<p>I'm just starting this thread for potential athletes looking at ne prep schools. Each school has different programs they excel at. here are some i know. People can add on more if they know more about prep school athletics.</p>
<p>Swimming: Exeter has been flat out dominant in new england swimming the past ten years. Deerfield historically has the strongest program and the nicest pool in all of new england.</p>
<p>Wrestling: Loomis-Chaffee is the place to go for young wrestlers, as their program is on top now, producing multiple all americans in the past few years. However, Exeter has probably the best historic program and the best coaching out of the new england preps.</p>
<p>Hockey: NE prep hockey is some of the best high school hockey in the nation(however, all the best players play juniors instead of school). Salisbury is usually very good. </p>
<p>Lacrosse: OK, first of all, don't expect to play much on varsity unless you're extremely good. Lacrosse is seen as the new england prep's main and most exciting sport. only the best come to play lax in the founder's league, and there are many post graduates playing as well. Deerfield I believe takes the cake as the best program available. Loomis and Salisbury are always contenders to win the championship, but aren't really up to par as the rest academically. Taft has a historically dominant program, but is on the down as of now. Choate seems to be a program on the rise with a surprisingly good showing this year.</p>
<p>CrewDont know much, but i think St. Pauls and Belmont Hill are very good.</p>
<p>Actually there is an arguement to be made that all the best high school age hockey players play in the prep leagues in New England. In the Midwest, Shattuck-St Mary's is the prep powerhouse. Most Junior players are 19-20 years of age
Many prep players play a year or 2 of junior hockey after prep school</p>
<p>The average age of a college freshman hockey player at the D1 level (and now getting more common at the D3 level) is approaching 21 years of age</p>
<p>X-Country: Exeter/Andover. Exeter has won the div. 1 New Englands for more than 5 years straight. It's coached by two former olympians. Andover almost always comes in second next to Exeter.</p>
<p>Here's some additions to what's already been said:</p>
<p>Crew: St. Paul's is the traditionally the best, but this year their season was cut prematurely short due to flooding. Kent won New Englands and Andover came in second. Andover will be going to Henley as Kent was ruled ineligable because of their use of PG's in their winning boat.</p>
<p>Basketball: NMH is always very strong, being nationally ranked and having two brothers that are regarded as top recruits in their class.</p>
<p>Football: Andover had a phenomenal season this year, going undefeated in the regular season and finishing as runner-up to Trinity-Pawling in the NEPSAC Championship game. Deerfield is also always very strong.</p>
<p>Track: Andover typically has the strongest program, winning the boys championship 5 out of the past 6 years, including a win for both boys and girls this year. Exeter is always very close behind however (being the team that disrupted the championship streak in 2005) and has a phenomenal program as well. </p>
<p>Water Polo/Swimming: I have a lot of friends that do water sports so I'd like to clarify a few things here. Exeter is the undisputed top program for boys swimming (although Andover beat them for the first time in 37 years this time around) and Andover is the undisputed top program for girls (winning the past five championships). Water polo is as follows: Exeter, Choate, Andover.</p>
<p>That's all I know off the top of my head. Ask if there's any sport you're interested in that you would like more information about.</p>
<p>Bridgton Academy in Maine finished third in the country for prep school basketball this year. They had 7+ guys go division one to places like St. Johns, Purdue, and Nevada. And many college coaches such as BC, Illinois, Kentucky, Florida, and Washington showed up to get a look at some of their players. BA is also a powerhouse in Lax. Two kids are went to the Naval Academy this year, one to Syracuse, one to Hobart, Ohio State, about five to Quinnipiac, and a few to the top DII program at Lamoyne. Their only problem is that they don't offer nearly the top education there is but if you want sports that school can get you to wherever you want if you are good enough.</p>
<p>Then there are schools like Notre Dame Prep which was the best prep team in the country this year. Brewster Academy is another good one. But at the prep school level you have to be really good especially if you want to go there and play a sport.</p>
