Rockets Review: Three Stand-out Student Athletes Honored

The following was sent by Needham High School Athletics:

Needham High School stand-out senior student-athletes, Ian Stewart, Ned Connolly, and Maria Smirnov, recently recognized for distinct achievements and accomplishments:

Ian Stewart

In April, NHS Senior Ian Stewart was honored as a Secondary School Scholar-Athlete by the Jack Grinold Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.  Ian was presented with the prestigious award, along with other winners, at the event’s 38^th annual banquet on May 13th in Randolph.  

Those awarded came from over 200 parochial, private, and public schools throughout Eastern Massachusetts. After being submitted for consideration by Needham HS Head Football Coach, David Duffy, Ian’s nomination was reviewed and selected by a committee made up of college admissions directors, athletic directors, coaches, and members of the media. The 120 national Chapters are responsible for recognizing local secondary school award winners all around the country.  In addition to playing football at NHS, Ian also excelled as a member of the Indoor and Outdoor Track Teams.

Ned Connolly

 On May 21^st, NHS Senior Edward “Ned” Connolly was selected by the Boston Globe as the District C male winner of the Phelps Scholar-Athlete Scholarship Program.  This prestigious scholarship program, now in its 27^th year, selects one male and one female student-athlete winner from each of the MIAA’s eight regional districts. The program recognizes high-level, multi-sport student-athletes, who also excel in the classroom and in other areas of school and life (i.e. community service and outreach, other school clubs and activities, etc.). The awards will be presented to all winners on June 23^rd at the Globe Scholar-Athlete Award Ceremony.  

In addition to being a 3-sport captain at NHS (Football, Indoor Track, and Boys Lacrosse), Ned is also the president of the NHS Class of 2013, a position he has held for all four years of high school, is heavily involved in the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society, and helped represent the Rockets at the MIAA’s annual Sportsmanship Summit at Gillette Stadium in November.  

Ned has become one of the faces of Rockets athletics throughout his interscholastic career, as an offensive lineman on the Football team each fall, an Indoor Track athlete during in the winter, and an attack for Boys Lacrosse in the spring.

Connolly was an integral part of the squad that propelled Needham to a berth in the 2011 EMass Division 1 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium (the first in 125 years of football at NHS), and the ‘O’ line that helped running back Mikey Panepinto rush for an incredible 25 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards during this past fall season!  

For Indoor Track, he has twice qualified for the MIAA Division 2 Championships in the 600m, and earned an 8^th place finish in Division 2 as a member of the 4x400m relay. Ned was named a Bay State Conference All-Conference Honorable Mention for the 2012-2013 season.  

As a member of the Rockets Boys LAX Team, Ned was instrumental in the team’s 2012 run to the Division 1 Championship game vs Duxbury at Harvard University, and has helped lead the squad to a current #1 ranking in the state this spring!  He tallied 15 points in 12 games last year before suffering a season-ending injury, and his play this season has earned him a First Team Bay State All-Conference selection. When asked about a favorite moment he has had as an athlete here at Needham High, he immediately pointed to the Lacrosse Team’s huge win over previously top-ranked Duxbury High School last week, a win he said was “huge for the team and the program!”

(The Rockets earned the #2 seed in Division I East last week and will take on the winner of Braintree vs Masconomet at Needham’s Memorial Field at a date and time to be announced.)

This coming fall, Ned will be taking his talents to Tufts University. Currently he is undeclared, but is looking at engineering as a possible major. He does plan to try-out for the Men’s Lacrosse Team, but in the unlikely event he doesn’t make it, he says he “definitely” intends to run track. When asked about the fact that he was the sole male winner of this scholarship out of the 60 schools in the District C, Ned showed just how humble he is, stating that he “really just (tries) to be a nice person all the time and to do (his) best in everything.”

Maria Smirnov

At the conclusion of this past winter gymnastics season, NHS Senior Maria Smirnov set herself apart from all other NHS gymnasts by being invited to participate in the Senior National Gymnastics Championships as a member of the Massachusetts team. Selected to join a group of 19 other high school standouts from across the State to travel to Ft. Meyers, Florida from May 16-19 to compete, Maria showed she belonged, finishing 3^rd overall on the Balance Beam and 5^th in the Floor exercise.  Her team also showed they belonged, tying a meet record with 150.325 points and edging out Illinois to win the 2013 event, earning the title of National Champions!  

Maria and her teammates dedicated the meet to the victims and survivors of the Boston Marathon Bombings, and through the sales of blue and yellow ribbons, were able to raise funds that will be donated to the One Fund.  When asked about her efforts, Maria said that it was a good feeling to be able to help the victims of the bombings in any way that her and her teammates could.  Overall, Maria said it was a great experience and a terrific weekend!  Maria also had a strong diving career at NHS and will have the difficult decision of trying to decide between the two sports in college next year.

Massachusetts Team Roster: Adrianna Beatrice, Beverly; Jessica Chabot, Sharon; Jillian Gagnon, Nauset; Chloe Herczeg, Algonquin; Samantha Kaplan, Sharon; Mary Korotsky, Bridgewater/Raynham; Madison Krysko, Mansfield; Kathryn Manning, Lowell; Meridith Moreau, Attleboro; Sarah Muolo, Stoneham; Emily Murphy, Minnechaug; Corrine Paul, Oliver Ames; Christa Perry, Wellesley; Katherine Pitman, Marblehead/Swampscott; Gina Pomponi, Billerica; Maria Smirnov, Needham; Loralee Smith, Beverly; Kimberly Stewart, Nauset; Alissa Wood, Algonquin; Jessica Whitehead, North Andover; Megan Yuen, Shrewbury.