Mustang Monthly
Nelson Mingachos Named Athletic Director
Immaculate High School’s new Athletic Director, Nelson Mingachos, an IHS alumnus from the Class of 1989, current boys basketball and girls soccer coach and acting Athletic Director (AD) since December 2018, has been appointed to the position of Athletic Director effective July 1.
Head coach at Immaculate since 2003, Mingachos was named SWC Coach of the Year six times, including last year when he received the SWC Coach of the Year for Girls Soccer honor after leading the team to win the SWC Championship. He was also named Coach of the Year by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association, the CT Sports Writer Alliance and by the Danbury News-Times (four times). Last year Mingachos coached the IHS boys basketball team to the ultimate victory by winning the CIAC Division II State Championship, and ended up only one game away from the State Division I title this year.
Mingachos has coached the IHS girls soccer teams to four SWC Championships and ten CIAC State Championships, and the boys basketball team to three CIAC State Championships and a SWC Championship since he began head coaching the teams in 2003.
His experience and insight as both an athlete, alumnus and coach will prove invaluable as he guides the Mustang Athletics Department. “Watching and helping the student-athletes grow, develop and succeed over their four years here is incredible, and I look forward to working with all of our talented student-athletes and coaches,” says Mingachos.
Spring Athletic Teams Recap
State Tournament playoffs are happening, and many of our student-athletes are competing in their playoff runs. It has been a great Spring Season for our Immaculate Mustangs!
Baseball, led by senior captains Zach Demko and Tommy Coonan, ended the main season 9-11 and are on their way into the Class S State Tournament after winning their last three games. Joey Rios '20 has had an excellent year on the mound as the team's ace while batting .365. CJ Cianflone '20 has stayed hot all season at the plate batting .390. Both Patrick Iannetta '20 and Tommy Fahey '21 have also helped their team this year, each having a walkoff single on the season.
Softball had a competitive season finishing 7-12, just missing out of the State Tournament. The Lady Mustangs were led by junior captains Madison Flamme, Mackenzie O’Rourke and Kate Banks. Freshmen Sara MacKinnon and Audrey Quish proved to be strong offensively for the team. The girls had a good season and look to build off their success going into next year.
Boys Lacrosse season ended at 7-9 qualifying for the State Tournament with their last win of the season. The team has been lead offensively by Stephen Sedensky '20, Joseph Robinson '20 and Christopher Karle '22. Defensively, Andrew Tureaud '19 has stepped up playing three different defensive positions this year. His contributions were key for the Mustangs to qualify for the State Tournament. The boys played their first tournament game on Saturday, May 25 vs. Lewis Mills High School and lost a hard-fought game by a close score of 14-12.
Girls Lacrosse finished 2-14, but had impressive athletes as leaders of the team! Senior Emma Baughman played attack and will be playing for Ave Maria University next year. Midfielder Madison Halas led the team in goals, and will be playing field hockey at Bentley University. Seniors Natalie Kennedy, who will be playing ice hockey at Sacred Heart University in the Fall, and Kristen Cirone were the leaders on defense and had strong seasons as well!
Track and Field: competed in the SWC Championship on Wednesday, May 22 and had a strong showing. The Girls 4x800m team of Kayla Ondy, Aileen Doherty, Molly Coyle and Taylor Mascetta continue their dominance finishing first at the meet. Molly Coyle also finished first in the 800m, as Angela Saidman finished first in the 1600m and second in the 3200m. The team of Maura Murphy, Aileen Doherty, Molly Coyle and Taylor Mascetta finished second in the 4x400m, while Taylor Mascetta also finished second in the 1600m. For the boys, Spencer Brown finished second in the 110 hurdles, along with finishing third in the long jump. Lastly, the team of Ryan McNerney, Parker McKenzie, Allen Reigo de Dios and Keelan Doherty finished third in the 4x800. Both Boys and Girls Track and Field will compete in the Class S State Championship meet on Thursday, May 30 at 3pm at Willow Brook Park in New Britain.
Boys Golf competed in the SWC Championship on May 28 at Ridgewood Country Club and came in second (350) with a 78 shot by Jack Woods, tying him for second individually. Teammates Daniel Leblanc shot 89, Ryan Fanella shot 90 and Nick Iannetta shot 93. The team currently sits second in the Patriot Division at 11-2. Seniors Jack Woods and Ryan Fanella, along with sophomore Daniel LeBlanc, have been key to the team’s chase at a second SWC Championship, along with the talents of juniors Nick Iannetta and Logan McAloon.
