3-Run Homer Powers Watertown Baseball Team to State Tournament Upset

by Brianna WilliamsThe Watertown High School baseball team celebrated a Preliminary Round win over Arlington Catholic. ARLINGTON — The Watertown High School baseball team began the MIAA Div. 3 Tournament with a 7-2 win over Arlington Catholic. The 38th-seeded Raiders traveled to 27th seed Arlington Catholic’s home field on June 3 for the Preliminary Round matchup. 

Being the lower seed mixed with the cold air temperatures and bouts of rain, the Raiders faced challenges, but nothing the players and coaches, especially Watertown head coach Aram Manoukian, felt they could not conquer. “I knew they’d be good.

Watertown Grad Makes Track All-Region Team, Competing at NCAAs

Watertown’s Abbi Peterson earned All-East Region honors, and will compete in the NCAA Div. III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. (Photo courtesy of Bridgewater State Athletics). Bridgewater State senior Abbi Peterson, a Watertown High School grad, was named to the NCAA Division III All-East Region honors from the U.S. Track & Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). She will be competing in the NCAA Championships on Thursday.

Watertown Grad Named Co-Captain of UMass Lowell Field Hockey Team

Watertown’s Aurise Tattrie will be a co-captain of the UMass Lowell field hockey team in 2023. (Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics)

The following announcement was provided by UMass Lowell Athletics:

UMass Lowell Field Hockey Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc announced her team’s captains for the 2023 season. Rising-seniors Alissia de Vries (The Hague, Netherlands), Mirthe Gans (Tiel, Netherlands) and Aurise Tattrie (Watertown, Mass.) have all been named to the leadership role for the first time this year. “Ali, Aurise and Mirthe are fantastic leaders as individuals, but as a group, they will be very influential in our success this coming fall,” said LeBlanc. “They all have unique qualities that the team admires, but they are all passionate, love to win, and have a team-first mentality.

3 Watertown Residents Keep Their Gymnastic Careers Going as Adults, Compete at Nationals

Watertown residents Meredith Rogers, Mia Lazarewicz, and Sklyer Kelemen competed at the 2023 NAIGC Nationals. Three Watertown residents recently traveled to Memphis to compete in the sport they have loved since they were young girls. Meredith Rogers, Skyler Kelemen and Mia Lazarewicz represented Jurassic Gymnastics at the 2023 NAIGC (National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs) Nationals from March 30 to April 1. All three gymnasts have competed in several nationals. Kelemen first competed at the NAIGC meet in 2017 and has competed in four, Rogers has been to a dozen and first went to the Nationals in 2006 when she was a college freshman, and for Lazarewicz it was her 16th time competing at Nationals, having first competed in 2003.

See How Watertown Runners Finished in the 2023 Boston Marathon

The fastest Watertown runner in the 2023 Boston Marathon finished in under 2:45 and broke the top 1,000 runners, and the fastest woman was in the top 900 female participants. Ryan Abo completed the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Copley Square in 2:44:14, and was the 988th fastest overall and 940th fastest male runner. Erin Jaffke ran the course in 3:11:56, which made her the 875th fastest woman in the 127th Marathon. Deborah Downs ran the 76th fastest time for female runners age 45-49, finishing in 3:17:34. Peter Tagge’s time of 4:00:17 was 251st ranked in male runners age 65-69.

Watertown Pro Hockey Player Earns League Award for Perseverance, Sportsmanship

Boston PrideBoston Pride defender Lauren Kelly won the Premier Hockey Federation’s Denna Laing Award. The following announcement was provided by the Premier Hockey Federation:

The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced that defender Lauren Kelly of the Boston Pride has been selected as the Denna Laing Award recipient for the 2022-23 regular season. The award was determined by Denna and her family and goes to the player who most exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the sport. “Selecting the winner of this year’s Denna Laing Award was extremely difficult because there were many deserving candidates, each traversing their own adversity with relentlessness and a positive attitude,” said Laing. “This year’s winner, Lauren Kelly, has garnered the respect of her coaches, teammates, opponents, officials, and fans.

College Sports: Pitcher Earns Win, High Jumper Wins for Bridgewater, Senior Signs to Play Field Hockey

Former WHS player Anthony Panza got the win for Framingham State’s baseball squad. (Courtesy of Framingham State Athletics). A pair of former Watertown High School athletes have excelled in college sports recently, and another will be playing at the next level next year. Baseball

Anthony Panza, a WHS grad, closed out a shutout for Framingham State on April 7, and notched a win for the Rams over Bridgwater State. The decision was the first win for the senior, who has two saves in eight appearances along with 22 strike outs, just one walk, and an ERA of 0.00.

Watertown Grad Named Rookie of the Year in Region by D3Hoops.com

Hamilton College AthleticsWatertown grad and current Hamilton College player Taylor Lambo was named D3Hoops.com’s Region 1 Rookie of the Year. The following announcement came from Hamilton College Athletics:

Hamilton College women’s basketball forward Taylor Lambo ’26 (Watertown, Mass./Watertown HS) was selected the 2023 Rookie of the Year in Region 1 by D3hoops.com earlier this month when the NCAA Division III basketball website announced its all-region teams.

Lambo was also voted to the third team in the region. She is the only first-year athlete on the all region team in Region 1, which includes the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference and the North Atlantic Conference. Lambo was named the NESCAC Rookie of the Year and made the all-conference second team in early March. She led the Continentals in scoring with 13.6 points per game and was second with 8.2 rebounds per game.