From Florida to La Jolla, Three Milton Teams Find Their Footing

By Samuel Breyer-Essiam ’28

Over spring break, the Milton Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team and Girls’ and Boys’ Varsity Tennis teams traveled off-campus for concentrated practices. While the lacrosse team headed down south to Florida, the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams took advantage of the beautiful scenery in La Jolla, California. These trips came at a critical moment for both programs: with ISL competition approaching, each team used the week to build cohesion and evaluate where they stood against outside competition. Both returned with more practice under their belts and with noticeably tighter groups than the ones that had departed.

For the lacrosse team, each day followed a demanding structure. A typical schedule on the lacrosse trip included a heavy breakfast followed by an intensive two-hour morning practice. After lunch, the team was ready for the afternoon practice session, which took up to ninety minutes. After enough time for some rest and dinner, the evenings closed with scrimmages played under the lights. Max Simonson ’28 mentioned three of the teams they played against during their training time in Florida: Holderness, the University of Tampa, and Trinity-Pawling. All three are non-ISL competitors that helped the team evaluate where they stood against strong programs while also pushing the players to elevate their intensity. The matchups seemingly sharpened practice quality as well, as Simonson emphasized that when practices became competitive, the team was more energized and responded with higher levels of focus. “Whenever we got competitive in practice, the team got juiced,” he said. As for the future goals, Simonson described the group as confident and motivated, with their sights set on winning the ISL title.

As the tennis teams practiced in California, both the girls and boys adhered to an equally tough routine. The girls began their day at 7:00am with technical drilling and match work until nine, followed by conditioning led by coaches. Afterward, the team grabbed breakfast at coffee shops and the street next to the hotel. Afternoons varied: one day, the team watched college matches between Air Force and San Diego State University, Southern Methodist University, and the University of California, San Diego, before reconvening for a later practice session focused on point play and match simulation. Evenings closed with team dinners and the occasional s’mores pit before an early night. The boys followed a similar structure and were on the court at 6:45am for a morning intensive practice followed by fitness work, including running and core training. They went back to the courts later in the day, at 5:00pm, for another practice session that lasted for approximately one and a half hours. The squad found free time in the hours between practice, allowing for trips to the beach or walks around town and the occasional game of spikeball or golf. Max Pasciucco ’28 explained that the coaching staff placed a clear emphasis on physical conditioning alongside on-court work, ensuring players were taking care of their bodies throughout the week.

The team also faced outside competition, meeting rival BB&N for an informal scrimmage at a club roughly an hour away. Sachin Shah ’28 noted that while there were limited practice matches, most of the trip was focused on nailing down the drills and rallying; however, the looser atmosphere helped the team settle in. Practices in La Jolla were much more relaxed than those at Milton, as Shah furthers, the team often paused mid-practice simply to talk. On the last day of the trip, the team headed for the local shopping center to spend the extra cash they had leftover from their fund for food. By the time they left, one player had purchased Meta glasses. For Shah, it was the trip’s defining bonding moment and a sign of what the week had actually built. For Pasciucco, the week’s connective tissue was far simpler and manifested through daily team breakfasts.

Both programs now shift their attention to the ISL season. For lacrosse, Simonson’s message heading into competition is straightforward: to win the league while being “good dudes.” For tennis, the roster has already seen movement since the trip ended, and Shah, Pasciucco, and Weinstein all described a group that feels closer and more prepared than before spring break. However, it remains to be seen whether the work done over break will translate to the competition that lies ahead.