Girls Golf finished first in the Patriot Division this year with a 12-1 record, winning their division for the regular season! Members of the team then went on to take third place in the SWC Championships, their best record ever with a score of 440. Juniors Lauren Oskam (104) and senior Avery Jarboe (108), senior Mackenzy Garden (112), and freshman Sadie Mellen (116) and Lilly Zuccala (126) played their best at the SWCs at Brownson Country Club.
Boys Tennis finished 7-7 in the regular season, qualifying for the SWC and Class S State Tournaments as a team. Singles Joe Wilson ‘22, Connor Mitchell ‘19 and Hans Reelick ‘20 and doubles teams Mikey Basile ‘19/Chris Cabrera ‘19, Nick Lenz ‘21/Ethan Goodman ‘21, and Aidan Finnegan’21/Andrew Talarico ‘21 competed in the State Tournament on Friday, May 24 for the first and second rounds. The team won five out of six first-round matches of the State Tournament and the second round winners Joe Wilson and doubles team Nick Lenz/Ethan Goodman moved onto to the third round of States on Saturday, May 25. Joe Wilson is competing in the State Quarterfinals on May 29 at Conard High School. The team is currently in third place in the Class S State Tournament.
Girls Tennis finished 5-8 this year with strong performances from seniors Finan Deakin and Amy Perna. Juniors Francesca Coppola and Gabrielle Rynne also had strong seasons, and look to carry the momentum to next year! Keleigh Zuckert ‘19, Amy Perna ‘19, Jamison Nolan ‘19, Finan Deakin ‘19 and Francesca Coppola ‘20 all competed in the SWC Championships this year.
Senior Night Photos
Girl golfers Mackenzy Garden, Francis Dwyer, Shea Foye and Avery Jarboe enjoy their Senior Night.
Senior boys tennis players Ismael Ricardo, Mikey Basile, Rudy Antonios, Chris Cabrera, Connor Mitchell celebrate their time together as teammates at their Senior Night.
Immaculate High School’s Student-Athletes Sign To College Teams
Immaculate High School’s strong athletic program has nurtured many accomplished student-athletes, and several of them will play in college. At the third signing ceremony of the year, student-athletes represented ten sports at colleges and universities, including D1 and D2 schools.
Mikey Basile of Bethel will play basketball at Washington and Lee University, where he will major in Business. A starting player on the Immaculate boys basketball team that won last year’s CIAC Division II State Championship, Basile is a 2016 and 2018 Boys Basketball State Champion. While at Immaculate, he was named to the All-State, Academic All-State and SWC First teams for basketball his junior and senior years, to the All-Patriot Team for soccer and was captain of the basketball, soccer and tennis teams.
Emma Baughman of Brookfield will play midfield on the Ave Maria University’s D2 women’s lacrosse team. An Immaculate lacrosse player for four years, she ran cross country for three years and indoor track one season. Baughman will major in Psychology while on a pre-med track and plans to be an ER physician.
Christina Carboni of Danbury will run D1 cross country and track for the University of Maine, where she will major in Business. Carboni ran cross country and track while at Immaculate and was a member of its championship teams.
Morganne Cartee of New Milford will play D2 soccer as a midfielder at Concordia College and is enrolled in the nursing program. Cartee played both midfield and outside defense for the Immaculate girls soccer team and ran indoor/outdoor track as a sprinter. Cartee was a member of the soccer team that won a Class 'M' State Championship in 2016 and the SWC Conference Championship in 2017, and the team finished as the Class 'S' runners-up in 2018 with Cartee as their team captain. Named to the All-SWC Indoor Track First Team and the All-State Indoor Track Second Team for both her sophomore and junior years, as well as All-SWC her sophomore year, Cartee also received an All-State Second Team recognition for outdoor track and competed at the New Balance Nationals Meet.
Matt Christe of Brookfield will play for the Norwich University football team where he will major in Political Science. Christe was running back for the Abbott Tech-Immaculate co-op football team (ATI) and was named an All-Conference player twice.
Hailey Dubbioso of North Salem, NY will play soccer, forward and outside midfield positions, for Salve Regina University where she will major in Early Childhood and Special Education. Dubbioso was a forward on the Immaculate girls soccer team, which won the 2016 Class M State Championship and the 2017 SWC Championship and finished as the Class 'S' runners-up in 2018.
Madison Halas of Danbury will play D2 field hockey at Bentley University, where she will play midfield and major in Business. Halas played the midfield position for both the Immaculate field hockey and lacrosse teams. She was named All-State First Team and All-Conference player three years in a row, CIAC Class S State Championship Player of the Game and to the NFHCA All-Northeast Region Second Team for field hockey. Halas was a lead player for the Immaculate field hockey team that won the 2018 Class S State Championship. She served as captain for the Immaculate field hockey team since 2016 and as captain of the girls lacrosse team in 2019.
