MIDDLEBURY — In many cases, in the next few months Middlebury Union High School athletes might find the spring of 2024 a tough act to follow.

Consider the following from last year:

• The Tiger baseball and boys’ tennis teams won the school’s first championships in those sports.

• As a junior, MUHS sprinter Jazmyn Hurler bolted to victory at three distances at the state meet, with convincing margins in each.

• The Tiger boys’ lacrosse team took the Champlain Valley Union High School dynasty into overtime in the Division I final before losing a heartbreaker.

• The MUHS softball team won 11 games and earned a No. 4 seed in D-II, and the girls’ tennis team improved by seven wins over the year before and also earned a D-II No. 4 seed.

Not all Tiger opponents were steamrolled.  A young girls’ lacrosse team won six times, and the Tiger Ultimate team did not rack up victories. In the Ultimate squad’s case, that was in part due to a welcome development — a number of athletes signed up, but just too late to meet a multi-school administrative deadline for scheduling. That left co-ed Tiger teams competing in a boys’ schedule and having fun but not winning often. This season all is in order for the program to field two varsity teams — girls’ and boys’.

MUHS Activities Director Sean Farrell spoke to the Independent about what to look for from all the school’s athletic programs this spring — adding he’d gladly accept a repeat of the level of success Tiger teams enjoyed in the same few months a year ago.

MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School baseball

BASEBALL

One reason the Coach Tim Paquette’s Tiger baseball team succeeded in 2024 was experience and senior leadership. Those elements helped the team overcome a 1-7 start, following which the Tigers ripped off 11 wins in their next 12 games, capped by an incredibly dramatic, extra-inning victory over Mount Abraham in the D-II final.

As Farrell pointed out, eight members of that 2024 team were seniors, and many played key roles.

“Obviously, we were senior-heavy last year,” Farrell said.

But he also noted that the cupboard is not bare. It includes four pitchers, one being senior Tucker Morter, and all of whom can play in the field when not on the mound. Then there is senior center fielder and leadoff hitter Alex Sperry.

“We’ve got Alex Sperry anchoring the outfield,” Farrell said.

Joining Morter in the mound corps are three other pitchers who saw action last year: junior Gabe Velez and sophomores Ryan Brouillard and Tucker Wright.

“We’ve got a good core of returners,” Farrell said. “The issue is do we have the depth in pitching and all that to be successful like we were last year.”

He acknowledged Sperry and four returning pitchers is a good place to start, however.

“I think we have some pieces in place that are going to be helpful,” Farrell said. “So, again, we’re optimistic.”

MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School girls’ track & field

TRACK & FIELD

Farrell pointed out the track and field team — led by Coach Chris Anderson and assistants William Haig and Jill Bruning — has 19 returning athletes, and 11 of them are seniors. As well as triple-gold winner Hurley, there are veterans of not only the track & field team, but also of successful Tiger cross-country running and Nordic skiing programs, to provide leadership.

Some of those athletes are newer to the spring program and could be ready to make a bigger impact. Junior Solstice Binder is in her second year in Tiger track, and her seventh-place finish at 100 meters was the closest a Tiger athlete other than Hurley came to scoring points in the D-II meet a year ago. Distance runners Beth McIntosh and Mary Harrington are also in their second years with the program and could emerge.

MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School boys’ track & field

Those who could make an impact on the boys’ side are newcoming multi-sport brothers Joshua and Jonathan Kafumbe with sprinting potential.

Among the five freshmen who signed up are two, Jorgen Pirrung and Meredith Carr-Perlow, who excelled this past winter for the Tiger Nordic teams.

“It’s safe to say students who have athleticism in other sports, it can translate to track with proper instruction, experience and practice,” Farrell said.

The Tigers also have a number of senior veterans to help in the leadership and possibly scoring department: Keil Broderson, Elsa Burrows, Aaron Carr-Perlow, Lucas Flinner, Maggie Noble, Haakon Olsen, Gabe Schmidt and Ethan Spritzer.

MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School boys’ tennis

BOYS’ TENNIS

The team that won the program’s first title a year ago under Coach Ken Schoen’s guidance will look different this spring. Four players return, and only three of them were regular starters a year ago: Senior No. 1 Jackson Murray, and two sophomores, Co-Captain Charles Young and Nate Cook Yoder, who played at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, for the 2024 title team.

The fourth is junior Kirin Biancosino, whose role will be determined by preseason challenge matches. A newcomer, senior Baker Nelson, is the other co-captain.

Despite the turnover, Farrell and the always optimistic Schoen believes the team will be strong again. Farrell said Schoen expects newcomers to fill out the starting ladder, including Biancosino, seniors Kaden Hammond and Nelson, and freshman Alex Andersson.

With their emergence, Farrell said Schoen expects the team to be competitive.

“In their challenge matches he said they’ve done very well,” Farrell said Schoen reported. “They’ve raised their level of play.”

MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School boys’ lacrosse

BOYS’ LACROSSE

Coach Matt Rizzo’s Tiger boys’ lacrosse team saw a half-dozen starters graduate from the team that lost in overtime to CVU in the D-I final — including its leading scorer, four middies and a defender.

But the first thing Farrell did when asked about the squad is throw out names of standout returning players.

“You’ve got Luke Nuceder, Logan McNulty, Angus Blackwell, George Devlin, Cooke Riney, Marshall Eddy back. You’ve got Levi Nuceder in goal,” Farrell said.

All are upperclassmen except Levi Nuceder, a sophomore, and they are evenly spread positionally among attack, midfield and defensive players.