<p>Not sure about Deerfield and SPS but Andover and Exeter have really top notch swim programs. A friend of mine at Andover was an All-American as a freshman. </p>
<p>Cross-country: Exeter and Andover finished 1 and 2 respectively this year. Deerfield had the top runner in New England, I think, but I'm not sure about St. Paul's they compete in the ISL. SPS athletics are generally less competitive in the bigger sports (football, basketball) because of their smaller size but don't rule it out completely: smaller school=better chance of making varsity and shine on the team.</p>
<p>Deerfield did not have the top XC runner in NE. The one top girls runner was Nicole Blood from Saratoga Springs High School and the top runner in the boys' division was Ayalew Taye from Cushing Academy. footlockercc.com</p>
<p>He was talking about NE Division 1, where the fastest runner was from Deerfield (Nick Blixt). For cross-country, the top two teams are Andover and Exeter. Exeter always seems to pull out the championship, as they won this year despite a win by Andover in a head-to-head meet the week before. Andover won the girl's championships with Exeter in second.</p>
<p>Football changes each year as standout players graduate, but this year Trinity-Pawling (NY) beat Andover in the championship game. Trinity-Pawling went undefeated and handed Andover their first loss in the championship. Deerfield is consistantly a strong team in football and most other sports.</p>
<p>Hockey: This year, Salisbury School (CT) beat Nobles (MA) in the new england championship. Strong every year are Salisbury, Nobles, Avon Old Farms and Cushing. Andover and Exeter usually are pretty good (Top 10 in New England).</p>
<p>Lacrosse: Loomis Chaffee and Deerfield are two notoriously strong teams</p>
<p>Choate has an excellent athletic program. The last two years, Choate has gone to National's for rowing after second place finishes in the New England's. It is also excellent in football, swimming, women's Ice Hockey, Men's Cross Country, and Men's Tennis.</p>
<p>Lacrosse Players: If you are serious about lacrosse, most(not all) should start out in the ISL and look to transfer to a founder's league school by their soph/junior year. You won't get much playing time in the founder's league as an underclassmen, this is some of the best lax in the country. Deerfield, Loomis, Taft, and Salisbury are the traditional powerhouses. Right now, Deerfield has been the strongest program over the past decade, consistently being ranked top 15 in the nation. However, Salisbury and Loomis are very strong as well, and I belive split the championship this year. Taft is down now, but i don't know how long that's going to last.</p>
<p>Deerfield, for it's size, has the best overall atletics program, but has anyone seen the new gym at SPS? Boy would I have loved to have that facility. The guest team lockeroom had us drooling.</p>
<p>More on athletic facilities: Exeter: One word about their old facilities: dungeon. their main athletic building is new i think, but still ugly, dark, and all concrete. it reminds me of a big, creepy bomb shelter. the old facilities are disugsting and look more like a prison(not really exaggerating either).</p>
<p>Loomis: Brand new athletic facilities. Great gym with lots of machines and weights. Really like it.</p>
<p>Choate: Looks a bit like Loomis's. Nice overall.</p>
<p>Deerfield:Athletic facilties are clean but old. Gym is small and doesn't have many machines. Pool is amazing however, and the athletic fields will blow you away(especially the baseball and football/lax field)</p>
<p>Taft:Don't like athletic facilties overall, but just look at their hockey rink. Their facilities are relatively new.</p>
<p>Andover:Athletic facilities look a little old. However, I really like the gym here. It even has a climbing wall and punching bags.</p>
<p>sorry, I've only been there once. All I can remember is the giant hangar where they had their basketball courts. St Pauls, in general, doesn't play Exeter, ANdover, DA, CHoate, Hotchkiss, etc. in many sports because, I think, it's in the ISL.</p>
<p>Athletic Facilities:
Andover:
- old school, brick gym. original lobby is still intact, with old ropes course + punching bags. The gym might not be flashy or new, but it is very classic looking and understated. There is a pool, wrestling room and basketball courts inside.
- relatively new hockey rink, one of the best for mass. preps. Two sheets of ice and good spectator seating. <a href="http://www.andover.edu/athletics/facilities/images/insiderink_600.jpg%5B/url%5D">http://www.andover.edu/athletics/facilities/images/insiderink_600.jpg</a>
- nice fields (called Siberia), good football stadium + baseball field, great track</p>
