The badminton team finished second in the IAAM “B” Conference tournament, continuing JC’s success established by fall and winter sports teams.

Sophomore Lily Chen went undefeated in all of her matches, finishing first in the conference. “My coaches encouraged me a lot and my skills really improved over the year,” Chen said.

Chen hopes she can continue on her path of success in the upcoming season. “[This] season gave me a lot of self-confidence, and it has also made me want to be singles champion again next year,” Chen said.

Two pairs of doubles teams, juniors Giana Liberatore and Emily Schiavone, and sophomores Carry Yi and Christina He, both made it to the semi-finals in the tournament. “It was our first time on varsity. We are really proud of our performance in the tournament,” Liberatore said.

The players weren’t the only ones pleased with their performances. Head coach Tess Gauthier was delighted by her team’s success throughout the season and in the tournament. “I was proud of how we did especially because we only had two returning varsity players. We had eight new [players],” Gauthier said.

Gauthier expects the team will have a bright future because only four senior varsity players are graduating this year.

The team’s victories on the court were not the only thing that made the tournament a “smashing” success. Four girls were named IAAM Tournament All-Stars: Chen, Liberatore, Schiavone, and junior Erin McCaughey as well, adding to the encouraging overall season.

Daniel Robinson is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.