He could have easily added a few more: long-stick middle Cam Whitlock, defender Cooper Quinn, and defensive midfielder Tassilo Luksch, all seniors, and sophomore middie Brady Lloyd.

In all, there are 16 returners, seven of whom are seniors.

With that much talent and experience returning, strong senior leadership, and promising youngsters in the mix, Farrell expects — and he said the team and coaches expect — the Tigers will be more than competitive again this spring.

“That’s our expectation, and that’s the players’ expectation,” he said. “All they have to do is work hard every day, compete in every game, and we should be there.”

MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School softball

SOFTBALL

Coach Timm Hanley’s 11-win softball team graduated only three seniors, but among them were the team’s ace pitcher and multi-year starting catcher.

The pitching chores will thus mostly fall to senior veteran Lexi Whitney, who has experience on the mound and is coming off a breakthrough basketball season.

“Softball is all about your pitching,” Farrell said. “Alexis Whitney is going to have to carry the major load of the season on the mound.”

That said, he added almost every other starter returns from a team that made it to the D-II final in 2023 and was frustrated by a home quarterfinal upset in 2024.

“We’ve got a still strong core of field players and hitters,” Farrell said, listing among them senior third baseman Meredith Cameron, junior first baseman Skyler Choiniere, senior center fielder Lily Dame, and junior shortstop Ireland Hanley.

Plenty of talent will fill in around the veterans, he said.

“We’ve got some younger players I think will step up,” Farrell said, including freshmen who as 8th-graders played JV softball a year ago. One, McKenna Whitney, is listed as pitcher/utility on the roster and could spell Lexi Whitney.

He added the team is motivated to make a deeper postseason run this spring.

“They were disappointed by their performance in the playoffs last year,” Farrell said. “I think they want to prove themselves this year they should have gone further than they did.”

MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School girls’ tennis

GIRLS’ TENNIS

In 2024 Coach Dan Comar’s girls’ tennis team improved from two wins to nine wins as the program earned its No. 4 seed. Like the boys’ tennis team, the girls’ starting lineup did suffer a few losses: Between graduation and the departure of an exchange student, four regulars moved on.

Meanwhile, six returned who saw regular play: senior singles players Sophia Boise and Piper Farnsworth, and four who mostly played doubles a year ago, seniors Subia Khan and Clara Chant and juniors Maryan Khan and Anna Wolosinski.

“They’re returning kids who will contribute quite a bit,” Farrell said.

Farrell also has a sense that younger players will also make their presence felt — already enough signed on to bring the program numbers up to a healthy total of 17.

“There are a few freshmen and sophomores that look like they will be contributing to the program,” he said.

Challenge matches will determine the five singles starters and two doubles teams.

Farrell anticipates this season could resemble the 2024 campaign for the program.

“They developed as the year went on and finished nice and strong. And I have confidences will bring this team along the same way,” he said. “I suspect they’re going to do fine.”

MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School girls’ lacrosse

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

The MUHS girls’ lacrosse team did not lose many athletes to graduation, and meanwhile gained a co-coach to work with returning Coach Jeff Weaber. Caroline Wood, a former D-II college player and lacrosse official — and a MUMS science teacher — will join Weaber on the sidelines.

Among the returners are senior Co-Captains Ada Weaber and Georgie Kiel. Farrell expects good leadership from them.

“They’re both great kids,” he said.

After a six-win transition year in which Weaber was a new coach introducing different concepts, Farrell anticipates progress this spring.

“There were a few growing pains. They were just trying to figure out a new system. Jeff was introducing a new defense,” Farrell said. “That takes time with any sports. And we have many returning athletes, and a lot of the younger ones have pretty good talent let alone our seniors. I have faith we’re going to surprise a few schools this year that are thinking it’s the same team as last year.”

He summed up.

“We’re excited for the season,” Farrell said. “They’re going to do well.”

MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School girls’ ultimate

ULTIMATE

The good news is there are two full Ultimate teams this spring after last spring’s late registration mishap, and both the girls’ and boys’ teams have full independent schedules.

“We’re able to have two teams now, which is great,” Farrell said. “We had this sign-up problem last year where we didn’t know we had a (girls’) team, then we had 30 kids out. So that made it a challenge.”

There is also a coaching shuffle. Anne Murray, a local resident and longtime adult Ultimate player is the girls’ head coach, and her husband, Dwight Griesman, is the assistant coach. Both played through college and into adult competition, Farrell said, with Murray playing on teams that have “won several national titles.”

Both also have coaching experience, he added.

“What I love about it is they’re really teaching the fundamentals, and really have a great Ultimate IQ,” he said.

MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School boys’ ultimate

Former girls’ Ultimate coach Drew McDowell has moved sideways to take over the boys’ team, with Andrew McWilliams assisting. McDowell replaces program founder Michelle Steele, but she is not leaving the sport — she will coach the co-ed MUMS program and hopes to enhance the sport at that level and provide a better foundation for the not-always competitive (but always spirited) MUHS teams.

“She’s moving down to the middle school, which will only pay dividends for us,” Farrell said. “By having Michelle down there we can create a true feeder program.”

Farrell is also optimistic with the extra coaching at the varsity level the Tiger teams can begin to catch up to the competition.

“I’m optimistic. There are two coaches for each team, so the kids are getting a lot of one-on-one attention to help us grow and develop ourselves as a competitive team in Vermont,” he said.

As of deadline, only the girls team had chosen captains. Senior Jessie Bodette and junior Avery Hohenschau are the captains, and the spirit captain is senior Annika Heppell.