Roxbury Latin’s Varsity Tennis team won its last regular season match against St. Mark’s School on May 16 to finish undefeated in the ISL (15-0) for the third year in a row. Their success this season also earned the team its tenth ISL title since 2011. Cole Oberg ’25 captain), Daniel Stepanyan ’25 (captain), Xavier Martin ’25, Tom Pogorelec ’26, Avish Kumar ’26, Tanner Oberg ’27, Sid Chalamalasetty ’27, Eric Archerman ’27, and Nayan Patel ‘28 had memorable performances. As a team, they had an incredible 84-6 record in singles in the ISL. 

“We loved coaching this team because of its never lose attitude,” says Head Coach Ousmane Diop, on behalf of himself and Assistant Coach JB Gough ’13. “We had to win two road matches against our toughest competition to keep our ISL title, which shows the character of this team. One highlight from the season is the senior captains’ leadership and performances. Cole was undefeated at #1 singles the whole season, and Daniel did not lose a match at #3 singles in the ISL. Both played together in doubles as the #1 team and were undefeated in the ISL. They inspired us all to give our best throughout the season.”

Their success in the ISL earned the team an invitation to play in the New England Tournament as the #2 seed. RL started strong, beating BB&N in the quarterfinals and Middlesex in the semifinals, each by a score of 4-0. The finals took place at Deerfield Academy on May 18. The team faced Greenwich Country Day, the #1 seed. The score was 1-0 after RL’s doubles #1 (Cole and Daniel) and doubles #2 (Tom and Tanner) played well and won their matches. The team needed three more points to win it all, and secured another point when Cole won his at #1 singles. Unfortunately, Greenwich Country Day players started making a comeback and won close matches against our remaining singles players, including down-to-the-wire super tiebreakers to decide it all. Despite the valiant effort of all players, Greenwich Country secured the win. “Losing always hurts in sports, but it’s also an opportunity to learn, improve, and come back stronger,” says Mr. Diop.

Roxbury Latin’s Varsity Track and Field team arrived at the ISL Championship on May 11, hoping to improve upon last year’s 5th place overall finish. Not only did they do this, securing a 2nd place overall finish, but the day also included new school records, top-ten placements in the school’s history, and a group of boys leaving the meet as ISL Champions in their respective events. The meet was exciting from start to finish, with the points needed to surpass Milton for second being earned in the final three events. This finish was the team’s highest point total in twelve years, the last being when the team won the ISL Championship in 2013. “We had an amazing day,” said head coach Mrs. Dromgoole. “We left nothing out there on the track or in the fields.”

In the first 4x100m relay event, the team of Bruno Kim (I), co-captain Alex Giordano (I), Nate Kelly (IV), and Andrew Giordano (III) earned sixth place overall and second in their heat, earning one point for RL. In the next event, the 1500m run, James Kerr (III) finished in first place, securing ten points for the team and RL’s first win of the day. Additionally, James’s time of 3:58.70 set a new school record in this event. Ryan Miller (I) finished in third place in the 110m Hurdles, adding six more points to the team’s total. In the following event, the 400m dash, Noah Rahim (I) placed third overall, securing another six points for RL. RL’s second victory came in the 800m run when Levi Harrison (I) came in first place, earning ten points. Richie Federico (II) also added four points to the board for coming in fourth in this event. 

Flynn Hall (III) and Ryan finished in fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 300m hurdles, adding five points to the tally. Flynn’s time of 42.63 secured him the number ten spot in RL’s history in this event. In the 200m dash, Alex finished in fourth place overall, earning four points for the team and catapulting him to the number two all-time result for this event with a time of 22.48. In the 3000m run, James finished in third overall, adding six more points to the score. 

The 4×400 relay race came down to the wire, with the team of Noah, Richie, Levi, and co-captain Benji Macharia (I) finishing first overall with a time of 3:39.01. This time earned the relay team the number four finish in RL’s history in this event. Nitin Muniappan (II) secured first place in the Javelin Throw, adding ten points to the team’s score, while Dante LaMonica (III) earned the team two points with his fifth-place finish. Alex and Drew Anderson (II) finished fourth and fifth in the Triple Jump, earning RL a crucial six points. In the day’s final event, Ryan secured ten points for the team with a first-place finish in the Pole Vault while setting a new school record with a mark of 14-1. With all the points tallied, RL earned a solid second-place finish with 92 points. 

After the team’s success in the ISL Championships came the New England Championship meet, where the team once again earned second place overall. Ryan and James secured first-place finishes in their respective events and completed the difficult task of winning back-to-back championship competitions. Chase Sullivan (IV) set the freshman record in the long jump with a 20′ 4.5″ leap, while Nate broke his own freshman record in the 200m dash.

