BRISTOL — The spring of 2024 saw one Mount Abraham sports program, the cooperative Eagle-Vergennes boys’ lacrosse team, score a major breakthrough by winning its first state title, and another, the Eagle baseball team, suffer another major heartbreak, an extra-inning loss in the Division II final.

Meanwhile, the Mount Abe softball team posted another winning season, but didn’t repeat its 2023 D-II title, while several Eagle track & field athletes excelled at the D-II championship meet.

What to expect this spring? Mount Abe Athletic Director Devin Wendel filled in the Independent.

MOUNT ABRAHAM UNION High School boys’ lacrosse

BOYS’ LACROSSE

In 2024, Coach Ed Cook’s MAV boys’ lacrosse program made its third straight trip to the D-III final, knocking off Green Mountain Valley for the team’s first title.

That was a group led by a dozen seniors, however. Wendel said Cook is going to have to blend newcomers into the mix this spring.

“But we have some good returning players and leaders,” he added.

Junior defender Cooper Cook and senior long-stick middie Spencer Gebo return to take charge of the defense, where senior short-stick middies Jake Prouty and Hayden Lutz also excelled a year ago. Junior Connor Nason will take over in goal after two solid campaigns for the Eagle JV team.

“There’s just some solid all-around team leadership from that group,” Wendel said.

Further up the field, Wendel expects three middies/attackers — senior Chase Atkins, junior Joe Sullivan and sophomore Asa Root-Pratt — to provide production and leadership.

As for replacing a dozen seniors, Wendel pointed out there are 40 athletes in the MAV program, and the numbers have been good for a couple years now, meaning there has been a JV team where the athletes can play, learn and improve.

And that bodes well for this season and beyond, Wendel said.

“I think a huge part of the reason we were able to get to that point last year was because of that. As we build our numbers up we’re getting our kids into JV games. We’re prepping them at that developmental level, the freshman and sophomore years. And as they come into the varsity years they’re ready to go.”

His conclusion?

“I think we’re going to be right back in the mix like last year,” Wendel said.

MOUNT ABRAHAM UNION High School baseball

BASEBALL

Coach Jason Barnard’s baseball team returns almost all the starters who carried the Eagles to within a seventh-inning baserunning misunderstanding of the D-II title a year ago.

“The exciting part of that team this year is we are returning just about everybody,” Wendel said, the exceptions being one graduated starter and one other athlete who is not playing this year.

Sophomore aces Cam Castillo and Stefan Johnson return to lead the pitching staff, while sophomore Clark Crary is back to catch them. Evan Corrigan is back at shortstop, slugging third baseman Abe Ready returns and can also pitch, starting junior second baseman and leadoff hitter Brody Barnard is back, and hard-hitting first baseman Aricin Griffin returns.

There are good players coming up to join them, Wendel said, and the Eagles have positional flexibility.

“When someone’s on the mound, we’re going to be able to move players in and around the infield and outfield to fill gaps, and we’re going to go relatively deep in our pitching rotation,” he said. “I think we’re going to hit the ball well again, also. We’ve got kids who can definitely swing the bat.”

Wendel summed up.

“I think we’re going to have another exciting year.”

MOUNT ABRAHAM UNION High School softball

SOFTBALL

Coach Don McCormick’s Eagle softball team was good once again in 2024, even if it didn’t duplicate the success of some of their recent predecessors — the program has won five D-II titles since 2018. This past spring the Eagles won 10 games and lost to a D-II finalist in a competitive road quarterfinal.

Wendel said the 2024 edition might have been as good as some of those championship teams, but so was their competition.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a strong level of Lake Division, or Division II, softball,” Wendel said. “The level of softball play right now is pretty phenomenal in this state.”

Several valuable players graduated from that 2024 team, but Wendel also believes the Eagles will be good once again.

“We’re bringing back another solid core this year,” he said.

Mainstays include seniors Elise Parker (at first base) and Abba Parker, junior Gen Forand (who will again team up with Abba Parker on the left side of the infield), junior outfielder Brooklyn Ryersbach, junior No. 1 pitcher Gretchen Toy, junior Morgan Larocque and sophomores Brooke Barnard and Reagan LaFreniere.

Wendel said he also fully expects the team’s other returners and newcomers to contribute as the season progresses.

He also acknowledges the Lake Division probably has four or five D-II title contenders — including the Eagles.

“I think we’re going to be competitive. Honestly, I think this program is as good as anybody,” he said.

MOUNT ABRAHAM UNION High School track & field

TRACK & FIELD

Co-Coaches Brent Crum and Katie Burdett are fielding a track & field team that lost some of its top scorers from a year ago, but is blessed with strong numbers — almost three dozen — and does return several scorers.

“We had a really big middle school program last year, so we have a lot of rise in the numbers this year, which is a good thing,” Wendel said.

There are certainly veterans the coaches can count on. A year ago at the D-II meet, Hazel Stoddard, now a senior, took second in the high jump and fifth in the pole vault, while classmate Ruby Connell was third at 200 meters and fifth in the high jump. Another senior this year was one place away from scoring in the high jump, Whitney Dykstra. Wendel also believes sister newcomers Isla and Sophie Underwood (a junior and freshman, respectively) could make their presence felt.

On the boys side, sophomore Truman Sawyer took third in the triple jump a year ago, and sophomore Garrett Duell just missed placing in the pole vault.

Wendel said it was too early to say who might emerge as scorers.

“We’re just barely getting outside,” he said. “We’re going to be able to see who is really going to stretch their legs a bit.”