Seven Avon High athletes earn All-State honors for their play in the fall

Maddie Hart (20), right, earned All-State honors for her play on the volleyball court this fall.

AVON – Seven Avon High athletes earned All-State honors this fall for their play on the athletic fields. Senior hitter Maddie Hart, field hockey players Rachel Spivak and Paige Deppe and girls soccer player Riley Abate earned All-State honors.

In cross country, Emily Foley, Sara Leavens and Rhiannon Richmond earned All-State honors in Class MM as the Falcons won the state championship for the third time in four years.

Nineteen other players earned All-Conference honors in the CCC West Patriot Division.

Hart broke single season school records with 333 kills and had a team-leading 63 aces serving and 149 digs for the Falcons (17-7), who finished second in the CCC West Patriot Division.

She had 25 kills in a win over Simsbury in September. She earned All-Conference honors and Class L All-State recognition. Hart was selected to play in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Senior All-Star match.

The Avon High girls soccer team had their first-ever losing season this fall (3-10-3) but Abate, who owns the school record in the 100 meters, earned All-State honors on the Class L team as selected by the Connecticut Girls Soccer Coaches Association. She plans to attend Marist College.

Spivak had a team-high 15 goals this season for the Falcons (9-5-1-3), who were eliminated in the Class M quarterfinals by Guilford. She had four multiple goal games including a hat trick in a 5-1 win over Northwest Catholic in September.

Deppe had 11 goals – second on the team including three multiple goal games and a hat trick in a win over Newington in September.

The field hockey was also selected to receive the Lucy Goodridge Sportsmanship Award for demonstrating the fundamental values of respect, fairness, honesty and responsibility as positive role models in the sport of field hockey. The Falcons were selected from a field of 79 teams statewide by the Connecticut Field Hockey Officials Association.

Foley, Leavens and Richmond earned All-State honors by finishing in the top 8 at the Class MM championship meet. Foley led the way for Avon by finishing second in the race with a time of 20:21 – her best time of the season at Wickham Park in Manchester where the championship meet was run. Watertown’s Bethany Ottowitz won the race in 19:31.

It was the second time in the last three events that Foley has led the Falcons. Foley won Avon’s final dual meet of the season earlier this month against Farmington and Innovation. Richmond, a sophomore, was fifth for Avon in 20:34 – also her best time of the year at Wickham Park – with Leavens finishing sixth in 20:36.

All-Conference honors

CCC West Patriot
Volleyball: Maddie Hart, Audrey Worth
Boys Soccer: Colin Dryfe, Riley Welter
Girls Soccer: Riley Abate, Olivia DiBella
Girls Cross Country: Sara Leavens, Rhiannon Richmond, Emily Foley, Rachel Martin, Caroline Luby,  Ashley Martin

CCC Division III East Division
Football: Dylan Burgos, Tucker Gill, Ryan Ollestad and Henry Schrecengost

CCC South
Field Hockey: Rachel Spivak, Paige Deppe and Sarah Thomas

All-Courant honors
Field hockey: Rachel Spivak
Volleyball: Maddy Hart (hitter) and Audrey Worth (setter)