Winter Athletics Mid-Season Report

Cross Country Skiing had their first race of the season on January 10 under the lights at Weston Ski Track as they hosted Belmont Hill, Middlesex, and Andover. Anna Clark ’29 and Ulrika Karlsson’27 won the girls' relay, and Rivers took second overall for girls. In the boys' race, Alex Young ’25 and Sebastian Mertsch ’27 both had strong races, and Rivers placed fourth overall for the boys. In their most recent race this past Friday, January 24, Ulrika Karlsson came in first place for the girls race, and Alex Young came in second for the boys. The race also featured four Rivers middle schoolers, who all got their first experience in a varsity race. 

Alpine Skiing kicked off their season at Wachusett Mountain on January 8 in the first ISL race of the season. The varsity girls’ and boys’ teams both placed third in the ISL, and the JV boys came in second. As for individual finishes, Hannah Piche ’25 placed fifth, Bea Carswell ’29 ninth, and Lizzy Stuart ’26 tenth. In the varsity boys’ race, Liam Keane ’26 placed fifth in his first race back after tearing his ACL last winter; Felix Martin ’29 came in seventh. In the most recent race, varsity girls’ and boys’ teams both came in third. Hannah Piche placed third and Liv Martin placed seventh, one week after coming in first overall in the varsity girls’ race. On the varsity boys’ side, Felix Martin ’29 came in seventh, Tyler Piche ’29 in ninth, and Chase Holzman ’25 in twelfth place. 

Coming off a dominant NEPSAC Class B three-peat and back-to-back ISL championships, the boys' varsity basketball team found themselves in an unfamiliar spot to start the season, losing their first six games while having every returning starter out of the lineup at some point due to injury. All hope was not lost, however, as the team regrouped to win three games in three days for their fourth straight Rivers Holiday Tournament Championship, with an average margin of victory of 18 points. Ryan Altman ’25 (Penn) took home Tournament MVP honors, while Robby Fiore ’25 (Babson) and Pat Costello ’28 earned All-Tournament Team recognition. Sitting at 9-7 overall, 6-3 in Class B and 5-2 in the ISL, the team is hopeful to make a playoff push and continue to get healthy for the stretch run. 

In Coach Kenny Small’s first season at the helm, the girls’ basketball team is off to a strong start to their first season in Class B, sitting at 10-6 overall, 3-2 in the ISL, and 5-3 in Class B. The girls went 2-1 in the Nickerson Classic, and went 2-0 in the Shooting Touch Showcase, including a big win over AAA Dexter Southfield. Grace O’Sullivan ’25 (Princeton) recently surpassed the 1,000 points in her Rivers career, becoming the fourth Rivers girls basketball player in the last three seasons to reach the milestone. As they move into the heart of the ISL season, the team will continue to rely on their senior quartet of O’Sullivan, Natalia Hall-Rosa ’25 (Seton Hall), Rissi Smith ’25 (Stonehill), and Chase Anderson ’25 (Amherst) and are hopeful to make some noise in the Class B playoffs.

Under Coach Keith McLean’s second year, the girls' varsity hockey team has shown positive growth throughout the season. The girls finished second in the Dexter Southfield Holiday Tournament, highlighted by two overtime wins over KUA and Hill, thanks to some late-game heroics from Nora McLean ’28, who scored the game-winner in both games, before ultimately falling to Thayer in the championship game. In the New Year’s Prep Puck Drop, they went 2-1 as well, defeating Hill and Canterbury but falling to Williston Northampton. After a tough loss to Thayer on Wednesday, January 29, the team currently sits at 8-6-1 and is hopeful to return to the small school playoffs as they head into the stretch run. 

Coming off an appearance in the NEPSAC Small School title game, boys' varsity hockey is looking to keep the momentum and add more wins to their record this winter. The boys currently have a record of 10-6-1, including a third-place finish in the St. Sebastian’s Mutch Cup in December, where they fell to eventual champion Brunswick. Carter Meyer ’28 currently leads all of NEPSAC in scoring, with 22 goals and 18 assists through 16 games. The boys are primed for another small school tournament appearance and they are hopeful to get over the hump and bring home a championship this year.