday afternoon, Pete Foley will guide his Weston boys' and girls' swim teams in a dual meet for the final time when the Wildcats host Dual County League foe Hopkinton. Foley, in his 35th and final season as coach, will retire in June as Weston's athletic director and swim coach. . . .
Marlborough High will field varsity boys' and girls' lacrosse teams for the first time this spring, and athletic director Rich Riley is in the midst of the interview process to fill both head coaching positions. He expects to have hires in place by early next month. Jim Ryan (boys) and Mary Kelliher (girls), who guided the Panther junior-varsity teams last year, are candidates for the respective jobs. According to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association website, three varsity spring coaching positions are still open in the area: Hopkinton and Mount Alvernia softball, as well as Wayland boys' volleyball. . . .
Two area coaching giants, Bill Fulginite and Harvey Krupnick , will be inducted into the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in a ceremony Saturday night at the Doubletree Hotel in Westborough. Fulginite is gearing up for his 19th season in the Wayland High dugout this spring after earlier stints at Marian (four years) and Cambridge Rindge & Latin (10 years). He has 300-plus career victories, his teams have qualified for the postseason 19 times, and the Wayland High nine won the Division 3 North sectional title last spring. Krupnick guided the Holliston High varsity for 34 years, compiling a 408-311 record with one state title (1987), one Eastern Mass. crown (1990), and six Tri-Valley League titles. His contract was not renewed in June. For more information on the ceremony, visit massbca.com. . . .
Wayland High senior tailback Tony Torres , who helped power the Warrior football team to a 13-0 season and the Eastern Mass. Division 1A Super Bowl title last fall, has verbally committed to Northeastern University on a full athletic scholarship. The national letter of intent signing day is Feb. 6. As of last week, Wayland quarterback and safety Ben Sherry , the Globe's Division 1A Player of the Year, had narrowed his choices to Bucknell, Georgetown, Northeastern, and Trinity.
News and notes
Julia Vlassov of Hudson and Drew Meekins of Wellesley, the 2006 World Junior Champions, headline the New England Figure Skating Club's contingent at the US Figure Skating Championships, which are to conclude today in Spokane, Wash. Caitlin Yankowskas of Pelham, N.H., and Daniyel Cohen of Newton teamed up in the novice division, while the tandem of Lara and Neill Shelton of Wayland competed in the junior division. Kelvin Vu of Southborough skated singles at the junior level. The New England Figure Skating Club trains at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough. . . .
Marian High football coach Phil Marchegiani and Wayland High defensive coordinator Jim Girard have been selected to speak at the
Craig Larson can be reached at 508-820-4234 or clarson@ globe.com. 
