HAMDEN - Hamden Hall boys' lacrosse is experiencing one of its most successful seasons in the history of the Hornets' program and coach A.J. Raccio has been recognized by his peers for the success.
Raccio has been named the Western New England Secondary School Lacrosse Association Division II Coach of the Year as selected by the coaches in the league.
"I really haven't talked about it much, but it is a special honor," said Raccio in an interview at Hamden Hall on Thursday morning. "The thing is the honor really isn't about me. It's about every one of our players who have put in a lot of hard work and effort to make us successful this season. They play their hearts out every time they walk onto the field."
The Hornets are 11-3 this season and defeated fierce rival Hopkins 9-8 on Saturday. It was the second straight season they beat the Hilltoppers but only the fifth time in the last 30 years according to Raccio.
Hamden Hall has qualified for the WNESSLA D-II tournament and competes in the quarterfinals today at St. Luke's in New Canaan  for a 4 p.m. game. The Hornets also qualified for the Fairchester Athletic Association tournament and lost 13-4 to Kingswood-Oxford in the semifinals on Monday.

Avery Giorgio and Krystina Reynolds, midfielders for the Hamden Hall girl's lacrosse team, have been selected to play in the Connie Walkwitz NEPSWLA (New England Prep School Women's Lacrosse Association) all-star game this Sunday at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

Reynolds and Giorgio are among the top 10 girls' scorers in the area. Reynolds has 68 points (45 goals, 23 assists) and Giorgio has 65 points (49 goals, 16 assists). They have led the Hornets to a 7-3-1 record.

The all-star players are selected by the coaches in WNEPSLA (Western New England Prep School Lacrosse Association).

Giorgio and Reynolds also play soccer at Hamden Hall and are on the swim team and basketball team, respectively.

In related news, check out the Lacrosse Spotlight feature video on the Hamden Hall boys' lacrosse team at http://bit.ly/JsAtIT. Check out this other lacrosse feature on the expansion of lacrosse in the New Haven area at http://bit.ly/JTcMsZ.