King Athletics welcomes New Varsity Softball Head Coach Gillian Kane 

Gillian Kane joins the Vikings community with a strong softball playing and coaching background and a deep passion for the sport. As a righty pitcher and lefty hitter, she played and was a captain at New Canaan High School and then at Springfield College, where she earned a Bachelor of Movement Science in Physical and Health Education and a Master of Education in Athletic Leadership. She is currently a Physical and Health Education teacher at Scotts Ridge Middle School in Ridgefield. Her coaching background includes years of private pitching lessons, numerous travel team positions, and a spot on the staff at New Canaan High School. She most recently helped open up the lower Fairfield County division of the Rhode Island Thunder softball program, serving as an organization director and coach.

Coach Gill brings a positive and supportive approach to coaching and stresses the importance of team bonding and chemistry. She is a skilled communicator and motivator and will do everything she can to put each player in a position to be successful during the season and throughout the offseason. She creates an engaging, competitive, and fun atmosphere each day to help the athletes enjoy practices, stay more connected, and get the most out of every session. She stresses development and knows there are many ways to measure success. Her experience playing in high school helped to shape who she is today, and she will provide the same opportunity for her players to learn and train in a safe and welcoming environment, allowing for maximum growth to develop better players and people on and off the field.

On December 16, The CT Softball Blog featured Coach Gill and her role at King in their New Hire section.

Please join us in welcoming Coach Gill to the King community!

Basketball Teams Earn League Wins Before KIT Tournament

Varsity Boys Basketball turned in their biggest win of the 2024-25 season this past Monday, December 16. King defeated their longtime rival, Brunswick School, in a tightly contested battle by a score of 64-61. Junior captain AJ Trimboli led the way with 18 points, scoring 15 in the second half, as the Vikings rallied in the final minutes to come away with an important and impressive victory to open up FAA league play.

The team bounced right back on Wednesday to defeat Frederick Gunn School in another tight game, this time pulling away with some key baskets and free throws late to win 67-58. This makes three wins in a row, including Coach Mike Trimboli’s first win at King last Saturday over Marianapolis Prep School. The squad is now preparing to join the Varsity Girls team at the 62nd annual Kingswood-Oxford Invitational Tournament (KIT) this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Simsbury and Hartford. The team will open up against Kent School on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at the Westminster School.

Varsity Girls Basketball is off to a tremendous start so far this season. First-year Head Coach Stefan Driehuizen has the team playing an infectious brand of basketball. 

The Vikings sit atop the HVAL league at 2-0, after handily defeating Westover School this past Saturday. It was a total team effort as all active players contributed to the scoring department. Their first league win was a dominating performance against last year’s HVAL champions, Harvey School, in the opening game of the season. Although the team dropped their first game on Wednesday at non-league The Masters School, they now look ahead to the KIT this weekend in Hartford. They will open up against Kimball Union on Friday night at 5:30 p.m. in the Hewett Gym at Kingswood-Oxford.

Good luck to the Vikings at the KIT!

Hockey Teams Roll

While Boys Varsity Basketball was taking Brunswick down to the wire, King Varsity Ice Hockey was battling Brunswick’s D2 team just down the hall on the Bruins’ King Street Campus. 

It was a successful sweep for the Vikings, as Hockey defeated Brunswick 5-4 (2-1 in the shootout). 

Our varsity skaters moved to 4-0 in the young season after the exhilarating victory. The game puck went to Grade 8 goalie John Lewis. Lewis suited up in his first varsity game, tallying a remarkable 31 saves and getting the biggest stop of the night in the fourth round of penalty shots during the shoot-out to seal the victory for King. Matthew Matzelle ’27 and Gideon Lechner ’27 each netted their first goals of their varsity careers. Congratulations to this trio and the entire team on a tremendous win and start to the season! On Thursday at 3:00 p.m., they will take to the ice at the SONO Ice House against FAA rival St. Luke’s School. A win would set the Vikings up with a spot at the top of the league standings heading into the winter break.

Girls Club Ice Hockey also started the winter season off on a strong note by defeating Greenwich Academy’s club team 8-0 on Wednesday at Chelsea Piers. The club team is a cooperative program with St. Luke’s, and the team has earned the nickname of “STING,” a combination of “st” from St. Luke’s and “ing” from King. This was a great performance for the STING as they dominated GA on the ice in the big win! Congratulations to the players and Coach Brooke Heron, who earned her first win at King.

Squash Opens Up Match Season

Varsity Squash opened up play for the 2024-25 winter season on Wednesday, hosting The Masters School at MSquash in Norwalk. It was great to see the athletes back on the court.