Roxbury Latin’s Varsity Wrestling team, led by Dr. Art Beauregard, hopes to continue a winning season as they head into the New England Prep Wrestling Championship this weekend. Casey Chiang (III), Everett Bluman (V), Luke Kern (III), Charlie Holt (III), Zach Lim (IV), Navid Hodjat (II), David Comander (III), Michael DiLallo (II), Justin Lim (I), Flynn Hall (III), and Michael Rimas (II) will head to Phillips Exeter in hopes of bringing home some hardware. 

This Championship meet comes after a great showing at the annual Graves-Kelsey Tournament—the Independent School League wrestling championships, named for long-time and legendary coaches Bert Kelsey of Roxbury Latin, and Gibby Graves of Buckingham Browne & Nichols.

Earning an impressive second-place finish overall, Roxbury Latin’s wrestlers exhibited dedication and toughness in a collective effort, with the following wrestlers placing in their respective weight classes:

1st – Justin Lim: Justin was also named Boston Globe All-Scholastic Award Winner and Most Pins in the Least Amount of Time

2nd – Everett Bluman, Casey Chiang, Luke Kern, Charlie Holt, Zach Lim, Michael DiLallo

3rd – David Comander, Michael Rimas

4th – Noah Abdur Rahim (I)

6th – Alvin Li (III), Sam Ruscito (IV), Navid Hodjat

The Graves-Kelsey Tournament was named in honor of Gibby Graves and Bert Kelsey in 1966. Bert was Roxbury Latin’s wrestling coach from 1937 to 1966, earning 24 winning seasons and numerous individual championships. A teacher of English and debate, his energy and good nature endeared him to hundreds of students. Gibby Graves was a long-time coach at Buckingham Browne and Nichols and was a pioneer in developing the league tournament. Roxbury Latin has earned the title of Graves Kelsey Champion 20 times since 1966.

Roxbury Latin’s Varsity and JV Cross Country teams have won or been runners-up in seven of the last eight New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Division II Cross Country Championships. This year, both teams secured another victory, with RL boys placing first and securing several other top spots in the races, clinching the coveted New England title. 

Both the Varsity and JV Cross Country teams had an overall successful season, with many victories, broken records, and hard-fought races. However, the season also had its share of tough losses, including in the ISL Championship race. “This year’s team came into the season with high expectations—to win both the ISLs and New England D2 championships,” said head coach Bryan Dunn. “The first few meets showed that the talent was there, but it was also apparent that Tabor was going to be a formidable opponent.”

As the season continued, the boys grew closer and were committed to giving it their all. “Each one of the runners had moments in the season where things weren’t going their way. However, because of their bonds as a team and a commitment to one another, they each found a way to run their best when it counted at the championship meets,” said Dr. Dunn.

Finally, the moment had arrived: the New England DII Championship. The hard work paid off, the team came out on top, and the goal of beating Tabor was achieved. It was a victorious occasion across the board, with the Varsity team securing first place in a field of 20 and the JV team securing first place in a field of 13. 

James Kerr (III) placed first out of 139 runners in the Varsity race. Rounding out the top 20 were Levi Harrison (I) in fifth place, Liam Walsh (II) and Richie Federico (II) in twelfth and thirteenth, respectively, and Lincoln Hyatt (II) finishing eighteenth.

Eric Archerman (III) placed first out of 133 runners for the JV race. RL boys comprised the entirety of the top four, with Toby Harrison (III), Colin Bradley (II), and Zach Heaton (I) placing second, third, and fourth, respectively. Fin Reichard (II) finished in sixth place, and Max Kesselheim (II) finished in eighth place, making an impressive 60% RL top ten.

On May 17, Roxbury Latin Varsity Tennis won its final regular season match against St. Mark’s School, completing an undefeated ISL season (15-0) for the second year in a row and winning its ninth ISL title since 2011. Eric Zhu ’24, Eric Diop ’24 (Captain), Jiho Lee ’24 (Captain), Lucas Vander Elst ’24, Cole Oberg ’25, Daniel Stepanyan ’25, Tom Pogorelec ’26, Avish Kumar ’26, Tanner Oberg ’27, and Sid Chalamalasetty ’27 had memorable performances. As a team, the boys had a phenomenal 86-4 record in singles in the ISL. “I loved coaching this team because the players had a wonderful chemistry, and they really bought into the concept of team,” says veteran head coach Ousmane Diop. “They not only worked hard for each other, and sacrificed for each other, but they were also resilient, tough, competitive, and fun. Justin Yamaguchi ’24, our longtime team manager, who is often referred to as my assistant coach, was the glue that held it together, and he will be sorely missed.”

Based on the team’s success in the ISL regular season, they were invited to play in the 2024 New England Class B Tournament, along with the best seven other schools in New England in their division. RL has won the New England Championship three times before (2013, 2019, 2022). RL received the #1 seed and was supposed to host the first two rounds of the top half of the draw on May 18. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, and Milton Academy generously offered to host RL and Belmont Hill in the first round of the tournament. RL won 4-0; one point for the doubles, and wins from Eric Diop, Tanner Oberg, and Daniel Stepanyan gave the team the necessary 4 points to advance. They then played Milton Academy and won 4-0, securing the doubles point and earning wins from Cole Oberg, Eric Diop, and Daniel Stepanyan. The team was excited to play Greens Farms Academy (who beat Westminster and Nobles on the other side of the draw) the next day in the finals at RL, but once again the weather was uncooperative. Thankfully, Laury Hammel (well-known in the world of tennis in New England), allowed RL to use one of his facilities for the finals, and the school is so grateful to him.

