‘Family Week’ Offers Peek into Tabor Sports

This past weekend, Tabor Academy enjoyed a string of athletic successes, both on campus and beyond. The Seawolves finished Saturday with an 8-0-1 record across all the sports, and that strength carried into Sunday at the Head of the Charles Regatta.

The main event of the weekend on Tabor’s campus was “Family Weekend,” an opportunity for the parents and families of Tabor students to experience the school themselves. On Saturday, parents attended classes, spoke with faculty, learned more about opportunities on campus, and spent time getting to know more about life on campus. Additionally, families had the opportunity to watch nearly every sports team compete.

Despite the unpredictable weather that swirled around campus on Saturday, only Junior Varsity Field Hockey and Junior Varsity Girls’ Soccer were forced to cancel their games.

Nearly every team competed against teams from Cushing Academy, located in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. The exception was Varsity Football, who laid a decisive 28-6 victory on a team from Pingree School, in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.

In Girls’ Field Hockey, a dominant performance throughout the squad led to a much needed 9-0 shutout. The scoring was led by sophomore Olivia O’Brien and senior Taylor Matherson, who both earned hat tricks during the game.

“While the Seawolves controlled the game, Cushing is to be commended for its never-say-die attitude at both ends of the field,” said Coach Kelly Walker.

The Girls’ Soccer team also worked their way to a shutout, finishing the match with a 2-0 win over Cushing. The scoring began when senior Kelly Hanrahan took advantage of a strong assist by senior Hannah Haas to score in the thirtieth minute. This goal was followed up by a second one in the seventy-third minute, when a strong group effort allowed the ball to slip past the Cushing goalie.

Both Boys’ Junior Varsity Soccer teams enjoyed wins over their Cushing opponents. The varsity team ended the day tied with Cushing, a result they had already faced earlier this season. Despite an early goal by Tabor four minutes into the game, Cushing held on until the very end, scoring the tying goal with three minutes left to play.

Girls’ Cross Country enjoyed two wins in Washburn Park, the main running venue for Tabor. Freshman Isabelle Cheney of Marion led the pack to victories over Cushing and Lincoln School. The Seawolves will finish the season on this course, as the Division II NEPSAC Cross Country Championships will be held in Washburn Park on November 12.

Boys’ Cross Country continued their streak of dominance, improving to a 23-1 record with a commanding victory over Cushing. Even with the team’s second fastest runner absent, Tabor swept the top eight places in the race. This success resulted in numerous personal records throughout the squad.

On Sunday, 14 Tabor Academy rowers and coxswains traveled to the Charles River to compete in the Head of the Charles, an event that drew nearly two thousand competitors and four-hundred thousand spectators. The rowers were met with extremely poor rowing conditions, with winds howling at over 20 mph and gusts up to 40 mph.

In the Men’s Youth Four event, the crew overcame the winds to achieve a 17^th place finish in a pool of 85 teams, automatically securing a spot in next year’s regatta. The Women’s Youth Eight also battled a strong heat of 85 teams, ultimately finishing 70^th.

“Congrats to both boats for great races and thank you for representing Tabor with pride!” said Athletic Director Conan Leary in an email to the Tabor community.

This weekend marks the beginning of the end in Tabor’s fall sports season, with only a few weeks until the turnover from fall to winter sports in the beginning of November. Tabor teams will work tirelessly to secure a few more wins until then, vying for coveted spots in playoff brackets and championships.

By Jack Gordon