Natalie Kennedy of Ridgefield will play D1 women’s ice hockey at Sacred Heart University where she will be a nursing student in the honors program. Natalie has played as a center on the Brewster Lady Bulldogs ice hockey team, where she has been a captain for the last three years, but will most likely play wing at Sacred Heart. The Bulldogs won the New York State Amateur Hockey Association U16 Championship last season and attended the USA Hockey Nationals. At Immaculate, Natalie played defense on the girls lacrosse team and is one of the senior captains.
Taylor Mascetta of Danbury will run for the Fordham University D1 track team, where she will be a mid-distance and cross country runner. She will study Communications and Journalism at Fordham. At Immaculate, Mascetta ran cross country and track and field. She ran the 5K and specialized in the 4x800m, 1600m, 3200m and 800m for track and earned All-SWC and All-State honors multiple times. For this school year’s indoor track season, Mascetta was a SWC, State, State Open and New England Champion in the 4x800m and also medaled at New Balance Nationals twice in the Emerging Elite DMR. Mascetta was named MVP during her senior year for the cross country and indoor track seasons and was named a SWC Scholar Athlete. She was part of the 2018 girls cross country team that won both the SWC and the State Class SS Championship titles.
Maura Murphy of Ridgefield will run both cross country and track (mid-distance) for Springfield College. As captain, Murphy ran cross country and track. She was a strong member of the Immaculate teams that won the SWC and State Championship titles and earned third place in the New England Nationals meet this Fall.
Sophia Pilla of Ridgefield will attend the University of Georgia’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, where she will be a part of their D1 equestrian team. She will study to become a large animal veterinarian. Pilla had top finishes in the equitation, hunters and jumpers divisions at premier shows across the country. In 2018 she won the Overall Washington Equitation in Lake Placid (N.Y.) and the Maclay in Wellington (Fla.), which qualified Pilla to compete in the George Morris Equitation Championship. Among other honors, she also won multiple titles in the Junior Jumpers in 2018, qualifying for the US Jumper Championship in Washington finishing second in the speed round, and won the $10,000 Junior Jumper Classic at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington.
Anna Richards of Ridgefield will major in Nursing at Sacred Heart University, where she will also be a member of its D1 varsity cheerleading squad. A captain of the Immaculate cheer team her senior year, Richards was named to the SWC All-Patriot cheerleading team. She also played lacrosse at Immaculate her junior and senior years.
Allen Riego De Dios of Danbury will run cross country at Western Connecticut University, where he will major in Nursing. While at Immaculate he ran cross country and the 4x800 relay for indoor and outdoor track, and received All-State 2nd Team honors for indoor track and was named Rookie of the Year for cross country. Riego De Dios was a valued member of the 2018 Immaculate boys cross country team that won the State Class SS Championship, the first time the team won that title in school history.
Danielle Sekelsky of Bethel will be a varsity D1 cheerleader at Pennsylvania State University, where she will major in Business Finance. While at Immaculate, Sekelsky was a varsity cheerleader who earned Top All-American honors from the National Cheerleaders Association and was a 2019 World Champion with the World Cup Shooting Stars.
Lin Marie Vitarbo of Newtown will play on the girls soccer team at Mount Saint Mary’s College, where she will major in Biology, pre-veterinary track. At Immaculate Vitarbo was a member of the girls soccer team and was a sprinter for the track teams.
Jack Woods of Danbury will play D1 golf at Bryant University, where he will major in finance. While at Immaculate, Woods was named to All-Conference and All-State teams for golf during all four years of school. He played varsity basketball at Immaculate and was named to the All-SWC First Team. Woods was a leader of the Immaculate Golf Team that won the SWC Championship in 2018 and was a player on the 2018 basketball team that won the State Championship.
Ann’s Place Donation
The boys and girls basketball teams each held Play for the Cure fundraisers at one of their games to benefit Ann’s Place in Danbury. Together they collected $1,275 for Anne’s Place to help those with cancer. Pictured L-R: Tye Mill, Kristen Cirone, Jack Woods, Quinn Guth, Mikey Basile, Jack Bouffard and Debbie Basile
Girl’s Tennis Pink Aid Fundraiser
IHS and Bethel's Girls Tennis teams supported the Pink Aid organization by hosting fundraising events and both teams raised a combined total of $550. Thank you to all of the players, parents and staff members who helped support this wonderful organization and its mission.
Danbury Youth Baseball Day
Immaculate High School supports local youth baseball by attending and participating in the opening day ceremonies for Danbury Youth Baseball at Roger’s Park. CJ Cianflone, outfielder for the IHS varsity team, was proud to represent Immaculate.