MVRHS sports roundup – The Martha’s Vineyard Times

Teachers inspire Island native to run Boston Marathon 

Jackie Burgoyne took on the 70° heat in Hopkinton on Monday, and completed her first Boston Marathon, raising $6,200 for ESL adult education efforts in the MetroWest area.

Born in Framingham and raised on Martha’s Vineyard, Burgoyne — MVRHS class of 2002 — says that it was her teachers at the high school whose passion and wisdom motivated her to run the Boston Marathon more than 20 years later.

In Spanish class, Ms. Lynn Ditchfield inspired Burgoyne to master the language, and later help non-native English speakers navigate the medical system as a nurse practitioner. 

“She’s an incredible woman,” Burgoyne stated. “She was my first inspiration to learn another language, and study Spanish in undergrad. She helped me appreciate all the time it takes to learn a second language.”

On the cross-country course, it was Coach Joe Schroeder who showed Burgoyne the ropes as a young athlete, and inspired her to become a lifelong distance runner.

“I always hear his voice — his support — in my head when I run,” Burgoyne said. “During races, he’d run around saying, ‘MVCCP!’ — Martha’s Vineyard Cross-Country Pride. He’s an incredible guy.”

Burgoyne currently lives in Framingham with her husband, and says that sense of Island pride and communion has never left her. 

On Monday, Burgoyne soaked in the entire Boston Marathon experience, and finished with a time of 5:40, stopping to embrace friends and family along the way.

“The race was a massive outpouring of love, and a feeling I’ll never forget. It’s a 26.2-mile celebration of heart and soul for everyone,” she said. “It goes to show how far-reaching the Martha’s Vineyard community can be; you never know how it’s going to impact you.”

MVRHS girls tennis collects first win of the season

The MVRHS girls tennis team picked up its first win of the season last Wednesday, defeating Monomoy 3-2 on the road, with the help of some solid doubles play.

In first doubles, longtime partners Sophia Balsas-Fuentes (senior) and Ellie Pennington (junior) cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 victory, and in second doubles, juniors Ella Moran and Clementine Zeender outlasted Monomoy in three hard-fought sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

“We looked to Sophie and Ellie to get the team off to a strong start in the match,” MVRHS head girls tennis Coach Bill Rigali said. “They had some good success last season to help us qualify for the state [tournament].”

Led by seniors Cali Giglio, Evelyn Brewer, and Andrea Morse, MVRHS finished third in the Cape & Islands League last year, and won its first-round playoff matchup with Middleborough. 

This year, MVRHS is trotting out a much younger core of players, with freshmen Laina Dubin, Leah Thompson, and Zoe Treitman playing singles for the Vineyarders.

In third singles, Treitman emphatically came back to defeat Monomoy 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, helping lock down the team victory for MVRHS.

“The freshmen are talented, and will have the opportunity to gain match toughness and learn how to compete,” Rigali said. “It’s a wonderful group of kids. They all have been practicing hard, and been supportive of one another.”

With the victory, MVRHS improved to 1-2 on the season. 

Next up, the Vineyarders will host Nauset (3-0) on Wednesday, April 24, at 3:15 pm, before playing Nantucket (2-1) away on April 27.

MVRHS boys lacrosse gets tune-up in Connecticut

The MVRHS boys lacrosse team took a road trip to Central Connecticut this weekend, facing off against Newington HS on Saturday morning and Canton HS on Monday afternoon.

After two hard-fought, back-and-forth matches, the Vineyarders ultimately fell 11-9 and 11-8 respectively, but returned to the Island as a tougher, more tight-knit group.

“When you leave the state, the lacrosse gets more physical,” MVRHS head boys lacrosse Coach Chris Greene said. “We had to match that energy, with a young team that’s figuring it out. But this group is resilient, and continues to keep fighting no matter the score.”

Against Newington, the Vineyarders were getting overrun in the first half, but “punched back” coming out of halftime, winning the second half by three goals. 

Senior Aiden Conley finished with four goals on the day, and sophomore John Hoff added two.

Against Canton, Conley scored twice, twin brother Liam won 16 of 22 face-offs and scored three times, and Hoff logged two assists. Sophomore Fin Callen also scored twice, and junior Will Baliunas got his second goal in three days.

“Fin got hit hard against Newington, but got up and realized he was OK,” Greene said. “From there, he became aggressive offensively, and wasn’t afraid of anyone.”

In between games, the team had a chance to go bowling, play mini golf, and engage in team dinners.

“I thought it was a great bonding experience for the team. The camaraderie that comes out of traveling together and experiencing something like this at the high school level is not a regular occurrence,” Greene said. “It was great to see the kids having a good time and just being kids.”

Next up, MVRHS (2-4) will host Monomoy (5-0) on Wednesday, April 24, at 3 pm, and Cardinal Spellman (1-4) on April 26 at 3 pm.

MVRHS girls lacrosse off to solid start

The MVRHS girls lacrosse team had an extremely busy start to its 2024 campaign, playing five games between March 30 and April 9. Emerging with an overall record of 3-2, first-year head Coach Lauren Pineau is impressed with the Vineyarders’ chemistry and work ethic.

“Since I’m brand-new to the team, I’m letting them showcase their skills, and I plug in where I can,” Pineau said. “I want us to be aggressive going for loose balls, and continue working on our full-field press — we try to always walk away with something [we want] to improve on.”

Up top, senior Ali Dyke is MVRHS’ draw specialist, with great technique around the crease, and junior Lizzie Chvatal is an eager shooter with a great motor. In the midfield, Pineau says, junior Charlotte Scott has been terrific at pushing the ball forward, and junior Annabelle Metell has continued serving as a vocal leader and sensible play caller.

In the back, the Vineyarders are stacked with experience, with senior tri-captains Brooke Ward, Violet MacPhail, and Sam Warren playing defense and senior Clara Mikos playing goalie.

Of MVRHS’ three wins, its 10-9 victory over Monomoy (3-3) away on April 2 was the most fulfilling, considering the Vineyarders dropped two close ones to the Sharks last year.

“The whole game was just both teams answering back and forth,” Pineau said. “The girls wanted that one. It was hardcore.”

The Vineyarders also defeated Boston Latin Academy and Falmouth Academy, and lost to Nantucket and St. John Paul II. 

Up next, MVRHS will host Dennis-Yarmouth (1-2) on Thursday, April 25, at 3 pm, and then travel to Nauset (4-1) on the morning of April 27.