By Michael Letendre
The Bristol Edition continues to look at student athletes from Bristol Eastern that are moving on to the collegiate ranks.
And between women’s volleyball and basketball, along with baseball, the Kingstreeters are going to be well represented in gyms and fields across Connecticut and Vermont.
Here’s a look at four more student athletes from Eastern competing collegiately this fall:
Alyssa Valentine – Women’s Volleyball (Albertus Magnus College)
*Eastern’s slick setter found a home within the state at Albertus…Valentine led the Lancers’ program in assists (472) and did a very good job directing traffic on the court…Over her 64 sets, her 40 aces was the third most on the team…Valentine blocked ten shots, good for third place, added 80 digs and nabbed 7.4 assists-per-set…In the 3-1 victory over Bristol Central on October 3, Valentine dished out a game-high 36 assists over a big victory against the Rams…When she hits the court in New Haven, expect some big things from Valentine.
Taigan Parent – Women’s Basketball (University of St. Joseph)
*No one made more three pointers in a season for the girls basketball team at BEHS than Parent…She dropped in a school record 60 3s in 2022-23 as she left the program in third place all-time in three-pointers made…In 23 games, Parent averaged a team best 13.9 points along with 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals-per-game as a senior…She canned a team-high 33 points against Platt and had a 10 rebound game against Plainville on senior night…During that win against Platt, she tied the school record for three-pointers made in a game with seven…Parent made tremendous strides from junior to senior year – turning herself into a viable candidate for collegiate basketball…Her brother, Elijah, plays basketball at Coast Guard…No other family has hit more 3-pointers in Eastern basketball history than the Parents have…Expect big things out of the shooting guard in West Hartford.
Ryan Maglio – Baseball (Albertus Magnus College)
*Mags had an eventful senior season for the Kingstreeters, making gains at both the plate and on the mound…At the dish, Maglio batted .306 with 19 hits – second on the team…He walked a team-leading 11 times while driving in eight RBI…From the hill, he carried a 4.79 ERA and had half of the Lancers’ six victories…Mags went 3-4 overall, tossing 38 innings while fanning 52 batters…He also tallied a save and allowed just a half-dozen extra base hits…Was the No. 1 pitcher on Bristol’s American Legion Baseball team – helping the squad to ten wins and a spot in the 19U postseason tournament.
Jed Sutula – Baseball (Vermont State University, Castleton)
*Had a pretty good summer, especially during the second half of the Senior American Legion Baseball campaign…And catchers like him have skills that are in demand…Did well behind the plate and even had one inning in which he caught two pop-ups behind the plate in foul territory…Ended up batting .308 during his senior season at Eastern, also drawing a couple walks…He carried an on base percentage of .400 and hopes to crack the lineup in Vermont…If he can show that same hustle and guile he did during the summer for Post 2, Castleton could have a little competition at catcher this year.