The finals started well for RL, as they won the doubles point. In the singles matches, Daniel Stepanyan at #5 singles was the first one to finish his match and gave the team a 2-0 lead. Then Eric Diop at #2 singles won his match, which brought the team up 3-0, needing just one more match to win the championship. Cole Oberg at #1 singles, Jiho Lee at #3 singles, and Sid Chalamalasetty at #6 singles lost close matches, so RL and GFA each had 3 points with one more match to decide it all. Finally, Tanner Oberg at #4 singles won his match in a second set tiebreaker to clinch Roxbury Latin’s fourth New England crown ever.

“It was truly a team effort, and I could not be prouder of every player,” said Coach Diop. “As always, I want to thank Mr. Brennan and Mr. Teixeira for their continuous support. I am also grateful to RL parents, faculty, students past and present, who came to support us during our matches and the New England tournament. As we celebrate our successful 2024 season, all the players and I can’t wait to start it all over again next spring.”

On November 11, the Varsity Cross Country team earned the title of New England Champions for the fourth time in six years, after competing in the New England Division II race at their home course here on campus. The win capped their regular season record of 14-1 and added to the team’s second place finish in the ISL Championship race on November 4. In the New England championship race over the weekend, RL scored 61 points to place first, ahead of Tabor (88) and Nobles (93).

Both James Kerr (IV) and Ezra Klauber (II) finished in the race’s top ten runners, placing second and fourth place respectively. Rounding out the team effort were Eric Diop (I) in 14th place and Richard Federico (III) in 16th place. By placing in the top 20, James, Ezra, Eric and Richard earned All-New England distinction.

Earning league recognition this season are James Kerr (IV), Ezra Klauber (II), and Liam Walsh (IV), who were named All-ISL, and Richie Federico (III) and Eric Diop (I) earning Honorable Mentions.

The Junior Varsity team also completed a strong season with a 13-2 record, offering lots of promise for the future of the program. The team earned perfect scores of 15 in ten out of their 14 races this season. The JV squad also earned a first place finish in the New England Championship meet, with seven of the runners finishing in the top 20. The squad was led by Lincoln Hyatt (III) who won the race and Eric Archerman (IV) who placed second. Eric Zhu (I) and Akhilsai Damera (I) also finished in the top ten placing fifth and seventh, respectively.

Finally, Roxbury Latin’s Junior team had an extraordinary season, finishing 9-2 overall, concluding their season by earning first place in the Larz Anderson Invitational meet on October 18 and second place in the Junior Jamboree hosted on November 1 at Roxbury Latin.

The intrepid runners of Classes V and VI took to the hills of Larz Anderson Park on October 19, in the hopes of defending their team title at the Larz Anderson Invitational. Without any ninth graders in the mix, the Junior Cross Country team’s younger team members seized the day, placing first out of 17 teams and earning the title of Larz Anderson Invitational team champions for the second year in a row. (Find individual results here.)

After bolting out of the gates at the start, the team settled into their paces. Ethan Budreau led the team through the halfway mark, with Bruce Ghostlaw close behind. Ben Romano, Julian Vidal, and Everett Bluman followed shortly thereafter in a tight group, demonstrating perfect “pack running” strategy. No other team had such a dense pack of runners at the mile—an intimidating show of dominance by RLXC. Everett epitomized a perfectly-paced race. After coming through the mile around 20th place, he made a big push on the second lap to move up, ultimately finishing in eleventh place, RL’s first runner across the line!

In the second half of the race, many other RL runners—including Nayan Patel, Kolby Sahin, and Jasper Hyatt—also showed the value of patient early running. Putting their “pedal to the metal” on lap #2, they passed a number of runners in the second mile. John Cirasuolo and Alex Archerman both showed the advantage that RL’s own Malley Hill gives RLXC athletes wherever they run; on lap #2, both John and Alex pushed over the top of the major hill to catch and pass runners on other teams. As the finish line drew near, Guled Rashid and Charley Malley unleashed fierce finishing kicks.

At an Invitational meet, points can add up quickly. Runners are scored based on their finishing places (11th place = 11 points), and so any score below 100 points is a score to be proud of. RL scored 70 points in the race. An additional measure of a team’s quality is its “spread”—the amount of time between a team’s #1 and #5 finisher. RL did not have any runners in the top 10, but the team had an astounding spread of 33 seconds, between 11th and 18th places. That teamwork is what helped RL seal its victory.

Recap by Junior Cross Country Head Coach, Erin Dromgoole.